Agate Hound
Fund of fundsActively deployingSeattle · 6 people tracked
Investment thesis
Agate Hound Fund positions itself as the first fund of funds dedicated to the search fund asset class, providing investors access to lower-market microcap private equity via the traditional search fund model for acquisitions in North America. It takes a diversified, index-fund-style approach, hand-picking established and successful underlying funds. The firm points to the asset class's historical net returns of roughly 35% over 40 years per a Stanford study and targets net returns of 20%+. Leadership emphasizes decades of general partner and venture partner experience across multiple prior venture and private equity funds.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 6 people
from the firm's websiteWhat they invest in
from 1 of 1 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×1Digital Health ×1Healthtech ×1SaaS ×1
HQs:United States×1
Investments · 1 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathTransformativeMed builds specialty-specific clinical workflow and care team communication tools that integrate directly into electronic health records (EHRs) through its CORES Platform.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechSaaSSeattle, US
Douglas Cusick(Executive Officer, Director)Erik Van Eaton(Executive Officer, Director)inDavid Stone(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardPeter Weiss(Executive Officer)
Board seatJoel Mezistrano· per SEC Form D · $1.2M raise · filed May 2022
Co-investorsSwan Venture Fund
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Frequently asked questions
- What sectors does Agate Hound focus on?
- Agate Hound focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Agate Hound located?
- Agate Hound is headquartered in Seattle, US.
- Does Agate Hound lead rounds?
- Agate Hound typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamSearch Funds Demystified: How Jon Staenberg (Agate Hound Fund) Nets 35% Annual Returns | EP 90
Fundraising Demystified Podcast - w/ Jason Kirby · Jon Staenberg
Jon Staenberg - Agate Hound Fund - What Fuels You
What Fuels You Podcast · Jon Staenberg
Similar investors
3TS Capital Partners is a private equity and venture capital investor focused on technology and technology-enabled companies, notably in Central and Eastern Europe.
4DI Ventures was co-founded by repeat tech operator and ESET Southern Africa founder Justin Stanford, giving it unusually deep cybersecurity and software operating experience rather than a purely financial background, and originated from Stanford's own angel-investing experiments that directly led to both the firm's creation and the launch of the Silicon Cape Initiative. The firm explicitly describes its style as "nurture capital" with intensive, hands-on engagement, and Stanford is vocal about avoiding the "unicorn at all costs" mentality in African tech, instead emphasizing sustainable market readiness and fundamentals in a more conservative, durability-focused investment approach.
83North is a global venture capital firm that invests in and helps entrepreneurs build large, category-defining companies, backing startups across multiple stages and sectors.
8VC is a venture capital firm investing across logistics, life sciences, healthcare, IT infrastructure, and government/defense, guided by its Smart Enterprise thesis focused on data integration and platform network effects.
Accel is a venture capital firm that partners with exceptional teams, positioning itself as a first partner to founders globally.







