Community has always been core to how we operate Equal. Venture firms are defined by the people they surround themselves with, whether it be the entrepreneurs we partner with, the operators and talent building those companies, the co-investors we collaborate with, or the industry “bridgers” we work with to transform industries, and we’ve found that the community we’ve developed at Equal is one of our strongest compounding assets.
From our Climate and Insurance Summits to the long-running Emerging Manager Circle, we’ve seen firsthand how intentional, curated communities & events can create enduring value. In addition to our 300+ person public conferences, our team has hosted countless intimate gatherings—dinners, roundtables, and salons designed to bring together leaders across the industries we serve.
Community means a lot more than events - it means finding better ways to connect and empower the nodes in our network. This can be everything from the events we host, the content we produce to the connections we make across our portfolio companies and industry contacts. As we reflected upon the progress we've made on these community efforts over the last year, two things became clear: 1) they produced amazing ROI for our companies, 2) to continue scaling the depth and impact of our community efforts, we needed someone to lead the charge full-time.
After a highly competitive search that brought in hundreds of exceptional applicants, we’re thrilled to welcome Sam Hughes as our first-ever Platform Manager at Equal Ventures.
Sam was introduced to us by a mentor—herself a Platform leader at a firm we deeply respect—and she exceeded every expectation as we got to know her. With each interaction, she expanded our own vision for what this role could be, bringing unmatched passion, insight, and energy. Within 24 hours of every meeting, Sam would follow up unprompted with a polished, thoughtful deliverable that showcased both strategic thinking and an ability to execute at a high level.
Sam joins us from M13, where she led community and events initiatives, and previously was a Development Associate at The Rockefeller University. She also serves on the Steering Committee of The Gen AI Collective, a leading community at the intersection of AI and innovation.
Even before her official start, Sam rolled up her sleeves to support our inaugural Insurance Capital Summit and Annual Founder Summit in Mexico. That level of initiative and dedication gives us tremendous excitement for what’s ahead.
We’re still in the early innings of building Equal into the firm we envision—and we’re thrilled to have Sam onboard to help shape that future. If you are a member of the Equal community or someone interested in collaborating with us on future community initiatives, please reach out to her!
Please join us in welcoming her to the team!
