We are Cinematica Labs

Builders. Investors. Facilitators. Learners.

In addition to CEO of Cinematica Labs, Shane teaches the Venture Lab course at the USC Marshall School of Business where he guides students to make $50k startup investments out of the USC Marshall Venture Fund. He serves on the Investment Committee for Cap Table Coalition and is Investor in Residence for HBCUvc. Shane’s work in tech, media, and investing has been featured by TenOneTen’s LA Venture Podcast, Google Developers, and Forbes. He has led funds and syndicates for Wolverine Angels and CrowdSmart’s Titan Fund to invest in startups including Neurable, Air, and Syntiant. Previously, he served as EIR for Techstars Los Angeles. In his NYC days, Shane helped capitalize a slate 20 motion pictures generating over $250 million at the box office.

Nydia started her career at a non-profit focused on economic development in the Latinx community. Next, she was a Senior Analyst for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. After interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs, she was inspired to pursue an MBA and learn the tools of big business and bring them back to the small businesses driving economic development in communities. After graduation, she did just that in Detroit where she launched her own consulting company and taught business planning in English and Spanish to community entrepreneurs. As VP of Customer Success at CrowdSmart, a cutting-edge startup using human-powered AI to improve decision-making, Nydia worked to reduce the bias in traditional investing. As in any good startup, she wore many hats and leveraged daily her superpower for building processes.

Marcia’s work in venture ecosystem building, startups, nonprofits, and innovative financing has been noted by Amplify Latinx, HBCUvc 31 under 31, Boston Business Journal, Harvard Law & Policy Review, and Forbes. Marcia is a Director at Cinematica Labs, focused on building mission-oriented entrepreneurial ecosystems in partnership with Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition and others. Prior to Cinematica Labs, Marcia led Village Capital’s Future of Finance Practice and its accelerator programs for financial health focused startups in the U.S. Marcia was an early employee of Third Sector and created the first Social Impact Bonds in the U.S. Marcia has been involved in community movements focused on Latine/Latinx investment power and on uplifting BIPOC and diverse founders.

Trivia Edwards is a native of Jackson, Mississippi and attended Jackson State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Finance.  In 2021, Trivia was selected as an HBCUvc fellow where she was introduced to Venture Capital. She is currently a Venture Fellow at Supply Change Capital where she is learning to invest in the intersection of food, culture, and technology. She is also a fellow at Cinematica Labs where she supports the development of mission-oriented entrepreneurial ecosystems through mentorship programs in partnership with Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition and others. Prior to her current roles, Trivia worked as a financial analyst at Comer Capital Group and the Black Bank Fund where she worked on municipal and corporate debt transactions to help revitalize the black banking industry.