9. Fave — $2.2 million

Jacquelle Amankonah Horton closed a $2.2 million seed round for Fave in May. (Courtesy of Jacquelle Amankonah Horton)
Jacquelle Amankonah Horton launched Fave, a community for fans, in 2020. The goal was to build a platform where fans can connect with one another, make content about their favorite celebrities, and sell their creations.

In May, Fave closed a $2.2 million seed round led by Female Founders Fund, Sony Music, Quality Control, and others. Horton understood the difficulty of raising venture capital as a Black woman, but she knew she had to operate Fave with a full belief in her abilities.

"Because I have such conviction for what I'm doing, it was worth it for me to leave some big company and go start something on my own," she said, adding that she left a role at YouTube to launch Fave. "That is the driving force for me every single day and makes the risk today worth it."