Meet Patrick Driscoll

Patrick Driscoll

Class of 2023 BEQ Pride LGBTQ Leader Under 40

Pronouns: He, Him

Age: 34

Who or what inspires your leadership purpose? And why?

My inspiration comes from LGBTQ+ founders. When I entered the VC ecosystem, I was shocked by the homophobia, misogyny, and elitism. I’d see amazing founders get passed over because of their sexual orientation or identity. Mediocre ideas were getting funded while great ones with LGBTQ+ founders were overlooked due to bigotry or a lack of network.

Chasing Rainbows’ mission is to prove that LGBTQ+ founders will create game-changing businesses and provide outsized financial returns. This will fight the bigotry that exists in the VC ecosystem, unleashing the potential of LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. ~Patrick Driscoll

Patrick Driscoll is a leader in the LGBTQ+ venture capital (VC) and startup ecosystems. He has chaired the board of StartOut‘s VC and Investor Group for multiple years, having impacted more than 400 LGBTQ+ investors, angels, and VCs. Patrick has mentored 16 LGBTQ+ founders, helping them to raise their next funding rounds, discussing their growth strategy, and introducing them to mentors and investors. Patrick’s impact is measurable. He has been on panels focused on LGBTQ+ empowerment, which reached nearly 1000 individuals. He often speaks on breaking into VC as an out queer investor and has had to fight to break into the space himself. Patrick is launching a new VC fund, Chasing Rainbows, which will write direct checks to LGBTQ+-founded companies. This fund is focused on wealth creation for the greater community and will start investing in 2023. It aims to be the friends and family round for those founders who often lose theirs due to hatred and bigotry. Before his role in VC and startups, Patrick served on the Board of the Diversity and Inclusion Group of Southern California’s Federal Employees, represented diverse Peace Corps volunteers while serving in Senegal, and he speaks at events across the globe.

To learn about more leaders recognized by BEQ Pride, visit https://businessequalitymagazine.com/MoreLeaders

To connect with this leader, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickedriscoll/