In Philly last night, at the tail end of a news-heavy week for her minority-focused firm, Los Angeles-based Backstage Capital founder Arlan Hamilton laid out the narrative: Following some layoffs and an internal restructuring, the firm will continue to back companies in its four-city accelerator program, support its 100-plus portfolio companies and is still — countering what Axios reporter Dan Primack initially reported — actively raising a $36 million fund to invest in Black women one million at a time.

But before all of that, as a preface to her talk at the launch of Backstage’s Philly accelerator, Hamilton asked a gentleman in the back of the room at Venture Café to take a curtain call.

“Josh Kopelman, will you stand up, please?”

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