A Unique Opportunity to Learn Directly About
10 Leading PNW Emerging Fund Managers’ Investment Theses
The venture capital industry is experiencing a tectonic shift in momentum as new "Micro VC" funds are launching to fill the gaps in early stage capital sources, as mega-funds continue to move upmarket in deal size. A new lineage of venture capitalists are launching these small, predominantly angel and family office-backed micro funds, promising founders more hands-on assistance, and offering LPs access to higher risk and return potential.
In this unique event format not found anywhere else in the world (to our knowledge), ten fund managers will pitch their investment opportunities to LPs in the audience. In effect, they'll be competing for investors' dollars the same way that startup founders do, by making a compelling case for angel and family office investors to participate in their respective funds. Participating in smaller funds - with lower minimum investments of typically $50K to $250K - is a great way to get in on pre-seed and seed-stage startup financings that offer much higher ROI potential than large funds can, while leveraging the fund managers' experience to lower risk.
Kicking off the event, we're going to first hear from the panel of some of the Pacific Northwest's most experienced emerging fund managers about why this new trend is happening, what are the advantages and challenges that VC micro-funds face in today's landscape, and the future outlook for this innovative new entrants in the pre-seed and seed stages of venture capital.
The panel will be followed by ten PNW-based emerging fund managers giving their pitch to the LPs in the audience. Afterwards there'll be ample opportunity for investors to engage with each fund manager at their own table during the networking reception.
The panel discussion kicking off the evening include the following active managers of Seattle-based emerging funds:
- Moderator: Bill Kearns, CEO of Ursa Advisory
- Panelists TBA
These emerging VC funds are confirmed to be presenting to LPs at this event:
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What are Emerging Funds ("Micro VC Funds")?
Emerging VC Funds, or more broadly, those with under $50M of assets under management, invest early and operate under a lighter set of SEC regulations. Typically, these firms are run by first-time fund managers, referred to by the industry as Emerging Fund Managers. Represented at the Summit are local managers, raising between $3M and $10M for their first vintage fund; with more experienced operators, perhaps on their second vintage fund, raising upwards of $30M, and third vintage funds typically raising $50M to $100M.
These new funds are being formed to cater to the monumental increase in the number of startups that are typically underserved in in the pre-seed to seed stages, and thus their investment sizes tend to be anywhere from $25K to $500K per deal, but usually in the range of $100K-$200K. They are often managed by specialized domain experts who have deep-rooted networks in a particular industry and are guided by opportunities that they are uniquely positioned to see before the broader market. Via their micro-funds, they develop a track record of success and build enduring VC firms, with the intention of raising subsequently larger funds.
