Tiana Tukes

Tiana Tukes
EducationMorehouse College (BA)
Websitehttps://tianatukesmedia.com/

Tiana Tukes is an American entrepreneur, educator and venture capitalist, currently a lecturer at Spelman College. She also co-founded and formerly co-led LGBT+ VC, a nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ allied venture investors. She is the first transgender woman to hold a position at a venture capital firm managing over a billion dollars,[1][2] and the first Black trans woman to lecture in entrepreneurship at Spelman.[3][4]

Biography

Tiana Tukes grew up in the metro Atlanta area, attending Eastside High School.[3] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in cinema, television and emerging media studies from Morehouse College, where she was part of Phi Beta Kappa.[5][6] After graduation, she worked at Accenture, Spotify, Silicon Valley Bank, and Sequoia Capital, among other businesses.[1]

In 2022 or early 2023, Tukes co-founded LGBT+ VC with former early-stage investor Jackson Block.[7][8][9] The nonprofit runs networking events, conferences and classes for the LGBTQ community,[7] including a three-month college fellowship program for students in venture capital[4] and a 2023 summit for queer and ally investors.[10] In 2024, she resigned from LGBT+ VC.[2]

Tukes was originally hired by the Spelman College economics department as an advisor for entrepreneurship program curriculum development; she currently co-teaches the Black Entrepreneurship Mindset with Millicent Springs-Campbell as an adjunct professor.[11][12]

In 2025, Tukes was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in VC.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 Taylor, Mildred Europa (2025-07-21). "Tiana Tukes: from being first trans woman to work in venture capital to making history at Spelman". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  2. 1 2 Keenan, Sara (2024-02-29). "LGBT+ VC Co-Founder Tiana Tukes Announces Resignation". POCIT. Telling the stories and thoughts of the underrepresented in tech. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  3. 1 2 Singleton, Isaiah (2024-04-18). "Spelman College prof. Tiana Tukes is a pioneer of change". The Atlanta Voice. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  4. 1 2 Dorisca, Samantha (2024-04-01). "Meet Tiana Tukes, An Investor Looking To Increase Black Representation In VC As A Spelman College Educator". AfroTech. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  5. ↑ "SXSW 2024 Schedule | Contributors". SXSW 2026 Schedule. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  6. ↑ "Tiana Tukes". Backstage.com. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  7. 1 2 Davis, Dominic-Madori (2023-03-24). "Exploring 5 ideas with the founders of LGBT+ VC". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  8. ↑ Browley, Jasmine (2024-04-01). "Meet Tiana Tukes, The First Trans Woman To Work In Venture Capital Whose Career Is A Love Letter To Black Women". Essence. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  9. ↑ Khan, Alyssa (2023-06-13). "LGBT+VC Is Hosting LGBTQ+ Founders, Funders, and Allies at a Groundbreaking Summit Next Week". Inc.com. Archived from the original on 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  10. ↑ "The Powerful Reason Why This Woman Founded An LGBTQ Startup Organization". digitalundivided. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  11. ↑ Edwards, Kandiss (2024-04-18). "Tiana Tukes Is Disrupting In Business And Education". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  12. ↑ Santos, Isadora (2024-07-13). "Saiba quem é Tiana Tukes, primeira mulher trans negra a alcançar destaque no mundo das finanças nos EUA". Mundo Negro (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  13. ↑ Gasman, Marybeth. "How Tiana Tukes Is Changing Classrooms And Venture Capital". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.