I’ve been at 500 Startups for nearly two years now, and one of the best things about working here is our team’s real commitment to inclusivity. At 500, we don’t just slap a poster on the wall about diversity – we know that LGBT founders, mentors, and investors are a huge part of what makes our #500Strong family so great. This past year, we even launched Rainbow Round to highlight great entrepreneurs and do more community outreach.

Today, we’re excited to announce the 500 LGBT syndicate. We’re very passionate about is getting more LGBT folks on both sides of the table, and launching this syndicate will help us fund more great founders, while also encouraging people in the LGBT community to participate as angel syndicate backers. We already have some amazing LGBT-run companies in our portfolio, like Dattch, Hornet, and Whim. We can’t wait to support even more.

So what’s the deal? Over the next year, 500 Startups will invest $1M total in 10 LGBT-backed startups (or about $100K each). Backers of the 500 LGBT syndicate will invest additional capital in these companies as well.

This is our fourth AngelList Syndicate, and we plan to launch more in the future that focus on investment areas, industries and demographics we care about.

Interested in backing the 500 LGBT syndicate? Send an email to mark@500.co. We’re excited to hear from you!