Zeal Capital Partners Promotes Stefanie Thomas-Martin to Partner

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zeal Capital Partners, a leading Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm focused on investing in early-stage technology businesses led by exceptional management teams, today announced Stefanie Thomas-Martin’s promotion from Managing Director to Partner. Thomas-Martin will join Zeal’s Founder and Managing Partner, Nasir Qadree, in overseeing the execution of the firm’s portfolio strategy and will serve on the Investment Committee across all mandates. Additionally, Thomas-Martin has assumed a board of directors role at Stratyfy, a cutting-edge fintech company leveraging AI to enable financial institutions to make fairer decisions in credit risk, fraud detection, and compliance.

"Stefanie's promotion to Partner is a testament to her exceptional leadership, investment acumen and track record, and unwavering commitment to our mission and values,” said Nasir Qadree, Founder and Managing Partner of Zeal Capital Partners. “Her focus, expertise, and vision have been instrumental in launching the Barclays Black Formation Investment (BBFI) initiative and continuing to drive our Inclusive Investing™ strategy forward. “Stefanie’s promotion to Partner underscores her pivotal role in driving Zeal’s growth and advancing our founding investment thesis. Her leadership will be instrumental as we continue to build the next-generation investment platform and catalyze mission-driven businesses across healthcare, fintech, and the workforce, shaping an enduring legacy of innovation and impact across the venture capital ecosystem.”

Since joining Zeal in 2023, Thomas-Martin has been spearheading the Barclays Black Formation Investment (BBFI) vehicle, a $50 million pre-seed investment platform backed by Barclays and managed by Zeal Capital Partners. Built to propel the next generation of diverse-led companies, BBFI provides critical early-stage institutional capital and support to founders building high-growth technology companies primarily across the US and UK. She will continue to lead the BBFI strategy and oversee the firm’s expanded commitment to Inclusive Investing™. She also pioneered Zeal's inaugural scout program, a critical initiative designed to train the next generation of diverse venture capitalists.

"I am honored to take on this new role as Partner at Zeal Capital Partners," said Stefanie Thomas-Martin. “Our work in sourcing, underwriting, and scaling category-leading businesses and nurturing diverse talent across the venture capital ecosystem is more crucial than ever. I look forward to continuing our mission of driving economic mobility to undercapitalized communities while delivering exceptional returns for our investors.”

Before joining Zeal, Thomas-Martin was a founding member and investor at Impact America Fund (IAF). She also co-founded the pioneering entrepreneurship platform for women, Women Who Launch, after noticing the lack of startup communities available to support aspiring women founders. Earlier in her career, Thomas served as Vice President in Citigroup’s global banking division. She received her M.B.A. from the Ross School at the University of Michigan and her B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

About Zeal Capital Partners:

Zeal Capital Partners, based in Washington, DC, partners with high-growth, early-stage, tech-enabled companies led by exceptional management teams that are rethinking the building blocks of wealth. As a category-specific investment firm, Zeal’s focus areas include the future of learning and work, financial technology, and health equity.