New Stack Ventures: Investing in Outsiders

Investing in
Outsiders
Access for All
Historically, 80%+ of Venture Capital has been deployed to Silicon Valley insiders. Yet, many of the most iconic companies were built by those that didn't go to Stanford, work for Big Tech, or call the Bay Area Home. We exist to back those founders.
New Stack leads rounds at the angel, pre-seed, or seed stage. We typically invest between $500k and $1.5M into startups that are pre-revenue, in pilots/PoCs, or early Commercialization.
Focus Areas
New Stack invests broadly across sectors and categories with an emphasis on B2B SaaS, Fintech, Supply Chain, Cyber, Proptech, Healthcare, and eCommerce.

Philosophy
At New Stack, we invest in outsiders. Our startups don't look like what's commonly funded in Silicon Valley. The standard formula of Stanford educated, Google trained, Bay Area-located is not what we're looking for. We believe in mission-driven founders with an irrational commitment to their cause --regardless of location or circumstance.

Themes that we look for include:
TRACTABLE: Tools that give non-experts, expert capabilities
UGV: Platforms that empower users to generate value
ACCESS TO IDLE SUPPLY: Activating idle capacity
TROJAN HORSE: Targeted beachhead provides access to broader opportunity
NETWORK EFFECTS: Value increases as users increase
BD INNOVATION: Customer acquisition strategy is as novel as the product
COMPETING W/ NON-CONSUMPTION: Turning non-consumers into consumers
MOUNTING LOSS: As individual usage increases, switching costs increase
Access for All
Historically, 80%+ of Venture Capital has been invested in Silicon Valley insiders. Yet, many of the most iconic companies were built by those that didn't go to Stanford, work for Big Tech, or call the Bay Area Home. We exist to back those founders.
Invest
Lead or Co-Lead
$500K - $1.5M check size
Stage
Angel
Pre-Seed
Seed
Traction
Pre-Revenue
Pilots / POCs
Early-Commercialization
Categories
B2B SaaS
Fintech
eComm
Supply Chain
Cyber
Proptech
Healthcare
New Stack Ventures has two investment arms--
a fund and a syndicate
A committed fund that invests
$200k per startup
A group of 400+ accredited Angels that invest
$100k-$500k per startup
The Fund & Syndicate invest together - Our standard check-size is $350k.
Portfolio
Helping Outsiders
Access Insiders
Ask about our Next Round Plan Process -- where we empower startups to get the attention that they deserve from Tier 1 VCs
New Stack Team

Nick Moran
General Partner
Developer-> M&A-> Product Mgr-> VC
Prior to founding New Stack, Nick began his career as a Developer. He went on to work in M&A and Product Management for Danaher. There he developed one of the most successful products in the company's history -- an analytical device for testing compounds in drinking water. In May 2014, Nick founded the 1st VC podcast, The Full Ratchet, which has grown to over 90k active subscribers.
Find Nick on Twitter.
J.R. Moran
Chief Operating Officer
Attorney-> Angel-> VC
J.R.'s career spans 15+ years as an attorney, in which he developed expertise in patent litigation, representing a variety of inventors and corporations. He has successfully litigated $B+ through patent infringement suits and licensing. J.R. has also worked extensively in the venture space, including venture capital fund formation, venture capital financing, startup formation, and corporate matters.
Nate Pierotti
Principal
Founder -> VC
Prior to New Stack, Nate co-founded Monarc, a deepTech / Robotics company in the sportsTech space. There he served as CEO and led product development, prior to exit. Nate also helped design and engineer Monarc's products, receiving multiple patents for his work. His experience ultimately led him to venture capital where he is passionate about deepTech, marketplaces, and all things consumer.
Bong Koh
Venture Partner
Serial Founder -> VC
Bong has served as Co-Founder or Founding Advisor to 6 companies that have generated over $300M in annual sales and raised over $100M in venture funding. He is also a Venture Advisor at Surface Ventures and was an initial investor in MuckerLab in Santa Monica. Bong has invested in more than 50 companies at the earliest stages which have raised more than $800M in funding and have an aggregate value of over $4B.
Zeke Trezise
Associate
Marketing-> Prod Mgmt -> VC
Zeke has worked in several startup roles across marketing, sales, and product management. As an undergraduate, he led his university's marketing club and became a region lead for New Stack's fellowship program -- where he implemented new strategies for sourcing startups. This experience led Zeke to join the team full-time as a student of enterprise SaaS and marketplace concepts.
Ariella Frank
Analyst
Startups-> Banking -> VC
Ariella’s first venture and startup ecosystem exposure came at Barnard College when she joined seed-stage startup Gooroo. She began working as a business development intern and was quickly asked to join full-time. While balancing a full course load, Ariella progressed from assisting with BD efforts to overseeing an entire business line. After graduating, she joined Goldman Sach’s private lending division.
VC Fellowship
Graduates of the New Stack Ventures Fellows Program

Khushi Wadhwa
Pryce Adade-Yebesi
Melissa Hernandez
Jamie Caines
Christopher Bances
Emily Elia
Jonathan Kendall
Kelly Avant
Yukta Gutta
Sawyer Sullivan
Christa Westheimer
Abby Bartlett
Neel Sitaramya
Charlie Forbes
New Stack Team

Jeff Heitzman
Syndicate Co-Leader
Engineer-> Trader-> Risk Mgr-> Venture Investor
Jeff has worked 15+ yrs in the finance/options industry at Chicago Trading Company, as a Quant Trader and Technology Risk Manager. He's made 50+ startup investments, with multiple exits, developing an expertise in fintech & frontier tech. In addition to managing the New Stack syndicate, Jeff leads CTC Ventures, the fintech+ investment arm of CTC.
Co-Investors
Show more
Co-Investors
Hear from the Founders
Founder Quotes
"The process with New Stack was very different than other investors. It was casual and it was intentional - ensuring it wasn’t wasting my time. Also, everyone we talked to sang your praises…they said don’t even look back, it’ll be one of the smartest moves you’ll ever make. And that wasn’t just said once, it was said multiple times."

Kwame Boler, Founder, Spritz
Founder Quotes
“New Stack excels in two areas -- their relentless advocacy and their network. Nick Moran knows everyone. In our most recent fundraise, we had introductions to nearly every single seed stage fund on our shortlist -- this type of access is, in my experience, unprecedented for companies at our stage.

I can say unequivocally and without any hesitation that Nick and the New Stack team are among the elite pre-seed investors in the country. Work hard to get them on your cap table.”
Kaylee Prior, Co-Founder of Valt
Founder Quotes
"Passionate, hustlers, and thoughtful investors. Always helping and pushing entrepreneurs to give their best. From connecting us with an entire network of investors to introducing potential customers and partners, the New Stack team adds value from the trenches since day 1."

Julian Ortiz, Co-Founder, Adaviv
Founder Quotes
“Our investment rounds were highly competitive and choosing investment partners was difficult. Ultimately, Nick’s reputation in the investment community as a genuine and thoughtful investor drove my decision to move forward with New Stack.”

David Rabie, Founder, Tovala
Founder Quotes
"My favorite thing about working with Nick and the entire New Stack team has been that they are more than investors - they are partners. I always know I can count on them to be in the trenches with me on any challenges I am working through. In the early stages of company building, that type of support is invaluable."

Quratul-Ann Malik Founder, Azalio
Founder Quotes
"The thing that stood out when we first met with New Stack was that they didn't ask the same tired questions we heard over and over again from others we met with - i.e "How are you different from {{Insert tangential company in same space}}?". New Stack's approach was to evaluate our business based on their focus areas and themes then make a judgement from there. It was refreshing how well they instantly understood our business, go-to-market, and what were looking to accomplish."

Jude Chiy, Founder, Flamingo
Founder Quotes
"Working with the NewStack team during the investment process was awesome. Working with them after the investment was done is even better. I can always count on a quick turn around and thoughtful advice".

Vess Bakalov, Founder, Pliant
Founder Quotes
"The one word I would use to describe New Stack is refreshing. As a company seeking funding you run through countless investors... and it’s all about numbers. New Stack is different. They were interested in us before we talked numbers. Nick and his team are people-centric. We felt that they really understood our vision and values and that made our decision to partner with New Stack an easy choice. We haven’t looked back since!"
Kosal Keo, Co-Founder, Sware
Investment Themes
TRACTABLE: Tools that give non-experts, expert capabilities
UGV: Platforms that empower users to generate value
ACCESS TO IDLE SUPPLY: Activating idle capacity
TROJAN HORSE: Targeted beachhead provides access to broader opportunity
NETWORK EFFECTS: Value increases as users increase
BD INNOVATION: Customer acquisition strategy is as novel as the product
COMPETING W/ NON-CONSUMPTION: Turning non-consumers into consumers
MOUNTING LOSS: As individual usage increases, switching costs increase
News
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