Tracy Gray came into venture investing through an unusual path—starting as a systems engineer on the Space Shuttle program before moving through music, city government, and economic development—and that background shows up in how she invests: she looks closely at exporting manufacturers as a way to create stable, higher-wage jobs in underserved communities, treats tech-enabled manufacturing as a way for excluded workers to enter the tech economy, and builds specific job-quality and diversity terms directly into deals. She's also worked to get everyday women investing in women-led businesses through We Are Enough, and she pushes for women and people of color to actually control investment capital, not just receive it.