Stephanie Campbell - The Artemis Fund
“True power starts with ownership."
Connect with Stephanie
linkedin.com/in/stephanielcampbell
VC Uncovered’s View
Stephanie Campbell’s unique approach to venture has its roots in her experience working in her mom’s hair salon. This apprenticeship booking clients, sweeping floors, and washing hair gave her career a unique real-world foundation. Growing up in a small business, her practical experience of grit, service, and “real economic pain points” extends beyond the textbook knowledge and intellectual understanding many legacy VCs lack.
In contrast, her early career as a lobbyist positioned her to bump shoulders with the people holding the proverbial keys to power. Her frustration with the slow pace of policy change pushed her toward a faster-moving, more agile world: venture capital. By this time she knew she didn’t just want a seat at the table; she had a vision for rebuilding the table itself.
This is why she co-founded The Artemis Fund. Artemis is a nimble firm that embodies the think-on-your-feet attitude we seek out at VC Uncovered. They are “hunting” (as their brand suggests) for founders building technology for resilient families and businesses.
Stephanie’s work is a direct challenge to the VC status quo. She’s explicitly looking for founders whose lived insight gets overlooked by firms fixated on pedigree. Her core thesis—that “wealth is power” and that true transformation comes from expanding ownership to women—is the kind of bold, unconventional thinking that redefines the future of venture. She’s not just investing; she’s building the infrastructure for economic mobility.Meet Stephanie
Q: You can be anywhere. Eating, drinking, and reading your favorite thing. What is it?
A: I’m on the beach in Cape Cod with my two boys, eating lobster rolls and listening to classical music in my headphones. Soaking up the sun, tuning out the world, and making memories.
Key Quotes
“True power starts with ownership.”
“When systems work for more people, everyone moves forward.”
“I invest in founders redesigning the systems that shape how we earn, invest, build, and care, shaped by my own experience navigating those systems without a safety net.”
“AI isn’t the only path to building transformative businesses—there are still countless opportunities to generate real, durable returns by solving meaningful problems.”
“Founders who own the numbers and the narrative stand out immediately.”
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Original Responses (Lightly Edited for Clarity and Flow)
Background and Personal Journey
Experiences Shaping My Investment Approach
My first lessons in entrepreneurship came from my mom’s hair salon. From about eight years old, I was calling customers, booking appointments, washing hair, and sweeping floors. I even got good enough to wax eyebrows. I watched my mom manage clients, inventory, and payroll, often all in the same breath.
Growing up in a working-class family, resilience and service were how we made it. I’ve always been fiercely independent, and my willingness to take on what others find too hard has served me well. Building the life you want (and the world you want) takes endurance, adaptability, and relentless follow-through.
That foundation shapes how I invest today. I back founders who know their customers firsthand and solve real economic pain points with the same grit and precision. At Artemis, we invest in companies building the infrastructure for economic mobility, because when systems work for more people, everyone moves forward.
Moment Inspiring Venture Capital Career
Prior to VC, I was a lobbyist for cities and counties in California. I worked for the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee and Northrop Grumman. I had drinks with the House Speaker on the rooftop of the Hay Adams. Although I was close to power brokers, I was frustrated by how slowly policy moved to address real problems. I wanted to do more than advocate. I wanted to build.
That led me to business school, where I lobbied to take a venture capital fellowship only for second year students, my first year. I landed a role with the largest angel network in Houston. These mostly male investors were backing ambitious founders and shaping industries in real time. It was the kind of leverage I had been looking for.
At the same time, I was leading the Women in Leadership club at Rice, hosting a 400-woman conference with top leaders across business and finance. At the end of the conference, the keynote asked us all to stand up and roar. We didn’t talk at all about investing and building wealth. That disconnect stuck with me.
Combining my policy background with my experience in early stage investing, I co-founded The Artemis Fund to build an institutional-grade venture firm focused on economic mobility and power for women, because true power starts with ownership.
Influences on My Worldview
My grandparents raised me for much of my childhood. Naturally, my grandfather shaped how I see the world. He ran for local office and was always trying to make things better at home, in business and in the community. He once told me, “Never shy away. Always go up to the biggest person in the room and shake their hand.” That advice stayed with me.
It’s how I make decisions—not from fear, but from purpose. Every choice I’ve made has been about breaking the cycle of generational poverty and creating more opportunity for others to do the same.
Philosophy and Insights
Investment Philosophy
I invest in founders redesigning the systems that shape how we earn, invest, build, and care, shaped by my own experience navigating those systems without a safety net.
Values When Working with Founders
I prioritize transparency, accountability, and deep alignment on the problem being solved. The last thing founders need is more noise. Instead, they need partners who move quickly, ask the right questions, and stay focused on long-term value.
The Perfect Founder Pitch
The perfect pitch is clear on the problem, shows deep customer insight, and makes a compelling case for why this team will win. It cuts the fluff and gets to the core economic engine. To be more specific, I want to see operational thinking, not just vision. Founders who own both the numbers and the narrative stand out immediately.
Measuring Success Beyond Returns
I believe wealth is power, and who holds it shapes the future. For me, success in venture capital is measured by how effectively we expand that power—by ensuring more women have the wealth, ownership, and influence to control their own destiny. When women hold more economic power, families, communities, and markets all perform better. That’s the kind of return I care most about.
Trends and Future Vision
Exciting Trends and Technologies
I’m excited by infrastructure-layer fintech, care enablement, and new models for workforce access. These are all huge leverage points in the economy. As demographic, regulatory, and technological shifts collide, founders in these sectors have a unique opportunity to build systems that are both more inclusive and more efficient. That’s where enduring value will come from.
Improving the VC Ecosystem
I’d change how venture defines credibility. Pedigree has historically been mistaken for potential, and founders with lived insight get overlooked. If we valued execution, clarity, and resilience as much as logos, we’d fund more transformative companies.
Challenges for Early-Stage Founders
Right now, the biggest challenge for early-stage founders is breaking through the noise. AI has become the dominant narrative, and if you’re not a pure AI company, it’s almost impossible to raise beyond the Seed stage. But AI isn’t the only path to building transformative businesses—there are still countless opportunities to generate real, durable returns by solving meaningful problems.
The bubble will correct itself. The companies that survive will be the ones that stay focused, build responsibly, incorporate AI, and find a path to sustainable growth.
Where VCs can help most is in providing perspective. I often meet founders who don’t realize there are five other startups building nearly identical products. Good investors help founders see the competitive landscape clearly and design for differentiation early. That’s where real value creation starts.