01Founders
The fund invests through Startup Ventura.
Building a company in Ventura County? Start with Startup Ventura's accelerator. The fund invests from its cohorts.
The fund invests from the accelerator's cohorts, and may consider a company outside the program that passes the headcount test.
02How it works
1
Apply to the accelerator.
Applications go to Startup Ventura, not to the fund.
2
Build through the program.
The program runs 12 weeks.
3
The fund may invest.
The fund may invest in companies that pass the headcount test. The investment committee reviews each company at the end of its cohort and votes on every investment.
03The headcount test
A company qualifies if, at the time of investment, it meets one of these:
1
It is headquartered in Ventura County.
2
It has five or more people working in the county.
3
It commits to hiring in the county within 24 months, written into the investment terms.
Thresholds are interim and will be set in the fund's investment policy before it invests.
04What we look for
- Stage
- pre-seed and seed
- Sectors
- early-stage B2B SaaS, biotech and defense
05Founder questions
Do I have to join the accelerator?
The path to the fund runs through Startup Ventura. The fund invests from the accelerator's cohorts, and may consider a company outside the program that passes the headcount test.
Do you lead rounds?
Sometimes. The fund leads when the round fits its check size, and invests alongside a lead when it does not.
What do you ask of portfolio companies?
Quarterly headcount reporting: how many people work in Ventura County, by city, so the fund can publish its report.