My next chapter: Ground Up Ventures

I am thrilled to announce that I am co-founding a new venture capital firm with my dear friend Cory Moelis. Cory and I have lofty expectations for our firm, and after dreaming about the opportunity to build something together since meeting over 10 years ago, we are excited to be embarking on this new adventure. One of our goals is to share openly about our experiences with launching the fund, and I hope that this will be the first of many posts that Cory and I will write that will give you greater insight into who we are as investors and as people. Our firm — Ground Up Ventures — is already active and we will be launching our website and announcing our first two investments soon.

Ground Up Ventures Quick Facts

• Location: We will be investing in the US and Israel. Cory and I both spend a lot of time on the road and will likely be visiting a city near you soon.
• Stage: Early. So early that at that stage most “early stage” venture capital firms will tell you that what you are working on is really interesting but too early for them to invest. We are investing in what we refer to as pre-seed and seed rounds, but whatever you call it, it is usually the first non friends & family round that a company raises. It is never too early to come talk to us, but it can be too late.
• Sectors: We look to back incredible entrepreneurs regardless of sector. What we do look for is strong founder-market fit: great people with a bold vision, where they are the right people to bring that particular vision to fruition.
• Investment size: Average initial check size ranges from $250k-$500k with a healthy ratio of capital reserved for follow on investment. We are comfortable being the lead investor of pre-seed rounds or being a participant in larger seed rounds alongside other great VCs.
• How to get in touch: david@groundup.vc, cory@groundup.vc

How Can We Help You?

• Cory and I are always interested in meeting with entrepreneurs and hearing their optimistic visions of the future. We would love to hear from you and are happy to provide you with feedback on your idea, pitch deck, go to market strategy, etc.
• If you are talented at [engineering, sales, business development…] and are interested in making a career move, we would be happy to talk with you about openings at our portfolio companies. Come join the Ground Up family!
• Tell us how else we can be helpful to you (david@groundup.vc, cory@groundup.vc).

DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, we don’t do coffee meetings because neither Cory nor I have ever had a cup of coffee and don’t plan on starting now. But we are open to drinking other beverages.

How You Can Help Us

• Who is the most talented person you know starting a company? Please introduce us :).
• Follow us on Twitter and Medium for updates.

Onward and upward,

David