Experience Ventures

The outdoors is for everyone. The industry should be, too. That's where you come in. Our goal: accelerate the success of founders of color, whether you're growing a business or just starting out. Founders of color represent only an estimated 1% of outdoor entrepreneurs. We can change that. Let's create an outdoor industry where opportunity and success reflect the true diversity of people who love, protect and share life outside. Full spectrum support, built for youCommunity network: Partners, peers, mentors and experts who provide a trusted space for growth Capability & infrastructure: Marketing reach, supply chain, distribution and more to reach the next level Customer connection: Portals to new customers and ways to test, learn and build your platform faster Capital investment: $30M fund dedicated to empowering founders and accelerating your success Which path is yours?Embark: You’ve got an idea or a plan. Embark fuels aspiring founders with a $10k equity-free grant and guidance to turn early-stage ideas into viable business models. Navigate: You’ve got a business. Navigate empowers existing businesses with production, scaling, distribution, and publicity so you can grow and thrive.

We are a mission-driven investment vehicle created to close the wealth gap through investment in high-growth startups led by Black and Latino founders. We’re not just investors, we’re partners. We couple financial investment with a deep bench of in-house support to best position teams for success by exposing them to the diversity of thought, capabilities and expertise that drives innovation and tests the limits of what’s possible. $300k in pre-seed/seed investment support & services of Hearst and partners.

Five Elms Capital is the ideal partner for leading B2B software companies. Since firm inception in 2007, we have focused exclusively on software investing, building an unmatched network and deep domain expertise. Today, with over $2.4 billion in assets under management and a global team of over 70 investment professionals, we have invested in more than 65 software platforms globally. We invest $10-150+ million in companies with $2-20 million in revenues - minority or majority investments, growth capital, or liquidity for founders and early investors. Ideal partner for founders We specialize in partnering with founder-owned, bootstrapped businesses, working alongside management to accelerate growth and continue to build industry leading businesses. We take partnerships seriously and will work our tails off to help you succeed, but never take ourselves too seriously. Our relaxed, open, and honest working style is one of the reasons we've been successful earning founders' trust and a seat at the table in profitable businesses where additional capital is optional. Anti-Valley approach We love billion dollar outcomes just as much as everyone else, but don't believe in "unicorn or bust". We don't push companies to grow at all costs or raise mega rounds of capital - that mindset increases founder dilution and reduces the landscape of exit scenarios where everyone wins. We like managers to have both significant equity stakes and significant option value as to what outcomes can be a win. B2B Focus We exclusively invest in B2B software companies. This specialization has helped us build an unmatched network and deep domain expertise. Founders can supplement their industry knowledge with our experience in helping accelerate growth, overcoming positive and consistent challenges tied to scale, and de-risking the path to a successful exit for all stakeholders. Resources and value-add Our firm and Operations Support Team has been purpose-built to optimize key functions in a bootstrapped organization (e.g., sales, marketing, finance, recruiting). Our goal is to provide you the resources and expertise to supplement your already successful organization and to assist in more rapidly achieving organizational goals. Culture is crucial Our best performing companies are obsessed with company culture - it's crucial to their success. We have a very simple playbook… great products + great people = great outcomes We hustle Much like the companies we back, we aren't the incumbent behemoth in our industry - we try harder.

As an impact-driven organization serving remarkable entrepreneurs & ecosystems, we leverage corporate partnerships, specialized programming, meaningful mentorship, and capital investments to drive growth within the minority innovation economy. Lightship provides remarkable founders the resources and direction their businesses need to scale.

We empower Black founders to build the impossible. Black founders are over mentored and under funded‍. ‍0.24% of VC funding received by Black entrepreneurs - 38 businesses in total, of those only one Black female founder raised Series A. A VC accessibility gap: 88% of Black founders in the UK self-fund at least part of their venture. ‍There’s always been entrepreneurialism in the Black community. Venture capital just hasn’t made its way to them yet. Our 5-year vision is backing 30 Black-led startups from the Black Seed programme by 2026 across the UK.‍ Our co-working space in Brixton is a space to connect Black founders. As a portfolio company you get access to our venture studio and resource hub.