Gaingels LGBTQ+ Investment Syndicate
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Gaingels is an investment syndication group that started by focusing on LGBTQ+ founders but has expanded to become a major startup investment force, deploying hundreds of millions in capital through a simple yet effective model.
Core Model
- Find promising companies and write investment memos
- Distribute deals to email list of investors
- Take 20% carry on investments
- Charge $8-10k deal fee per investment to cover operational costs
Scale & Reach
- Expected to deploy $400-500M this year
- Previously invested ~$300M collectively
- Total investment approaching $1B
- Portfolio includes major companies like Lyft and Hone
- Featured regularly in TechCrunch funding announcements
Distribution Network
- 5-7 key people who redistribute deals to their audiences
- These distributors get a portion of the carry
- Started with LGBTQ+ focus but now invests broadly
- Uses identity/community as initial wedge ("not a lot of gay and lesbian investors")
Key Innovation
- Simple syndication model with carry + fees
- Used LGBTQ+ focus as initial differentiator to get deal access
- Scaled beyond original niche while maintaining strong deal flow
- Built distribution network with aligned incentives through carry sharing
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.