Pre-seed investors

Next Frontier Capital

Venture CapitalBozeman, United States

Mr. William Price is the Founder and serves as General Partner at Next Frontier Capital. He founded Next Frontier Capital to partner with mission-driven, talented entrepreneurs to build Montana technology companies of impact, utility, value. Will's career spans venture capital investing as well as operational, transactional, and advisory roles at both public and private companies. With a Montana family history dating to the 1870s, Will is passionate about investing in the state's promising future. Prior to Next Frontier Capital, Will served as CEO of Flite, an advertising and analytics platform. During his six year tenure, Will built a market leading organization capable of serving and analyzing billions of ad interactions, sold enterprise customers such as Procter & Gamble, The New York Times, and LinkedIn, raised $24m from leading venture capitalists, including Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, and strategic customers Conde Nast, Jive Software, and Publicis. Will continues to serve on the board of Flite. Previously, Will served as a Managing Director at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, where he focused on SaaS and open source. Will helped lead investments in Mulesoft, Sonatype, SlideRocket, Flite, among others. Will joined Hummer Winblad from Pequot Capital, where he focused on software investing. Earlier in his career Will worked for Morgan Stanley in NYC, Hong Kong, and the ASEAN markets focused on the privatization of state-owned assets. Will represents Next Frontier Capital on the board of SiteOne Therapeutics and Submittable. Will graduated from Harvard College, studied Mandarin at Nanjing University, and earned his M.B.A from Northwestern University, where he graduated at the top of his class. Will writes about venture, leadership, and entrepreneurship on LinkedIn.

Tola Capital

Venture CapitalSeattle, United States

Ms. Sheila Gulati is the Founder and serves as Managing Director at Tola Capital. She is a seasoned software expert with a wide range of experience as a software-focused investment banker, an M&A leader within a tech megacap, a web developer, and a business strategist and business owner for a large software division inside Microsoft. Ms. Gulati blends her financial and strategic acumen with her deep knowledge and passion for software businesses. Ms. Gulati was the business and marketing leader for the Enterprise Application Platform for Microsoft. This responsibility included the company's Database and Developer Platform and Tools businesses, SQL Server, Visual Studio Development Tools, and the .NET platform, contributing $5 billion in annual global revenue. She led a global team that managed all aspects of marketing for the Application Platform product portfolio, including the product definition, value proposition, messaging, pricing and offers, and all external product communication. She co-owned the Enterprise IT strategy for Microsoft to drive a successful major business shift to capture more revenue share and seize new computing trends, including the shift to cloud computing and the evolution of data technologies. Ms. Gulati spent over a decade at Microsoft in other roles, including Developer and Platform Evangelism, Business Management, Corporate M&A, and Strategy. Prior to Microsoft, Ms. Gulati was an investment banker for Robertson Stephens, where she closely partnered with her clients to drive financing, acquisitions, investments, and joint ventures. Early in her career, she spent time as a web developer for public and private sector organizations. Ms. Gulati is a second-generation software entrepreneur. She also serves as Venture Advisor at Unitus Seed Fund.

QED Investors

Venture CapitalAlexandria, United States

Mr. Nigel Morris serves as Managing Partner & is the Co-Founder of QED Investors. He serves as Managing Partner at Newid Capital. He also serves as Managing Partner at QED Investors. Nigel Morris serves as an Advisor at Signifyd. He serves as Chairman as Brightbridge Ventures. He is also a Board Member at Nubank. He serves on the board of numerous for-profit companies, including Red Ventures, Klarna, CANCapital, MediaMath, Prosper, and borro. He is also on the board of the Brookings Institution, National Geographic Ventures, ideas42, and the London Business School. Previously, Nigel co-founded Capital One Financial Services in 1994. Under Nigel's leadership, Capital One pioneered an information-based strategy that fundamentally transformed the consumer lending industry. Combining advanced statistical marketing techniques with nascent information technologies, the company reduced costs to conventional borrowers, extended capital to overlooked consumers, expanded internationally, and produced extraordinary returns for investors. During Nigel's ten-year tenure, Capital One's sales grew at a compound annual rate of more than 40%. Over this same decade, earnings per share growth and return on equity both exceeded 20% per year, a financial performance attained by only a handful of American companies. Upon his retirement in 2004, Capital One's 15,000 employees across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom managed over $80 billion of loans for 50 million customers. Generating over $1.5 billion in earnings, Capital One had successfully transitioned from an emerging start-up into an established public company valued at over $20 billion. Nigel has a BSC in Psychology from the East London University and a MBA with distinction from London Business School.

Madrona Venture Group

Venture CapitalSeattle, United States

Mr. Greg Gottesman is a Co-Founder of and serves as the Managing Director and Board Member at Pioneer Square Labs. Greg serves as a Venture Partner at Madrona Venture Group. He also serves as Investment Committee Member at The W Fund. He serves as a Investment Committee Member at The W Fund. In addition to Jobaline, he currently serves on the boards of BuddyTV, Cheezburger, Intrepid Learning Solutions, Nimbic, and WildTangent. Greg is also the founder, current board member, and former CEO of Rover.com, the world's largest pet sitting marketplace. Greg recently served on the boards of Decide (acquired by eBay) and ThisLife (acquired by Shutterfly) and helped manage the firm's investment in Wavii (acquired by Google). He also managed Madrona's investments in Dantz Development Corporation (acquired by EMC), Rendition Networks (acquired by Opsware), Singingfish.com (acquired by Thomson Consumer Electronics), LiveBid.com (acquired by Amazon.com), and AdRelevance (acquired by Media Metrix). Greg serves on the board of UP Global and as the President of the Evergreen Venture Capital Association. He is on the investment committee of the W Fund, a University of Washington-based venture fund. He is the author of three books. Greg is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Washington Business School, where he teaches a course on Entrepreneurship. Greg graduated Phi Beta Kappa with honors and distinction from Stanford University, with honors and distinction from the Harvard Business School, and with honors from Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Currently serves on the boards of Bocada, BuddyTV, Cheezburger, Intrepid Learning Solutions, Jobaline, ThinkFire, and WildTangent. He is a Board Member of Spare5.

Norwest Venture Partners

Venture CapitalPalo Alto, United States

Mr. Sean Jacobson serves as Partner and Venture Investor at Norwest Venture Partners. Sean is a former SaaS executive with broad technology, sales and business development expertise. He focuses on early to late stage investment opportunities in enterprise cloud, including SaaS, mobile-first business applications, B2B marketplaces, VR, AI, and machine learning in the enterprise, and industry cloud solutions in the following sectors: healthcare IT, financial services, real estate, transportation, manufacturing, oil & gas, and agriculture.Sean was previously a venture partner at Emergence Capital Partners where he focused on business cloud investments, after being an executive and advisor at Emergence Capital portfolio companies Hightail and Doximity, respectively. Previously he was VP of Channel Management at Cornerstone OnDemand (Nasdaq: CSOD), a human capital management software-as-a-service provider. Sean helped grow the company from $7 to $75 million in revenue and 300,000 subscribers to over 7.5 million. Before his tenure at Cornerstone OnDemand, Sean was VP of Sales and Partner Development at WageWorks (NYSE: WAGE), a leading provider of consumer-directed spending solutions, which grew from $3 million to $82 million in revenue during his tenure. Prior to WageWorks, he was at Elance, the world's largest marketplace of contractors.Sean holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BBA in marketing, finance and International business from the University of Wisconsin. In addition to serving on the Satmetrix board, he is co-President and co-founder of the HBS Alumni Angels, the largest university-affiliated angel group in the world.

T-Mobile Ventures

Corporate VCUnited States

Mr. John Legere serves as President, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member at T-Mobile. He has served as a director of our Company since April 30, 2013 and is a member of the Executive Committee of our Board of Directors. Mr. Legere joined T-Mobile USA in September 2012 as President and Chief Executive Officer and became our President and Chief Executive Officer on April 30, 2013 upon the consummation of the Business Combination. Mr. Legere has over 34 years' experience in the U.S. and global telecommunications and technology industries. Prior to joining T-Mobile USA, Mr. Legere served as Chief Executive Officer of Global Crossing Limited, a telecommunications company, from October 2001 to October 2011. Before joining Global Crossing, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Asia Global Crossing; as president of Dell Computer Corporation's operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; as president Asia-Pacific for Dell; as president of AT&T Asia Pacific; as head of AT&T's outsourcing program and as head of AT&T global strategy and business development. Mr. Legere serves on the CTIA Board of Directors. Mr. Legere received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, a Master of Science degree as an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and he completed Harvard Business School's Program for Management Development.

Correlation Ventures

Venture CapitalSan Francisco, United States

Mr. Trevor Kienzle is a Co-Founder and serves as Managing Director at Correlation Ventures. He helps lead the firm, manages its Bay Area office and leads its information technology, consumer and business services investment practices. Trevor began his venture capital career in 1997. Prior to Correlation, Trevor was a Managing Director of Newbury Ventures, a technology-focused venture capital fund headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. There, he led investments in the technology sector, including in such companies as MetaLINCS (acquired by Seagate) and Onaro (acquired by NetApp). Previously, Trevor was Vice President at GE Equity, the $2 billion venture capital arm of GE Capital, most recently as co-head of the Software Group. He had responsibility for a team of investment professionals managing 26 portfolio companies. He led GE Equity’s investments in Okena (acquired by Cisco) and RSA Security (RSAS) (successful PIPE investment, acquired by EMC) and co-led its investment in Netscreen (NSCN, acquired by Juniper). Trevor also was co-founder and CFO of Loans USA (acquired by Mariner Finance). Prior to that, he worked as a management consultant at Deloitte & Touche as well as Furash & Company, and as an investment banker at Bankers Trust Company. The son of a U.S. diplomat, Trevor has lived in seven foreign countries. He received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and a B.A. with distinction from the University of Virginia.

Bay Partners

San Francisco, United States

Mr. Dempsey serves as a Managing General Partner at Bay. He serves as Board Member at Crowdynews. He is a Board Member at Enphase Energy. Through cycles of change, Neal’s investment thesis has been to find entrepreneurs with domain expertise and the fine art of listening. At the end of the day, customers decide whether startups will succeed or not and without listening to customers, entrepreneurs are seldom successful. This thesis has served him well through investments in category creating companies like Brocade, Informatica and Shiva. Neal balances the stresses of his workload by giving back to the community. In addition to serving on over a dozen boards of Bay portifolio companies, he also serves on the Board of EMQ Children and Family Services (a.k.a. Eastfield Ming Quong). Neal’s leadership helped establish the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at the University of Washington Business School. Neal made the largest gift ever from an alumnus to the University of Washington. Last but not least, Neal is a passionate college sports fan. He is very actively involved with The University of Washington basketball and football programs. To support these athletic programs at his alma mater, Neal sponsored the Dempsey Indoor Training Stadium at the University of Washington. He serves as a Board Member at BoardVantage. He also serves as a board member of Apigee. He is also a Board Member at International Spine & Orthopedic Institute.

Fyrfly VC

Venture CapitalMenlo Park, United States

Mr. Philipp Stauffer serves as Venture Partner at Allegro Venture Partners. Mr. Stauffer is also a Co-Founder and serves as General Partner at FYRFLY Venture Partners. He an Advisor at Doky and serves as the Board Member at Beekeeper. He brings domestic and international mobile, online, ecommerce, digital marketing, cloud, data-science and enterprise software experience. Philipp is the Founder & CEO of Onor, a start-up in native & immersive marketing. Philipp is also a Founding Principal at Dropimpact, an Innovation Catalyst and Think Tank in Silicon Valley. He was part of the Senior Executive Team at Adchemy (acquired by Walmart) and led strategic sales and client services. Prior to Adchemy, Philipp was a Managing Partner at Accenture focusing on growth strategy and innovation. Most recently he was a Founding Partner of Accenture Interactive (now Accenture Digital), a now leading global marketing practice with more than 4,000 digital marketing and data sciences professionals globally. Philipp is an active investor and advisor to start-ups such as Playspan (acquired by Visa), NoiseToys (acquired by Jawbone), Appstores (acquired by InMobi), PubMatic, Angellist, Powerinbox, Pley, Active Replay, and Philz Coffee among others. Philipp holds a MS in Economics from the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich, Switzerland and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Innovation Depot

IncubatorUnited States

Innovation Depot is a technology center and business incubation program that focuses on developing emerging biotechnology/life science, information technology, engineering, and service businesses and operates in partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). A public-private economic development effort, Innovation Depot is funded by the Birmingham regional business community, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and other leading private foundations, UAB, the City of Birmingham and Jefferson County.Innovation Depot combines the expertise of business incubation professionals with a next-generation facility offering you the space and equipment you need to take your business from concept to reality. Located in the heart of Birmingham, Innovation Depot is just minutes away from UAB, an internationally recognized research university and academic health center, and from the citys legal and financial district. It is located in the heart of the Entrepreneurial District in close proximity to Railroad Park, Regions Field (home of the Birmingham Barons) and the citys thriving downtown housing and restaurant scene. The 140,000-square-foot facility can give your company the room it needs to start and grow. Flexible floor plans and shared conference rooms mean you can dedicate space to whats important to your business as it develops.

Michael F. Powell

Venture CapitalUnited States

Dr. Michael Powell is a Co-Founder and serves as the Chairman at Dauntless Pharmaceuticals. He is also a Board Member at Galera. He serves as Managing General Partner at Sofinnova Ventures. He also serves as Chairman at Checkmate Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Powell serves as a General Partner at Sofinnova Ventures. He also serves as a Director at Ocera Therapeutics. He also serves as a Board Member at Labrys Biologics. He was an early investor in Actelion (SWX: ATLN), InterMune (NASDAQ: ITMN), Anesiva (NASDAQ: ANSV), Orexigen Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OREX), Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: SGEN), and Threshold Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: THLD), as well as in several private companies such as Ascenta, Intellikine, and Trius Therapeutics. Prior to becoming a venture capitalist, Dr. Powell worked in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry on 20 clinical products, and has authored almost 100 papers and books. Dr. Powell was Group Leader of Drug Delivery at Genentech (1990-97). In 1987, he was part of the founding team of Cytel as the Director of Product Development. Before that he was Scientist and Project Team Leader at Syntex Research. Dr. Powell received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Toronto in 1981, and completed his post-doctorate work in Bioorganic Chemistry at the University of California, where he was subsequently a faculty member.

Think Beyond Plastic Accelerator

AcceleratorUnited States

Think Beyond PlasticAccelerator, Inc is focused on accelerating early-stage businesses with a proven business model, solid management team and innovative solutions to plastic pollution. These businesses must measurably reduce plastic pollution through their innovation. Our focus is on disruptive innovation especially in the areas of food packaging, medical waste, reduced plastic waste, alternatives to styrofoam as well as innovative Cradle-to-Cradle product design. Entrepreneur Services- Review and analysis of business plan, investor presentation and financials; business guidance, strategy and organizational support- Assistance with building a strong business team- Market and basic SWOT analysis- Broker and guide deals with major customers, suppliers, strategic partners and investors- Direct innovation focus, develop business model, assist with productization of technology, and guidance in defining the target market and the value propositionInvestor Services- Pre-qualified business opportunities tailored to specific interests and needs- Due diligence covering technology, market opportunity, company and teamIndustry Services- Pre-qualified businesses offering solutions in a space identified as a strategic need- Opportunity to work with early stage technologies to help define a product offering that addresses their specific pain points

Sunset Ventures is a Pre-Seed venture fund in Los Angeles and San Francisco. We take pride in being early believers, and seek to be the first institutional investor within a startup’s first $1M raised. Our mission is to invest in founders building a better tomorrow. A sunset represents the natural end of a cycle, and it comes with the promise of a new day beyond the horizon. We are a thesis-driven firm and believe the next era will be “democratizing participation.” Software that enables people to participate in value creation and positive outcomes will win. This new era is possible as builders leverage new frontier technologies: AI, blockchain, and XR. We focus on sectors most ripe for change, such as gaming, media, finance, commerce, and work. Sunset’s founding GPs, Brandon Hoffman and Antonio Key, have over 20 years of sector experience. The partners have worked together for 10 years from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, and most recently as investors and operators at Samsung. In the last 5 years, they have invested in over 70 companies, with 84% of those going to BIPOC and/or women founders. Sunset also signifies our roots and presence in California, prioritizing local founders to build local community. Community is key to how we add value and support founders with finance, business development, and fundraising.

Tensility VC

Venture CapitalChicago, IL, United States

Mr. Wayne Boulais is a Co-Founder and serves as Partner at Tensility Venture Partners. He also serves as a Board Member at Anokiwave and Advisor at Hyde Park Venture Partners. Previously, Mr. Wayne Boulais served as General Partner at Apex Venture Partners. He serves as Advisor at Energy Foundry. He was a general partner with investment focus in wireless, enterprise applications, and cleantech. Prior to joining Apex, Wayne was a founding member of the Marsh & McLennan Capital C&I Fund. He was also a partner at Marsh's, Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman) developing growth strategies for high-tech clients. Prior to Mercer, Wayne led engineering development teams for Raytheon Corporation. Wayne received his MBA from MIT's Sloan School of Management, and an MS and a BS in Engineering from University of Massachusetts. Wayne currently serves on the boards of Enkata Technologies, IfByPhone, and IQS. He is a board observer of CombineNet. Wayne is also a board member of the Illinois Venture Capital Association and a supporting member of Chicago's Clean Energy Trust. Wayne's previous investments included Broadbeam (acquired by MobileAware), eCredit (acquired by Fidelity Ventures), Imaging Portals (acquired by MWA Intelligence), and RMI Corporation (acquired by NetLogic Microsystems).

NextEquity Partners

Venture CapitalUnited States

Dr. Avadis Tevanian is a Co-Founder & serves as a Managing Director at NextEquity Partners. He also serves as a Managing Director at Elevation Partners. Previously, Dr. Tevanian served as the Software Chief Technology Officer of Apple Inc. from 2003 to 2006. As Software CTO, Dr. Tevanian focused on setting the company-wide software technology direction for Apple. Prior to his tenure as Software CTO, Dr. Tevanian was Senior Vice President of Software at Apple, a role he took on when Apple acquired NeXT, Inc. in 1997. As Senior Vice President of Software, Dr. Tevanian led the software engineering team responsible for the creation of macOS and worked as part of Apple's executive team. Before joining Apple, he was Vice President of Engineering at NeXT, Inc. and was responsible for managing NeXT's engineering department. Dr. Tevanian started his professional career at Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a principal designer and engineer of the Mach operating system upon which Nextstep, and now macOS and iOS, are based. Dr. Tevanian is a former board member of Tellme Networks, Inc., an internet telecom company acquired by Microsoft. He holds a B.A. degree in mathematics from the University of Rochester and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Metro Community

GovernmentUnited States

Metro Community Development is a Certified CDFI, an approved Small Business Administration (SBA) intermediary micro loan lender and a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis with focus on serving the Flint MSA, Shiawassee, Lapeer, North Oakland and Saginaw MSA. These resources create the opportunity of leveraging public and private financing for community stability and economic development. The Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Business Loan Program has been established to assist in the creation of new jobs and to expand businesses in the Mid-Michigan area with low interest loans for those who do not qualify for traditional lending. The Enterprise Loan program provides low interest loans over $50,000 and up to $200,000. These funds can be used as leverage for financing with other lenders and direct loans for business expansion and job growth. The Enterprise Loan can be used for equipment, building upgrades, commercial purchases, inventory, and working capital. Metro Community Development has partnered with Michigan Corps and Team KIVA to provide assistance for clients to participate in 0% interest loans up to $5,000. These loans are crowd funded on the KIVA website by private lenders within the community.

Tabreez Verjee

Venture CapitalUnited States

Mr. Saad Khan is a Co-Founder and serves as Partner at Uprising. He also serves on the advisory board for start-up Lending Club, and is a founding member of the FilmAngels. Previously he sat on the board of directors for Blekko, Luminate and Jobvite, a company that developed an on-demand recruitment application to drive and manage talent acquisition for small to mid-sized enterprises. He served as Partner at CMEA Capital. Prior to joining CMEA, he was a Venture Partner and led the advisory services group at Garage Technology Ventures (GTV), a seed stage venture fund. During his career at Garage, he focused on emerging technology investments in the software and digital media space, working closely with many companies including TripleHop (acquired by ORCL), cFares, and Savage Beast (Pandora). Before GTV, he worked for the IBM alphaWorks group in Cupertino, CA, focusing on commercializing IBM R&D. he also worked for the Strategic Planning and Business Development Groups at the Walt Disney Company, helping to develop the strategic and operating plans for ABC, ESPN and Disney's e-businesses. He received a B.S. degree in Symbolic Systems and an A.B in Economics with Honors in Science, Technology, and Society from Stanford University.

Impact Seven

United States

Impact Seven’s mission is to impact communities and lives through socially-motivated investment and service. We serve as an alternative lender to businesses looking to start, grow and thrive. We offer opportunity to people and businesses that may not be able to find it elsewhere because, while still rigorous, our processes are rooted in common sense. Our loans range from a few thousand dollars to a few million, but each client is as important as the next. An experienced alternative lender, we are a statewide, private, nonprofit community development corporation that works diligently to help our clients reach their full potential. Impact Seven has assembled a group of funds from public and private sources to create a small business lending pool, our Revolving Loan Fund. This fund is designed to assist growing and start-up businesses in our Wisconsin communities. Eligible borrowers are any emerging, expanding or existing businesses in the state of Wisconsin, and some counties in Minnesota, not considered “sin businesses” by federal regulations. Loans from this fund can range anywhere from $10,000 to $5,000,000. Impact Seven can help to facilitate additional funding needs with trusted partners for projects of any size.

Engineering Capital

Venture CapitalPalo Alto, United States

Mr. Ashmeet Sidana serves as Founder, Managing Partner & Chief Engineer at Engineering Capital. He served as a General Partner at Foundation Capital. He is a seasoned executive who came to Foundation Capital with a combination of 15 years of experience ranging from startups to establishing companies. His experience spans engineering, sales, marketing and product management. Most recently, he was at VMware where as Dir. of Product Management he was responsible for multiple products including Virtual SMP, P2V and their flagship product, ESX Server. At VMware, he helped grow ESX Server from early pilots to widespread worldwide deployment in mission critical systems by Fortune 500 companies. Prior to VMware, Mr. Sidana was CEO of Sidana Systems, a successful enterprise-software company that pioneered Docsan for publishing very-large (terabyte) documents. He bootstrapped Sidana Systems from inception through growth and to its acquisition by Doclinx. He served as the Board Member at Simply Hired. He is presently a board member at FreeWheel Media. He began his professional career at Hewlett-Packard and later Silicon Graphics, holding various technology roles.

1Sharpe Ventures

Venture CapitalUnited States

1Sharpe Ventures (1SV) is an early-stage venture fund backing founders reimagining FinTech, PropTech and the trillion-dollar built world industries: construction, real estate, hospitality, commerce, logistics, and climate. We invest in category-defining businesses transforming the picks and shovels of how we experience, transact, and own real estate. Our team has founded multiple billion-dollar venture-backed tech companies (like Roofstock, Lessen, Kiavi, Azibo) in addition to billion-dollar real estate portfolios. We saw a gap in scalable, strategic capital for proptech founders in the earliest stages, so we built a platform based off of our experience in the trenches. We are investing out of $90M fund in pre-seed, seed, and series A rounds – typical check size if $1-$2M and we can lead or follow. Our venture fund is connected to the broader 1Sharpe Capital, a $3Bn+ asset management firm investing in real estate and credit – which brings an in-house sandbox of real estate assets, access to capital markets, and a deep bench of real estate, lending, and operating expertise.

Kickstart Fund

Venture CapitalSalt Lake City, United States

Mr. Clarke Miyasaki serves as General Partner at Kickstart Seed Fund. He is also a Board Member at Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification. He previously served as a Board Member at Dsco. He has a history of success in start-up and early-stage investment environments. Most recently, Clarke served as the Global Vice President of Business Development at Skullcandy, which went public in July 2011 (NASDAQ: SKUL). Clarke joined Skullcandy in early 2008 when there were 18 employees and keyed several initiatives that helped grow the company to over $230 million in revenue in 2011. Prior to Skullcandy, Clarke was the Vice President of Business Development at Logoworks, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $57 million in April 2007. Clarke joined on the ground floor of Logoworks and developed several strategic partnerships that spurred Logoworks rapid growth and positioned it for a successful sale to HP. Some of the partnerships included Staples, eBay, Network Solutions, HP, Legalzoom and Intuit. Clarke was at Logoworks from August 2004 - April 2008.

The Impact Engine

Chicago, United States

We invest in business models that align financial and social or environmental impact returns such that there is minimal or no tradeoff between the two. Ideally, they mutually reinforce each other: the impact drives value creation in the business and the business growth brings the impact to scale. We invest across early and late stage private equity, allowing us to see the trajectories of companies and trends over the years, and we invest both directly into companies as well as into other impact funds. Investing in both companies and funds allows us to create synergies in the impact investing ecosystem, by supporting the creation of high-impact syndicates (to the benefit of both our company and fund portfolios) and bringing even deeper perspectives to our own understanding of each impact sub-sector and theme. We have invested in 50% Economic Opportunity, 22% Environmental Sustainability, and 28% Health Equity-focused companies as of 6/24/2022. Of these companies in our direct portfolio, 67% are led by women CEOs or CEOs of color.

Razor's Edge Ventures

Venture CapitalUnited States

Ms. Peggy Styer is a Co-Founder and serves as Managing Partner at Razor's Edge Ventures. Additionally she serves as Chief Executive Officer at Raytheon Blackbird Technologies and as an Advisor at ICX Media. Before Razor's Edge, she was the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Blackbird Technologies, a company she co-founded with Steve Pann and Richard Moxley. She oversaw the record-setting sale of Blackbird to Raytheon Corporation, a $427 million deal that closed in November 2014. From 2003-2007, Peggy simultaneously served as CEO of Blackbird and RavenWing, an affiliated company, leading both companies to substantial growth and profitability before selling RavenWing to Boeing in 2008. Earlier in her career, Peggy co-founded and served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Merex, Inc. before it was sold to Infodata Systems, Inc. in 1996. Peggy earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from California State University and a MS degree in Technology Management from the University of Maryland.

Providence Equity Partners - Growth

Venture Capital

Mr. Mark Hastings serves as Managing Director & Head of Providence Strategic Growth at Providence Equity Partners. Mr. Hastings is currently a director of Abacus Data Systems, Burning Glass Technologies, GlobalTranz, Netsurion, PaySimple, Skybox Security, SnapApp and Vertical Knowledge. Prior to joining Providence in 2013, Mr. Hastings most recently served as managing partner and founder of Garvin Hill Capital Partners. Prior to spinning out of CIBC to form Garvin Hill in 2009, Mr. Hastings led CIBC's technology-focused growth equity team in the United States. At CIBC, he developed the successful investment strategy and recruited the team. He was the primary deal originator and investment team leader. Prior to joining CIBC, he was a principal and general partner at BCI Partners. Mr. Hastings started his investment career at Edison Ventures. He received a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Colorado College.

incub8 ventures

Venture CapitalSan Jose, United States

We are a VC Firm as well as an Incubation Center for Technology Startups in the early stages with offices in the Silicon Valley and Hyderabad, India. As a Startup founder, you can simply walk in with your Idea and build it right here leveraging the following facilities/services we offer in a very efficient way - Co-working space with all the comforts needed to be highly productive - Centralized Air-Conditioning (entire building) - Two Elevators for easy movement across all the floors- One Conference Hall (60 seats) - Two Meeting Rooms (20 seats) - Several Small Meeting Rooms (8 seats) - Gym sophisticated equipment, Trainer, Showers & Lockers - Guest Rooms (1 Executive suite with kitchen, 2 deluxe rooms)- Executive Lounge - Terrace for Meetups with a Large Screen Projector- Ready access to Freelancer Community - Direct access to the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem - Support for Digital Marketing - Support for Customer Acquisition- Support for Idea Validation

The Syracuse Student Sandbox

IncubatorUnited States

The Syracuse Student Sandbox is a unique business incubator that gives aspiring student entrepreneurs the resources to make their visions a reality.Unlike other incubators, the Sandbox does not currently claim ownership to any part of the student companies: Students participating in the program maintain 100% equity in their companies. Some participating schools have established investment funding mechanisms for student ventures. The Sandbox continues to seek additional sources of support in form of sponsorship, in-kind contributions or direct investment.The program is currently open to students from the sponsored Kauffman Foundation Enitiative schools: Syracuse University; Cayuga Community College; Le Moyne College; Morrisville State College, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and Onondaga Community College.The Sandbox is working to expand membership to other schools such as University of Rochester, RIT, Cornell, SUNY Oswego, and Clarkson.

TMV

Venture CapitalNew York, United States

We make investments that reflect the way the world actually looks. As a female-led fund with a portfolio that’s 65% women- and minority-owned, TMV represents an opportunity for a more inclusive society and culture. We are committed to investing in diverse companies because it’s simply good business. We pledge to put more capitalistic power into the hands of women and people who are BIPOC (Black, indigenous, and people of color). Our terrain: Purpose-driven founders reimagining. The way we work: We invest in companies that help both workers and entrepreneurs cultivate talent. Logistics and mobility: We invest in companies creating transparency and efficiency around global trade and movement. Sustainable solutions: We invest in the circular economy. The Care Economy: We invest in companies broadening access to care. Fintech: We invest in companies enabling equal access and education in finance.

Kenneth B. Sawyer

Private EquityUnited States

Saints Capital is an investment firm that provides liquidity to investors within private companies. The firm formed its first secondary fund in 2000 and has since provided liquidity to general partners and their limited partners in both venture capital and private equity, founders and early employees of venture-backed companies, and financial institutions. The firm makes structured deals that may include loans, deferred payments and upside sharing. The team has experience and knowledge in industries that include business services, telecom equipment, aerospace, cleantech, and security. The four types of sellers that Saints Capital serves are founders and early employees, general partners of venture capital and private equity funds, financial institutions with illiquid securities, and limited partners of old venture capital funds. The firm is located in San Francisco, California.

Fusion Fund

Venture CapitalPalo Alto, United States

Fusion Fund backs early-stage entrepreneurs building forward-thinking companies with technical and data advantages in their business models. We are actively looking for companies in the industrial, enterprise, and healthcare application spaces and for founders with direct experience and expertise in those areas. We have invested all across the United States and target companies who are at pre-seed, seed, and Series A. The DNA of the firm is rooted in the team’s technical and entrepreneurial background. As former technical operators who have previously started, ran, and sold companies, we know what it takes to build successful enterprises and how to overcome challenges specific to those building technology businesses. Fusion Fund is a part of Beyond the Billion, a pledge campaign aimed at mobilizing a global consortium committed to invest $1 BILLION in women founders.

Clearstone Venture Partners

Venture CapitalSanta Monica, United States

Mr. William Quigley serves as Managing Director at Clearstone Venture Partners. He focuses on Clearstone's communications investments. He is a Board Member in AOptix. His areas of investment interest include broadband wireless enabling technologies, operational support systems and communications service innovators. Mr. Quigley joined Clearstone Venture Partners from Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds, where he focused on early-stage communications companies targeting the software, equipment and service sectors. At MAVF, he was responsible for investments in Integrated Chipware, a real time embedded OS developer, Wisor Telecom, an OSS vendor to the CLEC and ISP industry and NexTone Communications. Prior to MAVF, he spent six years in a variety of operational roles at The Walt Disney Company and was a Senior Consultant with Arthur Andersen's Financial Services Group.

Dubilier & Company

Private EquityUnited States

Dubilier & Company is a Stamford, Connecticut based private investment firm that seeks to invest in all stages of a company’s life-cycle, from venture capital to acquisition. The firm specializes in investing in areas such as entrepreneurial or family-owned businesses in which the shareholders are seeking liquidity, acquisition or growth capital infusions in companies looking to accelerate growth, non-core divisions of corporations that no longer meet the strategic goals of the parent company, undervalued or under performing enterprises with the opportunity to effect change, strategic or financial partnerships with others who bring additional skills or expertise to the company. It primarily focuses on businesses in the consumer products, e-commerce, online marketing, information technology systems and services, and media and publishing industries.

Social Capital

Venture CapitalPalo Alto, United States

Mr. Thomas Layton serves as a Board Partner at Social Capital. He was Chief Executive Officer of Metaweb Technologies since June 2007. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of OpenTable from 2001 to June 4, 2007. He co-founded MAPLight. He co-founded CitySearch and served as its President and Chief Operating Officer from November 1995 to June 1999. He also serves as a Board Member at Doxo. He served at Score Learning as the Chief Financial Officer from April 1994 to October 1995 and as its President and Chief Operating Officer from March 1995 to October 1995. He served as a Vice President and General Manager of MicroFinancial and from 1986 to 1988, he served as a Consultant at Boston Consulting Group. He holds an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and a BS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Learn Capital

Venture CapitalAustin, United States

Mr. Elliott Bisnow is a Co-Founder and serves as Managing Partner at Summit. He serves as Venture Partner at Learn Capital. He represents Summit within the general partnership. As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Summit, Elliott oversees their annual gatherings, which Forbes called "The Davos of Generation Y," and President Clinton called "A gift to the United States and the world." Elliott is the Co-Founder of The Get Well Soon Tour, which brings world famous musicians to perform in hospitals for sick children. Elliott serves as a Founding Board Member of the United Nations Foundation's Global Entrepreneurs Council. Elliott is also the Co-Founder of Bisnow Media Corporation with his dad, Mark, which is the largest publisher of commercial real estate news in America and one of the largest business conference producers in America.

Tiller Partners

Venture CapitalLos Angeles, United States

Mr. Csaba Konkoly is the Founder and serves as General Partner at Tiller Partners. He served as the President at IdeaList Industries. He manages The IdeaLists business and growth strategy. As a serial entrepreneur and active angel investor, Csaba has helped to build several successful ventures (CWOC, GATKO, Croesus) in New York, London, Singapore, Budapest and Los Angeles. Prior to founding Tiller, he was Partner and Co-CIO at the global macro hedge fund Commonwealth Opportunity Capital where he focused on asset allocation and risk management. Before that, he was co-founder of GATKO Partners, a global, top-down equity hedge fund with offices in London and Singapore. He holds an M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Budapest and attended the MBA Program at the New York University Stern School of Business.

Ludlow Ventures

Venture CapitalDetroit, United States

Mr. Jonathon Triest is the Founder and serves as Managing Partner at Ludlow Ventures. In 2011, he was awarded the Crain's Detroit Business award for 20 in their 20's. That same year, he co-founded Funded by Night, a vehicle to help internet startups launch and get discovered. Previously, he served as creative director for New York's Discovery Productions. In 2005 he launched the Atlanta-based Triest Group, a mid-level advertising firm. In addition to his role at Ludlow, he is a mentor at The Brandery and a board member of The Trico Foundation, and Venture for America. previously creative director for New Yorks Discovery Productions. In 2005 he launched Triest Group, a mid-level advertising firm. He sits on the Board of the Trico Foundation and the Board of Investors for Venture for America.

Mission Ventures (US)

Venture CapitalUnited States

Mr. David Ryan serves as Founding Managing Partner at Mission Ventures. He has venture capital experience focusing on early-stage information technology and service companies. Prior to Mission Ventures, beginning in 1983, he served as General Partner of Copley Venture Partners, a Boston-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage investing in information technology, business services and healthcare. Prior to Copley, Mr. Ryan held positions in strategic planning, business development and plant modernization with Medusa Corp, a Midwest-based manufacturer of industrial materials. He is board member of Nirvanix. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Northeastern University and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University.

Haystack

Mr. Semil Shah serves as General Partner at Haystack. He is a mobile technology expert with experience helping build mobile products for Rexly (LiveNation), IFTTT, and currently Swell Radio. Semil is also an investor in 24 early-stage technology companies including: Instacart, Hired, Paddle8, HelloSign, Coin, among others. He holds deep VC consulting experience as a full-time EIR with Javelin Venture Partners and through previous formal engagements with DFJ, General Catalyst, GGV, Kleiner Perkins, Trinity Ventures. Semil is also the most frequent, consistent, outside columnist at TechCrunch for nearly three years. Finally, he's an active public speaker and creator of a widely-read industry blog - Haywire - and video interview series (over 80 episodes).

AeroInnovate

AcceleratorUnited States

AeroInnovate helps aeroinnovators from across the globe who are starting and growing aero-related businesses and bringing related new technologies to the marketplace. Our goal is to facilitate the alignment of passionate, successful "investors" and industry leaders with the best aviation-related opportunities in the world to help get deals done. In this way, exciting new aircraft and aviation products and services will be commercialized and new opportunities created in aviation. AeroInnovate does this by bringing innovators together and offering top-notch educational forums, aligning the best companies with investors and industry leaders, exposing technology through technology showcases and connecting aeroinnovators to people and resources.

Essential Capital

Venture CapitalChina

Essential Capital is a global venture investor and an early backer of industry-transforming businesses. For over a decade we’ve partnered with some of the world’s leading entrepreneurs and invested close to $500M in companies like Delivery Hero, Domo, Dataminr, Lyft, Plated, Perfect Day, and Tradeshift, among many others. Our current climate-related agenda focuses on investments in the “materials transition” space. We back companies that decarbonize key supply chains and tackle ethical and environmental challenges facing the current society and future generations. Operating out of a $130M dedicated capital pool, we are an active supporter of companies we back, and tend to lead at early stages rather than follow in late-stage rounds.

Todd & Rahul Capital

Venture Capital

Hi there! We’re Todd Goldberg (Founded Eventjoy; Acquired by Ticketmaster) and Rahul Vohra (Founded Superhuman and Rapportive; Acquired by LinkedIn). We're YC alums who enjoy supporting ambitious founders and have been co-investing together as angels for nearly a decade. We write $300k-$500k checks into early-stage startups and make decisions quickly. To date, we’ve invested over $50M into 120+ startups. When we invest, we help with finding product/market fit, supercharging your go-to-market, and raising your next round from the best investors. Founders also tend to ask for our help at strategic inflection points. We’re backed by 150+ world-class founders, operators, and investors. They help support and evangelize our companies too.

Portland State University Foundation

AcceleratorUnited States

The 200+ people who work for Accelerator companies are on a mission. Located at the south end of Portland's central business district, the Accelerator draws the region's top science and technology startups with turn-key affordable work space; conference room access; monthly CEO meetings and topic-related brown bags, plus ready information on business basics, raising funds and managing people. The Accelerator is also a connection point to PSU resources, linking companies to research and development capabilities of university faculty and the talent and energy of student project teams. Informal socials, pitch practice and office hours by skilled mentors and investors round out the exceptional offerings at PSU Business Accelerator.

Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology

IncubatorUnited States

Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. aims to be acknowledged by our customers as the 'go to' resource for improving America's competitiveness and as the 'best practices partner for entrepreneurs and businesses with a technology focus. We will deliver value added programs efficiently and effectively with a bold entrepreneurial spirit, and attract the best and brightest people to collaborative culture and landmark facilities.Specialties:Our mission is to provide services and resources to entrepreneurs and businesses and through collaboration with industry, academia, and government, helps companies innovate and compete, thereby strengthening our nation in the global market.

MU Life Science Business Incubator

Incubator

MU Life Science Business Incubator at Monsanto Place is an incubator that focuses on life science startups including ventures commercializing drugs, medical devices, diagnostics, animal health, nano technology, agri-tech, and many other sectors. The 33,000 sq. ft. facility is located in Columbia, Missouri, and opened in 2009. The incubator is operated and managed by the Missouri Innovation Center (MIC). It was founded in 1984 and has since focused on high-growth, technology commercialization opportunities. In August 2016, MIC launched the Mid-Missouri Tech Accelerator which will provide startup and commercialization assistance to various software, IT and related ventures.

TVC The Venture Collective

Venture CapitalNew, United States

TVC is a transformational, early-stage venture firm backed by world-class entrepreneurs and business leaders. We invest our capital, time, and network into fast-growing companies with global potential for huge, positive impact. Last year, less than 3% of VC dollars went to female-led companies and more than 75% of founders were white. We want to bridge the gap for those who aren’t born with a pre-existing network and community, making capital accessible to the best talent, regardless of race, gender or background. The Venture Collective is a gateway to creating equal opportunities for anyone with the will and determination to succeed. We are your infrastructure.

Worc Pa

BankUnited States

We offer loans, investment products and services to low-income and underserved populations in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area looking to start or expand their businesses, with a special focus on women and minorities. Our products include:Credit builder loans up to $2,500;Direct loan $1,000 to $2,500;Small business loans up to $10,000;Credit line up to $20,000;Expansion loans up to $50,000;Real estate loans for business property up to $250,000;Assistance with developing business plan and financial projections, market access, graphic design, and professional servicesReferrals to partner banks and community loan funds for business loans and related assistance.

BBG Ventures

Venture CapitalNew York, United States

Ms. Susan Lyne serves as Founding Partner, President & Managing Partner at BBG Ventures. She is also currently the chief executive officer of brand group at AOL. In this position, she oversees all aspects of the Brand Group's growth strategy, including increasing traffic across properties, maximizing partnerships with advertisers and publishers, and attracting top talent, with a particular focus on content, design, programming, and product. Ms. Lyne is on the board of AOL, Inc. She is a trustee of Rockefeller University and The New School, and a former trustee of The Posse Foundation and The Public Theater. She also serves as the Advisor at LearnVest.

BlueRun Ventures

Menlo Park, United States

Mr. Jonathan Ebinger serves as General Partner at BlueRun Ventures. He was also a Board Member at SaveUp. He focuses on communications, social commerce, and mobility opportunities. He also serves as Board Member at Coupa and Kabbage. His experiences include Vice President of Marketing at Qwest Communications, and senior level positions at Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions and MCI Communications. In addition, Jonathan founded and successfully exited Simply Savings, an Internet shopping service. He received his M.B.A. from Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia, and holds a B.S. in Finance from Virginia Tech.