Omari Saunders’ Post

Since it’s Black History Month, I’ve been highlighting the peopledem celebrating Black businesses and individuals I admire, whose products I use, or who inspire me. This is post 18 of 31, in addition to my usual PeopleDem Property LTD articles.   Today’s spotlight is on Rodney Appiah an early-stage investor, board member, and former investment banker. Rodney is the Managing Partner at Cornerstone VC, a firm that invests from pre-seed through to pre-Series A. Beyond initial investment, they provide follow-on capital for top-performing portfolio companies as they scale and facilitate introductions to leading global tech investors at Series A and beyond.   Cornerstone looks for businesses that are intentional about team composition, able to thrive in high-growth environments, and obsessive about execution. Their philosophy is simple but powerful: people first, software second.   I admire Rodney because representation matters and with so few Black VCs in the industry, the work he’s doing is inspiring. His presence not only demonstrates that there’s space for our community in venture capital, but also helps founders realise that VC is a pathway to access capital and grow their businesses.