Path Ahead Ventures — REI Dan Kihanya

This week’s VentureFuel Visionary is Dan Kihanya, Director of REI’s Path Ahead Ventures, a $30 million fund aimed at supporting founders of color in the outdoor industry. Launched in 2021, the program focuses on providing resources, mentorship, and funding to help diverse entrepreneurs start and scale their businesses.

In addition, they offer multiple programs, such as Embark (for early-stage founders), Navigate (for enterprise-ready founders who could sell into REI), and a more traditional fund — each designed to meet founders where they are in their journey.

In this episode, we discuss how diversity drives innovation. We also discuss how Path Ahead Ventures is closing the gap between the 1% of founders who identify as people of color and the 30%+ of outdoor participants who identify as such.