Act One Ventures

What is Act One Ventures?

Act One Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Santa Monica, California, that specializes in leading pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds, particularly in business software startups. With a mission to empower founders and challenge venture norms, they are committed to supporting entrepreneurial journeys from the ground up to IPO and beyond. Act One Ventures holds an extensive portfolio, with over 50 companies backed and $150M+ capital raised.

The firm's investment strategy is centered around embracing diversity and inclusivity, reflected by their portfolio of founders, which consists of 70% people of color, LGBTQ+, or women. Known for being founder-focused, they bring a wealth of operational experience to the table, drawn from building their own companies.

The community of advisors at Act One Ventures is eager to mentor their founders, with a network that includes experienced entrepreneurs and executives. Their investment sweet spot is around $500,000, with a minimum of $250,000 and a maximum of $1,000,000. Targeting industries such as software, business solutions, FinTech, retail & e-commerce, A.I. & big data, cloud services & infrastructure, payments, and consumer, they are also focused on woman-focused ventures.

A notable portfolio exit is Auditboard, a risk management platform. Act One Ventures has a robust online presence, featuring comprehensive information about their team, mission, investment criteria, and portfolio companies, along with founder testimonials and case studies highlighting their successful investments.

What they say:

We are a pre-seed and seed-stage fund.

What we look for: We invest in business software companies.