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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
VP, Investments
  • 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
Partner
  • Partner, Primary Ventures
  • Head of Due Diligence, PeopleTech Partners
  • VP People, Chartbeat
Nirmesh Patel
VP, Investments
  • Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer, Cambridge Cancer Genomics
  • Forbes 30 Under 30 & YC, Summer 2017
  • PhD, Oncology & Cancer Biology, King's College London
Ashley Liu
Associate, Investments
  • Investor, NYC-based Single Family Office
  • Advisory Board Member, Hopey's Heart Foundation
  • Analyst, Investment Banking, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
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
Associate, Investments
  • 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
Dedicated to providing traditional financial products and services to crypto asset holders.
BlockFi Website
unicorn
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.
Vitro Labs 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
A digital platform that democratizes access to goal-based financial planning and advice.
GoalBased Investors 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

Greg Arrese

  • Founder & GP, Ride Ventures
  • Active angel (120+ investments, including Petal, Youku, Starship, OfferUp, Lunchclub and TrueWork)

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

Seanna Thompson

  • Senior Medical Director - Clinical Network Development, Mount Sinai Health System
  • Adjunct Professor of Health Administration, NYU

Ruby Anaya

  • 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.
CNBC Make It
March 29, 2021
This biotech start-up is working overtime to develop a second-wave, mutation-resistant Covid-19 vaccine.
Rajaniemi’s then-six-person start-up wasn’t going to be able to compete with the likes of Pfizer and AstraZeneca, but HelixNano, as it’s known, had a different goal: Create a better, second-generation vaccine against the novel coronavirus.
Read More
Techcrunch
Jun 30, 2020
Introducing The Venture Collective.
Every person should have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the world. Today, we are excited to share the public launch of The Venture Collective (TVC) — a new model for funding and supporting early stage startups.
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!