Richelle Martin, managing director for the Winnow Fund, wants to see more diverse representation in the venture capital field.

In early November, the fund announced $3.5 million in new capital raised toward an $8 million target. As part of the Badger Fund of Funds, the Winnow Fund will look to colleges and universities throughout the state for opportunities to invest in pre-revenue companies.

Martin heads the only women-led fund that’s based in the state and investing in Wisconsin companies, and says she’s “really honored and proud” to be a part of it.

“Someone is always going to have to be the first,” she told WisBusiness.com. “There is this stereotypical idea of what a venture capitalist looks like, and I don’t fit that in so many ways.”

After majoring in art history, political science and psychology at UW-Milwaukee, she went on to law school. But after less than a year at a law firm, Martin left for a job at UW-Madison and spent more than six years negotiating research contracts. Read the full story here.