The first steps shape
everything after.
We focus on first-time founders at the earliest stages: an idea becoming a prototype, a prototype meeting users, or an early product finding its place.
US$1–5 million
First-time founders
United States, United Kingdom and China
United States
Useful help starts
with a clear question.
Our aim is to help founders make the next important decision: what to test, what to build, who to learn from, and what progress should look like.
You do not need a finished company to start a conversation. You do need a willingness to get specific about the problem and learn from the result.
Find the first problem
Identify a specific user, understand the existing workaround and make the most important assumptions explicit.
Build the first proof
Choose a prototype that answers a question. Test the risky part early and defer the features that do not help you learn.
Reach the first users
Make the value easy to explain, find a focused starting group and learn from what people actually do.
Prepare the next step
Translate what you have learned into meaningful milestones and a funding narrative grounded in evidence.
Capability that matters
in the real world.
Applied AI
Products that make a real task better: reliable outputs, reviewable evidence and a clear place in an existing workflow.
Tools for small teams
Software that reduces coordination work and helps a small company deliver more without growing its administrative burden.
Learning and expertise
Products that help people build skills, exercise judgment and demonstrate what they can do beyond a completed lesson.
A clear starting point.
No perfect pitch required.
Share the problem
Tell us who you are building for, what they do today and why you think something should change.
Show what you have learned
A rough demo, a specific customer conversation or an experiment that changed your mind can all be useful.
Name the next uncertainty
Tell us what you want to test next and where help would make a difference. If there is a fit, we can discuss a useful next conversation.
What makes
a strong fit.
A specific user. A problem that recurs. A product whose value can be tested. We look for founders who understand the current workaround and can explain what their next experiment will change.
We invest across the United States, United Kingdom and China, with a typical investment of US$1–5 million. We focus on the company’s stage and the founder’s understanding of the problem, with investment structure and timing discussed directly.
See the questions on our minds