Evan Poncelet is the Executive Director of the Seattle-based startup community Venture Black and a founding managing partner of Dreamward Ventures. A fellow of VC Lab, BLCK VC, Venture Institute, and the World Affairs Council, he has over 20 years of software/hardware development experience with Fluke, Cisco, and Africatown Community Land Trust. His work focuses on bridging and bonding social capital to unite and accelerate Black diaspora and ally professionals building and investing in venture-backable, growth-oriented startups.