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01Ventura County Innovation Fund

Capital that stays in the county.

We invest in companies that create jobs in Ventura County, and we report on every one of them. Startup Ventura, the nonprofit accelerator, is our deal-flow partner.

Founders: the fund invests through Startup Ventura.

02Thesis

Never exit

Great companies start here. The fund backs the ones that grow here.

Jobs are the return

A fund can measure itself by the people its companies employ. In Ventura County that number is the point, and the fund publishes it every quarter.

Working manuscript

Stay and compound

A company that keeps its headquarters and its hiring in the county compounds value for the place that backed it. Leaving resets that to zero.

Working manuscript

Capital that stays

Local capital that reinvests in local companies does not need an exit to pay off. It needs the companies to keep building here.

Working manuscript

03How it works

How it works

Four steps, from a founder's first day in the program to the next cohort.

1

Startup Ventura trains founders.

2

The fund invests in the ones building here.

3

Those companies hire in the county.

4

The upside funds the next cohort.

04For cities

For cities

Invest alongside the fund in companies hiring inside your limits.

A quarterly report for your city

Jobs and companies inside your limits, every quarter.

Council-ready materials

Briefing documents your council and treasurer can read as they are.

A founder pipeline

Companies come through Startup Ventura, the accelerator serving the county.

05What we'll report

What we'll report

Published every quarter, for everyone. Jobs first.

Jobs in county

Jobs in Ventura County at portfolio companies, broken out by city.

Companies and capital

Companies backed and capital deployed.

Follow-on capital

Follow-on capital raised by portfolio companies.

Share in county

Share of portfolio headcount based in the county.

First report: the fund's first full quarter of investing.

Financial performance never appears on this site. It goes to investors through the fund admin platform.

06Team

Team

A managing partner, an investment committee, and a nonprofit accelerator partner.

Luke Erickson

Luke Erickson

Managing Partner

Investment committee

Investment committee

The investment committee is being formed. Members are announced when the fund opens.

07Updates

Updates

News, letters and reports from the fund.

Updates will appear here as the fund comes together.