(Left to right:) Alexander Korchevsky (I2BF Global Ventures), Nikolay Kirpichnikov (Smart Partnership Capital), Igor Ryabenkiy (AltaIR Capital), Sergei Bogdanov (Yellow Rocks)
The Pre-seed to Succeed program is dedicated to early-stage startups with global ambitions.
The Pre-seed to Succeed program is dedicated to early-stage startups with global ambitions.
It is designed for startups in the early stages with MVP and first traction and focuses on a range of industries, including AI, B2B, SaaS, FinTech, Future of Work, Productivity Tools, Digital Health, and HR Tech, with a primary target market in the USA.
We are particularly interested in startups with the following attributes:
- A dedicated full-time team with a hacker and hustler onboard;
- A registered company with an active bank account;
- A working MVP and initial traction;
- Teams with prior experience in building startups;
- Startups created by laid-off founders.
The investment program offers initial funding from participating venture companies, ongoing support from seasoned experts and mentors, and 50% of the next round for proven startups.
By joining the program, startups will benefit in the following ways:
- Investment and networking expertise from four renowned VC firms boasting an impressive combined portfolio of more than 500 startups, including a plethora of unicorns, such as Miro, Deel, OpenWeb, Turing, FuboTV, and ServiceTitan;
- Six months of initial investment, guidance, and support throughout the fundraising journey;
- Continued investment from the VCs in startups that prove their viability and promise.
Igor Ryabenkiy, AltaIR Capital Managing Partner: “This is a unique program that embeds a startup from the very beginning in the investment process of several successful early-stage venture capital firms. It allows teams to leap from the earliest stage to the development stage and gives them a high probability of receiving initial and next-level funding within the $50M joint investment program.”
This joint program aims to address key challenges that startups face in the early stages, particularly with regard to fundraising. It provides startups with support from strong venture funds that boast impressive portfolios and proven expertise, ensuring seamless fundraising from the first round to the scaling stage.
Sergei Bogdanov, Yellow Rocks Managing Partner: “Fundraising is a challenging task for early-stage startups. In this program, we have decided to combine the pipelines, expertise, and resources of four venture companies to select the best startups for investment and help them with fundraising. This is the foundation for the sustainable development of startups that receive captable of the dream at the earliest stage. In addition, we will close 50% of the next round and co-invest further in proven candidates.”
Nikolay Kirpichnikov, Smart Partnership Capital Managing Partner: "Early-stage companies often approach dozens or even hundreds of investment funds without ever finding a reliable partner. My colleagues and I have joined forces to support startups that have a clear vision of how to build a sustainable business and the potential for impressive performance."
The program co-founders have already reviewed 200 startups and the joint investment committee is currently discussing some possible investments. The best candidates will also get access to seasoned experts and mentors from various fields, as well as personalized guidance from a founding partner during the entire process. In addition, the program offers exclusive opportunities to join top-tier startup accelerators through the support of alumni from the founding partners’ portfolio companies.
Alexander Korchevsky, I2BF Global Ventures Managing Partner: "We see a lot of promising startups and talented founders that we can't support from our main funds, because they are just too early for us. Furthermore, there is not so much institutional capital available at pre-seed stage, so this project helps founders address the challenge. This initiative introduces a very patient capital, as well as ongoing support and access to our network of operators. We believe that having all of these resources in one place is critical for founders to ensure a smooth take-off and maximize their chances of success”.