# Sydney Thomas

> Sydney Thomas is the Founding General Partner of Symphonic Capital, a $13.5M debut fund investing at the intersection of health, wealth, and climate resilience for the 99%. She was the first hire at Precursor Ventures in 2016, scaled the firm from 10 investments to 400+ and $200M+ AUM over seven years, and then left to build on her own terms. She created the landmark Black Women in VC list, co-founded the Women of Color in VC network, and relocated from San Francisco to her hometown of San Diego to anchor her firm there. A Kauffman Fellow, Duke and Berkeley Haas alum, she backs pre-seed founders outside coastal tech hubs who are building essential systems for people the industry routinely ignores.

- **Role:** Founding General Partner at Symphonic Capital
- **Organizations:** Symphonic Capital, Precursor Ventures, Kauffman Fellows Program, Acumen America, Oakland Museum of California, Alliance Healthcare Foundation, Girl Scouts of America, The House Fund, Women of Color in VC
- **From:** San Diego, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA, Public Policy, Duke University, MBA, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Fellowship, Kauffman Fellows Program
- **Known for:** First hire and Principal at Precursor Ventures; scaled firm from 10 to 400+ investments and $0 to $200M+ AUM, Created the Black Women in VC list - a landmark resource for startups, VC firms, and conference organizers seeking Black women in venture, Co-founded Women of Color in VC network with Siri Srinivas (first gathering November 2016)

## Career timeline

- **pre-2016** — Worked 13 years in government and public sector, including the Bloomberg Administration in NYC - drafting federal legislation and negotiating multi-million dollar contracts for the Department of Education and Office of Financial Empowerment
- **2016** — Joined Precursor Ventures as its very first hire and intern after graduating from Berkeley Haas; began building the firm's operational infrastructure
- **2016** — Co-founded the Women of Color in VC network with Siri Srinivas, hosting their first gathering in November 2016
- **2017** — Developed her investment thesis focused on companies giving ordinary people greater agency over their lives
- **2020** — Promoted to Principal at Precursor Ventures, becoming authorized to lead deals independently - the first such promotion in the firm's history
- **2020** — Created and published the Black Women in VC list via All Raise, documenting Black women in venture capital to foster inclusion and visibility
- **2022** — Departed Precursor Ventures (transitioning to Venture Partner) to launch her own fund; Symphonic Capital begins forming
- **2023** — Officially launched Symphonic Capital as Founding General Partner; relocated from San Francisco to San Diego
- **2025** — Closed Symphonic Capital Fund I at $13.5M with LPs including Bank of America, Illumen Capital, Uplifting Capital Management, Candide Group, and Known Financial

## Achievements

- First hire and Principal at Precursor Ventures; scaled firm from 10 to 400+ investments and $0 to $200M+ AUM
- Created the Black Women in VC list - a landmark resource for startups, VC firms, and conference organizers seeking Black women in venture
- Co-founded Women of Color in VC network with Siri Srinivas (first gathering November 2016)
- Kauffman Fellow
- Closed $13.5M inaugural fund for Symphonic Capital (2025) with institutional LPs including Bank of America
- 11 portfolio investments at Symphonic Capital with 1 exit (Rocket Doctor)
- Featured in Marie Claire on Black women in venture capital
- Named to DEIC Power100 list
- Named to Black VC's Making an Impact designation
- Board of Trustees, Oakland Museum of California
- Advisor to Acumen America and Alliance Healthcare Foundation

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Symphonic Capital officially closed its inaugural $13.5M Fund I, with LPs including Bank of America, Illumen Capital, Uplifting Capital Management, Candide Group, and Known Financial
- **2025-04** — Announced Symphonic Capital's debut fund publicly, with Shruti Shah named as Partner; firm focuses on digital health and fintech for underserved communities
- **2023-01** — Relocated from San Francisco to San Diego, making Symphonic Capital a San Diego-based firm

## Links

- Website: https://www.sydneypaigethomas.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-p-thomas/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/imsydneythomas
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsydneythomas/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamsydneythomas

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sydney-thomas
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05