October 3, 2026
The Fearless Fund co-founder has turned a landmark legal battle over DEI into a new book and conversation about wealth building.
Arian Simone is taking her story from the venture capital world to bookshelves nationwide.
The entrepreneur, investor, co-founder, and CEO of Fearless Fund has launched a multi-city tour ahead of the Oct. 6 release of her new book, Fearless Freedom: A Manifesto for Unlocking Wealth and Equality for All. Published by Storehouse Voices, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group at Penguin Random House, the 304-page book examines entrepreneurship, access to capital, and the legal battle that put her firm at the center of a national debate.
Founded in 2018, Fearless Fund is an Atlanta-based venture capital firm that invests in under-resourced entrepreneurs, specifically women of color seeking pre-seed, seed, or series A financing. In the book, she chronicles the firm’s legal fight over its Strivers Grant program while connecting the experience to broader questions about economic mobility and wealth creation.
The book features a foreword from civil rights attorney Ben Crump and an afterword by Stacey Abrams. Simone describes the project as part memoir, manifesto, and practical playbook for entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders navigating an uneven capital landscape.
The timing is notable for founders still navigating shifting rules and expectations around diversity-focused capital. In a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Simone said the challenges women of color face in seeking funding remain familiar.
“There were many obstacles and barriers for access to capital to women of color, and unfortunately, they just still exist today.”
She also said Fearless Fund’s broader investment work continues, adding, “We are still cutting checks. We are still investing. We still have our loan program going on.”
Simone says she wrote the book to translate a high-profile business battle into lessons other founders can use. She told the AJC that she wanted readers to leave with “the empowerment to affect change just right where they are.”
According to a press release, the book tour began Sept. 17 in Washington, D.C., with appearances tied to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference. She also held a First Ladies Luncheon with CNN Anchor Abby Phillip in New York on Sept. 25. Upcoming stops include Atlanta and Stonecrest, Georgia, with a scheduled conversation featuring Abrams at the Decatur Book Festival on Oct. 3.
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