We understand what it takes

Founded In
2016
Porfolio
50+ Company
headquarter
Los Angeles
Our Story

We are founders who have built companies that succeeded and failed. We are ready to take the journey with our portfolio companies, and we bring along a community of experienced entrepreneurs and executives who deliver meaningful advice and connections that lead to revenue. The roots of our community grew from more than a decade of investing in the UCLA entrepreneurial ecosystem.

We're a community of seasoned operators

Alejandro Guerrero
General Partner
Previously: Associate, UCLA VC Fund, CEO/Founder, UniqApp, Co-Founder, Live Entertainment Network
Michael Silton
General Partner
Previously: Executive Director, UCLA VC FundCEO/Founder, Rainmaker Systems (public company), CEO/Co-Founder, UniDirect Systems (sold to Avent)
Gabriela Camili
Associate
Previously :Investment Associate, BDev Ventures, Partnerships Manager, Plug and Play, Attorney, Green Metals BR‍
Monica Pool Knox
Advisor, HR & Strategy
Previously: EVP & Chief People Officer, Domo, Chief People Officer, LivePerson, Global Head of HR, Microsoft
David Chaiken
Advisor, Technology
Previously: Chief Architect, Pinterest, CTO, Altiscale, SAP, Chief Architect, Yahoo!
Meredith Finn
Advisor, Finance
Currenty: CFO, Front | Previously: CFO, MANTL, Partner, March Capital Partners
Lara Brooks
Advisor, GTM
Previously: Expert, Primary Venture Partners, CRO, DailyPay, VP of Sales, Paycom
We spearheaded the Diversity Rider to change the makeup of cap tables across venture investing.
How and why the rider was created
What the rider can do for the venture industry
The importance of the rider
Rider press release
Finix allocated 10% of its latest funding round for Black and Latinx investors. You can too.

Diversity has always been a major part of Act One’s investment ethos, and we led the creation of the Diversity Rider to enable better access and change the venture landscape by bringing more diverse investors to every deal. Some of the biggest names in venture are using the rider: Greycroft, Fifth Wall, Harlem Capital, Plexo, Precursor, and dozens of others. The rider is open to anyone who invests or wants to invest in startups, whether that is through a venture fund or as an individual Diverse Check Writer.

If every firm commits to making this significant change in their deal-making process, the VC playing field will be more inclusive. This will also give diverse check writers (DCWs) exposure to networks they previously did not have access to, and it will benefit firms by bringing diverse thinking to the companies in which they are investing. Act One is holding itself accountable by including the Diversity Rider in every term sheet.

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