De'Havia Stewart

De'Havia's life mission is to help increase access to the financial system

Featured At:

Background

De’Havia Stewart is an early stage investor and operator whose career has been centered around evaluating companies’ business and operating models, understanding the pros and cons of each, and identifying opportunities to further enable growth. She helps lead two investment platforms as Chief Investment Officer - 1) writing checks between $1-5m into early growth companies (Series A+) and 2) writing checks up to $150k into early stage startups.

She started her career in Accenture’s Strategy practice, working with leading Fortune 500 companies across retail, consumer products, financial services, media, and telecom. Shortly after, she moved into venture capital initially supporting an early stage vehicle at SoftBank Opportunity Fund (now Open Opportunity Fund), where she helped deploy over $125M into early stage companies (this fund is a top quartile performer amongst its vintage).

Throughout her venture career she has backed unicorn companies such as QuickNode, Notion, Cityblock Health, Brex, Eight Sleep and Notion, along with emerging high growth startups including FlutterFlow, Upwardli, and Subject Learning. She has also backed creator-led and culturally significant projects from figures such as Snoop Dogg and Alicia Keys.

De’Havia spent the past several years working with Serena Williams at her venture firm, Serena Ventures, where she helped Serena manage Fund I of $111M and contributed to sourcing, diligence, portfolio support, and fund operations.

Her work has earned national recognition including HBCUvc Emerging Leader in Venture Capital, Atlanta Inno Under 25, and multiple placements on the Alpha Partners Rising Star List. She has also spoken at leading institutions and global stages such as the New York Stock Exchange, Yale University, and GITEX Dubai.

De’Havia is committed to expanding access to education and entrepreneurship. She sits on the Associate Board of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity. She previously served on the Atlanta Board of BLCK VC and on the investment committees for the HBCUvc Pre-Seed Fund and the BLK Foundation.

She is an HBCU graduate of Florida A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Awards

HBCUvc Emerging Leader in Venture Capital

Recognized for contributions to early-stage investing and expanding access to venture capital. The program highlights rising investors across the U.S. who are already demonstrating leadership, performance, and long-term potential in the field.

Atlanta Inno Under 25

Honored for leadership and impact in Atlanta’s technology and startup community at an early stage of her career.

Alpha Partners Rising Star List (2022)

Named a Rising Star by Alpha Partners in 2022, recognizing early influence and performance within the venture capital and private markets ecosystem.

Alpha Partners Rising Star List (2024)

Recognized again in 2024, reflecting continued growth, leadership, and sustained impact in venture and private market investing.

Speaking

De’Havia has spoken across a wide range of platforms, including institutional venues, global conferences, founder and investor ecosystems, and academic institutions. Her engagements reflect a commitment to advancing thoughtful dialogue around venture capital, entrepreneurship, and access to opportunity across sectors and communities.

Global & Institutional Platforms