Featuring The Slack Fund and VMG Partners
Happy Labor Day, hope everyone had a great long weekend! Welcome back to another edition of Connect’s VC Connection, our Venture Capital newsletter. Where we showcase exceptional VC firms, giving you better insight into their areas of focus and investment criteria. We hope that this newsletter will shine some light in the deep waters of Venture Capital.
This week we have two different firms striving to grow specific industries. The Slack Fund invests in the Future of Work and VMG Partners invests in Consumer Products and Technologies.
The VC Connection is a semi-regular, ongoing newsletter where we profile funds that we have developed relationships with. If you would like to see other firms we know, feel free to browse through our curated VC List, “Other VC Firms.”
Slack, the renowned workplace platform for all things, business, fun, and everything in between. Founded in 2016 in San Francisco, The Slack Fund is the Corporate Venture Arm of Slack. The Fund is driven off the same mission that their parent company Slack symbolizes, the future of work.
The Slack Fund is a different kind of Corporate VC, while many CVCs look to integrate their portfolio companies into their corporate parent, the Slack Fund is fully committed to growing the Future of Work ecosystem. Doubling down and investing into companies that make working life better, with the hopes of partnering with companies working on solutions within Voice and Video, IT and Security, Next-Generation Productivity, Organizational Wellness, and Developer Tools. Companies with the goal of building and retaining hybrid teams, connecting and democratizing data, automation and AI/ML enabled applications, and tech enablement for new markets.
It is not easy building a company from the ground up. It takes a lot of trial and error, grinding, perseverance, and learning. However, having the right people on your team makes one hell of a difference. The Slack Fund is definitely a firm that I would want on my side of the court, ushering the growth of their portfolio companies and nurturing the Future of Work community.
Thesis: Tech Companies Focusing on the Future of Work
Industries: Voice and Video, IT and Security, Next-Generation Productivity, Organizational Wellness, Developer Tools
Location: San Francisco, CA
Stage: Pre-Seed thru Series A
Initial Investment Size: $500K-$5M
SD Portfolio Companies: Hone
Velocity Made Good, also known as VMG, is founded on the principle of “Maximizing Speed and Progress.” It may seem that the best way to get from point A to point B is drawing a direct line and walking from here to there. Yet, sometimes we fail to realize the hills and valleys we have to cross to get there. VMG focuses on finding the fastest route from where you are now to where you want to be, while maximizing progress and growth along the way.
Since 2005, VMG has been investing and growing iconic consumer brands. Through their early stage fund, VMG Catalyst, VMG invests into the Series A and Growth stages of consumer brands as well as tech companies assisting the commerce landscape. Technologies that support the manufacturers, distributors, and retailers through the future of commerce, logistic software, operational tools, marketing technology, or commerce infrastructure.
VMG values the relationships they build with their founders. When they’re in, they’re in, collaborating with their founders to find the best route to their goal, providing access to their broad network, talent, sales and marketing expertise, branding know all, legal services, and everything in between.
This year has been huge for VMG Catalyst, closing a $400M Fund earlier this year, closing on the $165M sale of Stone Brewing, and leading a $5.6M round for San Diego Cool Company, The Good Face Project, adding to the growing list of San Diego companies that VMG is supporting!
Thesis: Consumer and Tech Enablement Commerce Companies
Industry: Omnichannel Consumer Products and Tech supporting the Commerce Supply Chain
Location: San Francisco, CA
Stage: Series A+
Initial Investment Size: $5-50M
SD Portfolio Companies: Sun Bum, PerfectBar, Daasity, Good Face Project, Stone Brewing
Here at Connect, our mission is to help San Diego’s incredible startup companies grow and succeed. One way we do that is by connecting our startups to venture capitalists. If you are interested in getting connected with our network, we recommend you apply to our program, Springboard. In this program, you will get the opportunity to speak with expert advisors.
Keep on charging forward,
The Connect Team