We invest $1-2M in pre-seed companies, $2-$10M in Seed stage startups and $10-$15M in Series A.
We look for determined founders who are product visionaries and aim to build the iconic companies of the future. No opportunity is too early for us. The vast majority of our investments are companies at the formation stage. We look for startups attacking markets that can be measured in billions of dollars. We want to work with compelling founders who are eager to collaborate and believe they can learn from others who have built successful startups previously.
We look for founders with an authentic insight into a market opportunity. We prefer founders with strong product instincts and a passion for connecting product strategy and go-to-market. We look for great storytellers who have lived the pain they want to address. We look for founders who have a track record for building, have deep curiosity and a unique understanding of the world, who have the humility to acquire skills they don't yet have, and the ability to attract and hire amazing leaders.
Unusual was built from first principles to be a partner to founders that provides the greatest probability of success in the early years of company building. We pioneered a VC model whereby experienced operators embed with founders during the seed stage and deliver hands on help in marketing, sales and recruiting. We have spent decades understanding the best paths to finding product-market fit and bring our collective experience to every investment in a truly unusual way.
Unusual Ventures was created to raise the bar in the venture industry. Our founders dreamed of the world's first seed-stage full service fund which provided entrepreneurs an unprecedented level of support as they attempted to progress from insight to product market fit. John Vrionis and Jyoti Bansal pioneered an engagement model where experienced operators directly serve portfolio companies - not as advisors - but as full time contributors in achieving tangible everyday goals across recruiting, sales, community, education, marketing and design. Our founders also designed an Academy and Community model that is a series of hands-on workshops led by world class experts in Customer Discovery, Fundraising and Leadership.
Unusual Ventures was started with a mission to serve and foster greater diversity in the venture capital ecosystem. Our founders were intentional from day one in raising money from organizations and institutions that are positive forces for progress in education, healthcare, research and the arts. In fact, the initial investors were responsible for naming the firm after hearing what our founders aspired to build.
We don’t spray and pray. We build deep conviction in our investment themes and support our founders by building with them. Our team of operators have been where you are, and honed the Unusual Method™ to apply their expertise. They live and breathe emerging technologies so you can get the tailored support you need from the start.
The Unusual Method™ equips founders for success through the Field Guide, educational programming like Unusual Academy, Founder Services, and support from our team of expert founders, operators, and investors.
From post-deployment monitoring and observability to data tooling and deep learning, machine learning is changing the way we work. Learn more about what we are betting on with emerging trends in AI.
As technology and society evolve, securing companies and their customers from threats continues to be a challenge. As an example of our investment thesis in cybersecurity, here’s why we invested in Traceable.
Companies need to work smarter and faster today than ever before while adapting to a distributed, remote-friendly culture. They are buying SaaS tools that are data-first, easy to use, and work seamlessly with the rest of their stack. To learn more about our approach to new-age Saas, check out why we bet on Endgame.
Developers are the key decision makers of how software companies should build products. Empowering them with the tools they need to be productive is paramount. Learn more about our focus on tools for builders with our investment in CoScreen.
The companies that dominate the world of finance today are still incumbents that started 50+ years ago. At Unusual, we see a massive opportunity for new fintech infrastructure that modernizes the industry and makes sophisticated finance accessible to all. To learn more about our interest in fintech, check out our investment in Alto.
In a digital-first world, marketplace businesses seamlessly match demand and supply to make sure that no creator or small business is at a disadvantage. As an example of our approach to investing in marketplaces, learn why we bet on Contra.