Frequently Asked Questions
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We focus on providing venture capital for startups in Utah, Colorado, and other parts of the Mountain West. While we make exceptions for other geographies, we only do so when we have truly unique experience or insight to offer in supporting the company post-investment.
We’re industry agnostic and have invested in SaaS, consumer, marketplace, and healthcare startups in Utah, Colorado, and other parts of the Mountain West. To see all our investments, visit our portfolio page.
While most companies we invest in have achieved some traction before they pitch, there are always exceptions. If it’s not the right time for us to invest, we’d still like to get to know you and learn about your company; and, who knows, maybe in a year or two it will be the right time. And while we like to be the first money in, we have worked with a number of companies who have raised small rounds before we connect so please reach out and we’ll start a conversation.
We do a pitch meeting to first determine if there is a potential fit. From there, we review as a team and decide if we would like to include additional members of the team. If that goes well, we’ll continue into the due diligence process, asking for references from former co-workers, customers, and vendors as well as a data room (articles of incorporation, cap table, P&L statements, projections, market research, marketing materials, sales process, key employee information, etc.). While the length of time the whole process takes varies from startup to startup, a few things are always true: we do our best to be efficient with your time and to be as transparent as possible.
At the broadest level, we think about the team, vision, market, and fundraise. Is it large enough to be worth the long, hard battle ahead? What do your proof points look like to-date? What is your go-to-market strategy? What’s the quality of your product? Are you creating urgency around the problem you’re solving? We’ll look at all that, but the biggest deciding factor is the founding team. We look for scrappy, resilient entrepreneurs with a clear vision for their startup.
We’d love to cover all the basics: the size of the raise, desired terms, cap table details, revenues-to-date, projections, etc. But, most importantly, we’re interested in getting to know you. Why are you passionate about the problem you’re solving? Do you have info you can share about excited early customers or a creative go-to-market strategy? We want to hear about it. What do you understand about the market that will allow your startup to solve the problem orders of magnitude better than your competitors? Tell us about your vision.
We, along with most VCs, don’t sign NDAs. Brad Feld does a great job explaining why here: Why Most VC’s Don’t Sign NDAs.
Our initial investment usually ranges from $250K to $3M. Because of the conviction we have in the startups we invest in, and because we’re committed to supporting them long term, we also reserve capital for follow-on investments.
The majority of the companies we see are referrals from our network, including our LPs, portfolio CEOs, co-investors, and members of the community. If we don’t have any mutual friends, you can fill out our contact form.
We love that you’re interested so early on in your career. Check out Campus Founders Fund, a student-run VC fund sponsored by Kickstart that invests solely in student entrepreneurs. They make $10,000 to $20,000 convertible note investments with the friendliest terms you can find. While the investment committee consists of students attending universities across Utah, CFF has recently begun expansion into Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico through its Scouting Program. Click here for more information, and apply to join here.
A few helpful resources include: A Guide to Seed Fundraising by The Macro/Y Combinator, The Beginner’s Guide to VC, and How to Raise Money by Paul Graham of Y Combinator.