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The Venture Collective.

Empowering Founders Who Are Leaving a Legacy

Who We Are.

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.

The Unfair Truth About Capital.

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.


*Fortune, Funding for female founders

The Valley of Death.

Incorporation through Series A is where the greatest number of high-potential companies fail to succeed. This is not usually because the founders don’t have great ideas, but instead because of time-consuming and expensive distractions, which take focus away from finding early signals of product market fit.

This is when founders need the most help, but also currently the time when the least VC dollars are spent on operational support. We are changing that. We're a support first investor.


Read more

What Gets Us Excited.

Life Improvement.

How can humanity reach its highest potential? At TVC, we are committed to backing founders who believe that we can do more to improve day-to-day life. These businesses will forever change what it means to thrive in today’s world.

Human Empowerment.

Rising tides lift all boats: democratizing opportunity leads to greater GDP, improved economic stability, and an overall higher quality of life. At TVC, we find underlooked solutions focused on leveling the playing field, especially for the underrepresented.

World Preservation.

Sustainable consumption is certainly not a new trend. It is, however, the only way for our world to keep living. At TVC, we are passionate about solving this crisis so that future generations can flourish.

The TVC Approach.

  • We invest early with conviction.
  • We personalize our support.
  • We focus on milestones, not time.
  • We are your most founder-aligned investor.

Our Team.

Paula Sutter
Chairwoman
  • CEO, TSG Fashion Group
  • President, Diane von Furstenberg
  • thredUP Board Member
Elliot Richmond
Senior Advisor
  • Partner, Moelis & Co
  • Director, Investment Banking, Merrill Lynch
  • 70+ angel investments
Stephanie Sarelakos
Principal
  • Founding Member, Walmart eCommerce Incubator
  • Senior Manager, Jet.com
  • Financial Markets Advisory, BlackRock
Nicholas Shekerdemian
Founding Partner
  • 2x Founder: Headstart, Teaching by the Top
  • Thiel Fellow & YC, Summer 2017
  • 25+ angel investments
Cat Hernandez
General Partner
  • Partner, Primary Ventures
  • Head of Due Diligence, PeopleTech Partners
  • VP People, Chartbeat
Nirmesh Patel
Principal
  • Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer, Cambridge Cancer Genomics
  • Forbes 30 Under 30 & YC, Summer 2017
  • PhD, Oncology & Cancer Biology, King's College London
Chelsea Eshraghi
Chief of Staff
  • Executive Director, Carolina Angel Network
  • Senior Associate, Casla Partners
  • MBA, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
Gina Kirch
Founding Partner
  • Director, BlackRock
  • Forbes 30 Under 30
  • Yale University Advisory Board
Luke Lloyd-Davies
Senior Advisor
  • Managing Director, Sir Elton John and David Furnish’s Global Private Office
  • COO, Rocket Entertainment Group
  • Advisor, MetroBank
Caitlin Herling
Principal
  • VP, Strategic Account Manager, Franklin Templeton
  • Director, National Account Manager, Legg Mason
  • Investment Associate, 37 Angels

Our Portfolio.

The TVC team has a track record of backing founders building purpose-driven businesses alongside world class investors. Some companies include:
Leveraging synthetic biology to develop mRNA therapeutics for the world's most deadly cancers and diseases.
HelixNano Website
An AI-powered platform allowing businesses to build software faster, cheaper, and without tech expertise.
Builder.ai Website
Machine learning tools to make buildings smarter - quickly, affordably and securely.
Infogrid Website
Where top talent goes to accelerate their ideas and careers, surrounded by a world-class community.
OnDeck Website
Creating slaughter-free, real leather at scale using tissue engineering.
VitroLabs Website
Missions to the International Space Station today. The world’s first commercial space station tomorrow.
Axiom Space Website
unicorn
The healthcare industry's first cultural competency credentialing system.
Violet Website
The first and leading behavioral telehealth platform built to serve the underserved populations within Medicare and Medicaid.
Brave Health Website

Venture Partners.

A global network of founders, operators, and investors who are committed to sourcing and supporting TVC’s portfolio companies.

Kristin Thayer

  • Senior Director, 1stdibs.com
  • Former: Head of Travel Partnerships, Uber; Partner, Andreessen Horowitz

Lisa Wang

  • Founder & CEO, The Global League of Women
  • Former: Founder & CEO, SheWorx (Acquired by Republic)

Joe Braidwood

  • Co-Founder & COO, Scener
  • Former: First Employee & CMO, SwiftKey (Acquired by Microsoft)

Deepak Kasthwal

  • CFO, YYX Capital
  • Former: CFO, Ola; CFO, Cleartrip

Madelaine Czufin

  • Director, First Republic Bank
  • Board Advisor, Vinetta Project

Dr. James Gillespie

  • Chief Health Officer, Emoja Supply Chain Solutions
  • Co-Founder & President, Center for Healthcare Innovation)
  • Senior Advisor, Stanford School of Medicine

Erica Dorfman

  • VP, Cash & Capital Markets, Brex
  • Former: Head of Finance & Operations, Tally Technologies; Co-Head of Capital Markets, SoFi

Kim Patel

  • Growth, Bubble
  • Former: Investor, Lerer Hippeau and AlleyCorp; Director, Global Corporate Strategy, VICE Media

Samer Yousif

  • Chief Program Officer, BLCK VC
  • Co-Founder, Investors of Color Network
  • WEF Global Shaper, World Economic Forum

Ruby Anaya

  • Product, Grindr
  • Head of Product, Swing Left
  • Director of Culture, WeWork; Senior Product Manager, AOL

Joe Brown

  • VP - Corporate Development, OneTeam Partners
  • Director, Media Strategy & Business Development, NFL

In Case You Missed It.

The latest and greatest from the TVC team and our portfolio.
Axios
October 13, 2022
Brave Health gets $40M for Medicaid's mental health gap.
Brave Health, a virtual care startup dedicated to mental health care for Medicaid members, raised $40 million in Series C funding led by Town Hall Ventures.
Read More
Axiom Space
April 1, 2022
Axiom Space named on TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2022
Axiom is proud to share our vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere as we continue to expand the low Earth orbit economy with missions to the International Space Station and the progressing construction of Axiom Station, the next-gen platform for innovation and breakthroughs.
Read More

Contact Us.

Our team is pretty easy to find online, but if you'd like to get in touch with us for press inquiries, membership applications, co-investment opportunities or otherwise via email, please contact us below.

We look forward to hearing from you!