Since 2015, we’ve invested early in more than 25 startups and growth companies with teams that show extraordinary entrepreneurial talent and create game-changing solutions to unique and big problems. The founders we work with have an ambitious vision for their venture and will benefit from our hard-won experience.
At the pre-seed stage, startups struggle to gain traction, and we give them the pull they need to realize their vision through our vast networks and expertise in a broad range of sectors. At the seed stage, we take on companies that’ve already gained some measure of traction, which we view as an early indicator of success, and offer transformative mentorship, coaching, and access.
We look for companies that have the potential to reshape their industry or vertical within the next decade and can ride the wave of underlying macro trends. These companies are savvy, inclusive teams that have built their venture around a broad understanding of their industry and know precisely why they’re entering the market now.
Our investment isn’t contingent upon perfect pitches and never-ending lists of metrics. We want to know your gaps, as well as your strengths, because we support you as you fill them in. We stand with you as you draw the map from not-quite-there-yet to go-to-market by crunching out creative ideas. (Yes, including punching up your pitches).
We invest more than just capital. When we launched in 2015, we created the type of venture firm that we wanted to work with when we were working in startups. Our investments are made with conviction because we’ve overcome the obstacles inherent in company building, and we commit to investing our expertise—though we’re only as hands-on as you need.
We investigate and ideate. As a founder, your startup is a construction of your imagination. In our own due diligence, we do our research and initiate consultations with experts that identify strengths and gaps. Using this information, we can help you to shape a strategic business plan around your core competencies and goals. Some areas we might examine are staffing and resourcing, marketing and branding, and long-term financial planning.
We bring the network to supercharge your brainwork. Building a successful startup involves careful cultivation of the right connections (and just a little bit of luck!). We open avenues through connections we’ve accrued over decades. For example, our network offers you access to a wide range of investors and partners to boost you from the get-go. You then become a part of our network, and your knowhow contributes to the well-being of other ventures.
We help you to go up and to the right. We celebrate your success—every day. If desired, we embed into your startup team and boards to give you the most benefit from our knowledge and experience, and to help you gain traction. We also support you as you find your footing and funnel your creativity into fully developed products and services.
Scale and grow with follow-on investments. Our goal is to support you as a committed conduit for your success. Generally, within one or two years of our initial investment, we evaluate your progress to determine if additional funding is warranted. We may also bring in outside investors through our network, and can help you narrow down your search for outside funding by leveraging that network, exemplified with more than 40 VC funds as follow-on investors.