Mercury

Our work directs how capital is formed and distributed to expand opportunities for Black and historically excluded communities. We actively reimagine the innovation economy by developing the next generation of venture capital leaders in communities where entrepreneurs face barriers to accessing capital. Our vision is to build a global innovation economy where Black and historically excluded innovators can boldly create, fail, invest, and thrive. Our origins are rooted in the legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which forged opportunities for Black Americans in a time when our country would not. We are anchored in this intention, and similar to HBCUs, we purposefully extend our support to all overlooked communities, including but not limited to Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and undocumented immigrants. We know that innovation lives within us–and has been untapped, underinvested, and ignored for far too long.

Blue Omingmak est une société spécialisée dans l’accompagnement à la levée de fonds de start-up au stade de l’amorçage en région Grand Est. Sur un marché très médiatisé mais en réalité mal connu et très éclectique, notre expérience de plus de vingt ans nous a permis de bâtir une approche pragmatique et robuste, qui revient à l’essentiel. Start and Invest© est le nom de cette méthodologie et celui de la boîte à outils dont nous l’avons enrichie.

We’re EQT Ventures, a VC built by former founders and operators ready to support the next generation of global winners. Building a global tech company is challenging. We know because we’ve done it too. Without the right people around you, getting to great is almost impossible. That’s why we decided to create EQT Ventures, a new kind of VC, the VC we always wanted on our own startup journeys. A VC that is accessible, supportive and fully committed. A partner that knows what it takes to put everything on the line. A VC built to serve the founders it backs. From offices in Stockholm, London, Berlin, Paris and San Francisco, we invest in and support entrepreneurs building the next-generation of global winners. Entrepreneurs will always be at the core of everything we do. We’re entrepreneurs at heart and there’s nothing we thrive from more than working with founders. No matter where you are on your journey or the challenges you face, chances are we’ve been there too and can overcome them together.

Parallel18 is a program of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology, and Research Trust, a private non-profit organization created with the goal of maximizing Puerto Rico’s participation and creation of jobs in the global knowledge economy by promoting investment and financing of science and technology research development. The organization manages and hosts over a dozen initiatives that range from grants and technical support to meetups and educational resources for researchers, entrepreneurs, farmers, investors, and other groups. At parallel18, we are changing the narrative of Puerto Rico’s economy by promoting a diverse business community. We believe in creating opportunities for entrepreneurs of underrepresented groups in the innovation ecosystem and support their goals of building a high-impact business that can reach the world.

Our vision is to be the leading Mid-Michigan Venture Fund providing economic impact for the region and the state with new jobs, new companies, and value-added partnerships. Who we are As the premier land grant university, Michigan State University has a presence in every county within the state of Michigan. To complement MSU’s land grant mission, the MSU Research Foundation formed and supported the first Mid-Michigan Venture investment organization, Red Cedar Ventures. Our team supports 4 funds. Pre-Seed Fund Opportunity Fund I Opportunity Fund II Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III Supporting Michigan Startups The focus of these funds is to support early-stage entrepreneurs throughout the state of Michigan. Our funds have significant partnerships and collaborations to assist in its vision. Its close relationships with Michigan State University Technologies and Spartan Innovations provides a robust pipeline of early-stage technologies for cultivation and assessment. Red Cedar Ventures also partners with Spartan Innovations in the facilitation of Conquer Accelerator program. When possible, working with Spartan Innovations, Red Cedar Ventures assists in bridging Industry and Statewide Commercial entities in innovations and partnerships around startups with the vast and talented resources surrounding Michigan State University. The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation empowers students to learn through action by providing programs, courses, and resources to foster an entrepreneurial mindset, develop empathy, and create new ventures – another pipeline created for student startups in search of funding and support. As a member of the Michigan Venture Capital Association, our team works in concert to support startups in Michigan in coordination with Invest Detroit, Invest Michigan, Renaissance Ventures, and other ecosystem partners looking to impact Michigan's economy. Red Cedar Ventures portfolio companies and startups, throughout campus and the Mid-Michigan region, can rent office space at The East Lansing Technology Innovation Center or VanCamp, and access essential resources made available by the MSU Foundation. Our team provides many resources to help launch entrepreneurial ventures including funding, mentorship and coaching, board participation, commercial/market assessment, startup advising, business documentation and support services, partnership opportunities related to MSU, and consulting on overall strategy and execution.

Lewis & Clark Ventures was founded by former founders and operators to support the tech ecosystem. We’ve built venture-backed companies and have navigated the terrain of going from idea to exit multiple times. We are excited to partner with dynamic founders them on their journey to build successful companies. What We Look For Stage | Sectors Late seed through Series A and are sector agnostic technology investors. Investment We typically invest between $2M - $3M in our initial investment, but have flexibility in either direction. Between The Coasts We seek to fund companies in geographies that are overlooked by coastal venture funds Market Large opportunity, with high growth potential. Founder | Team We look for founders that have a big vision, a bold idea, and a strong ability to build and lead a great team - an exceptional founding team with either previous startup experience, domain expertise, or are very close to the problem they’re solving. Role We prefer to lead investments, but this is not always a requirement. Market-Fit We look for rapidly accelerating growth metrics and lean toward a minimum of $500K - $1M in revenue. Customers Companies that are establishing strong product-market-fit through close customer relationships, and are beginning to demonstrate a consistent go-to-market process. Mission To partner with visionary founders to build iconic companies between the coasts. Our Ethos Empathy As former founders, we are rooted in understanding and supporting the founders’ journey. People who embark on this journey command our respect. Execute We take pride in doing great work and care about the details. Initiative is in our DNA and we always have a bias towards action. Navigate The path to success and significance is rarely a straight line and decisions are rarely black and white. We believe in navigating the complexity of startups with our experience to accelerate growth. Shoot Straight As partners for the long term, we believe an open, transparent and candid communication style, based on mutual respect and trust, is the best way to communicate and achieve the best results. Smart Growth We believe in smart growth, not growth at all costs. We work with founders to build sustainable, enduring companies, combining rapid growth built on a foundation of strong fundamentals. True Partners We believe that the people you surround yourself with make the difference in life. We work with people we respect, that challenge us to dream bigger, and that we enjoy spending time with. We support each other and win as a team.