Draft:Rashaun L. Williams

• Comment: See WP:BLP. Statements, starting with the date of birth, need to be sourced or removed. Greenman (talk) 10:51, 17 September 2024 (UTC)

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Rashaun L. Williams (born September 16th, 1979) is an American venture capitalist, financial literacy activist, and limited partner of the Atlanta Falcons. Williams is known for making over 170 investments, with more than 50 successful exits. He co-founded Queensbridge Venture Partners and has been an early investor in notable companies like Robinhood, Coinbase, Casper, Ring, PillPack, Lyft, and Dropbox. He is also the founder of the family office Value Investment Group which invests in professional sports teams, startups and does lower middle market buyouts. He has also served as general partner at the four MVP All-Star Funds. In 2024 he became a limited partner in the ownership group of the Atlanta Falcons.

Early life and education

From the Gresham area of the south side of Chicago, Williams later went on to graduate summa cum laude from Morehouse College, majoring in Economics. He later became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. After college he pursued a career in investment banking, working at major Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs, Wachovia Securities, and Deutsche Bank for over a decade.

Career

Early career

Williams began his career in investment banking working at Goldman Sachs, Wachovia Securities, and Deutsche Bank, focused on credit and structured credit sales & trading with institutional clients. During his time on Wall Street he worked with hedge funds, family offices, insurance companies and money managers helping them find investments in corporate bonds, credit default swaps, CLOs, CDOs and asset back securities. He left his financial analyst role at Goldman Sachs to become one of the youngest vice presidents at Wachovia Securities at the age of 23; quickly rising to Director and later leaving for Deutsche Securities.

Venture capital and private equity

In 2006 while still on Wall Street, Williams founded Dixsville Partners, a private equity fund that focused on investing in infrastructure development and mineral companies in West Africa. Some of his portfolio companies were rock crushing businesses, asphalt businesses and heavy equipment leasing businesses.

In 2012 Williams co-founded venture capital fund Queensbridge Venture Partners, where he was an early investor in several high-profile startups including Robinhood, Coinbase, Lyft, Ring, Casper, PillPack, and Dropbox. That same year he launched his family office, Value Investment Group. While his focus was private equity and managing his own money he later served as a general partner in four MVP All-Star Funds with assets totaling over $1.5 billion.

In 2023, Williams founded Antimatter Business Partners', a firm dedicated to helping athletes and entertainers establish and operate their own private equity family offices. He educates them on private equity, venture capital, and modern portfolio theory. He mentors and coaches over 100 athletes and entertainers.

Financial literacy advocacy

Williams has been a prominent advocate for financial literacy, particularly in underserved communities. In 2001, he founded the Kemet Institute, a nonprofit organization aimed at providing free financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and life skills education to underprivileged communities and schools. These efforts continue and it's one of his most highly regarded accomplishments.

Board memberships and affiliations

In 2015, Williams was appointed to the Board of Trustees at Fisk University. He is also a member of the fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He is also on the board of ShoulderUp Technology Acquisition Corporation, a publicly traded company.

Personal life

Williams currently resides with his wife and two children in Atlanta, GA. Williams is actively involved in financial literacy and entrepreneurship initiatives. He continues to advocate for financial education, particularly in underserved communities and among athletes and entertainers, through his work in both venture capital and nonprofit organizations.