# Diana Frappier

> Diana Frappier is the co-founder of Promise, an Oakland-based AI-powered government payment platform that helps municipalities and utilities distribute relief, recover revenue, and automate eligibility checks at scale. A UC Hastings-trained lawyer turned social entrepreneur, she co-founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights with Van Jones in 1996, helped launch the first Green Jobs Corps in Oakland, and then pivoted to fintech after years running operations at Green For All and Honor. At Promise, she and CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins have raised over $48M and built a platform that has distributed $150M+ in government relief to hundreds of thousands of residents.

- **Role:** Co-Founder at Promise
- **Organizations:** Promise, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Green For All, Honor, NPG
- **From:** San Francisco, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, J.D., UC Hastings College of the Law
- **Known for:** Co-founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights with Van Jones in 1996, one of the most influential criminal justice reform nonprofits in the US, Co-launched the Green-Collar Jobs Campaign in 2005, establishing the first Green Jobs Corps in Oakland, Served on the founding board of Green For All, a national clean energy nonprofit

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Earned J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law; co-founded Ella Baker Center for Human Rights with Van Jones
- **1996-2008** — Co-founder and leader at Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Oakland
- **2005** — Co-launched the Ella Baker Center's Green-Collar Jobs Campaign with Van Jones, establishing the US's first Green Jobs Corps in Oakland
- **2006-2008** — Served as Interim CEO of Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
- **2007** — Served on the founding board of Green For All when it launched nationally
- **2008-2015** — Director of Finance and Administration / COO at Green For All
- **2015-2016** — Business operations consultant at NPG
- **2016** — Care Pro Operations at Honor (home health care startup)
- **2017** — Co-founded Promise with Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins in Oakland
- **2018** — Promise joins Y Combinator Winter 2018 batch; raises $3.9M seed round with investors including Roc Nation (Jay-Z), First Round Capital, Kapor Capital
- **2021** — Promise closes $20M Series A led by Kapor Capital and XYZ Venture Capital
- **2022** — Promise raises $25M Series B led by The General Partnership; recognized among top-funded female entrepreneurs
- **2022-present** — Scaling Promise's AI platform for government relief distribution and revenue recovery across US municipalities

## Achievements

- Co-founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights with Van Jones in 1996, one of the most influential criminal justice reform nonprofits in the US
- Co-launched the Green-Collar Jobs Campaign in 2005, establishing the first Green Jobs Corps in Oakland
- Served on the founding board of Green For All, a national clean energy nonprofit
- Co-founded Promise (Y Combinator W18), which raised $48M+ and became one of the largest-funded women-led startups of 2022
- Promise helped WSSC Water recover $28M with 40,000+ enrolled customers
- Promise helped Washington State distribute $150M to 690,000 households
- Promise achieved 93% compliance rates in government debt repayment programs
- Promise delivered 15x more COVID relief than manual distribution in Louisville's first week of partnership

## Latest updates

- **2022-02** — Promise raises $25M Series B led by The General Partnership, with Kapor Capital, XYZ Ventures, First Round Capital among returning investors
- **2022-01** — Diana Frappier and Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins recognized among top-funded female entrepreneurs of 2022 by Crunchbase
- **2021-02** — Promise closes $20M Series A round, one of the largest for a Black, women-led startup

## Links

- Website: https://www.promise-pay.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-frappier-b3304710

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/diana-frappier
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-26