Fundraising FoxCalano Ventures
Venture capitalOrlando · Series A–Growth · 2 people tracked
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Investment thesis
Calano backs founders who have moved past the early hypothesis stage, focusing on companies that have achieved product-market fit and surpassed $1M in annual revenue and are positioned to scale. The firm typically leads rounds and pairs its investment with operational support to accelerate growth. Its focus spans technology, consumer, and vertical SaaS sectors, and it operates as both a venture capital and private equity investor.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 7, 2026.
Team · 2 people
from public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 15 of 18 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×7Consumer ×5Marketing Tech ×4SaaS ×4AdTech ×3Developer Tools ×2Direct to Consumer ×2Fintech ×2
HQs:United States×10
Who they back
founder profiles across 12 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×92 founders×24+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 13 founders with education data
Cornell ×2Wesleyan University ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 14 founders with field-of-study data
Economics ×6Business & Management ×4Finance & Accounting ×3Computer Science ×2Engineering ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 15 founders with career history
Bank of America Merrill Lynch ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
Investments · 18 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 22021 · 13 dated
AdPipe uses computer vision AI to analyze advertising creative and identify which creative decisions drive performance, then feeds those insights into briefs and helps teams build new ad versions for different audiences and channels.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningMarketing TechAthens, US
Sam Birdsong(Executive Officer, Director)Andrew Levy(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsAtlanta Tech VillageMVPTech Square VenturesTechOperators Venture Capital
GoToAisle is a mobile marketing platform that enables retail businesses to engage customers through SMS and MMS messaging, offering features like cashback incentives, location-aware promotions, and customer data synchronization to drive sales and repeat purchases.
Marketing TechRetail Tech
Tiffin ✌️(Founder)in
Co-investorsBFG PartnersFinancial Venture StudioFJ LabsGaingelsMidnightRestive Ventures
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Artie provides a data replication platform built on change data capture (CDC) technology, enabling real-time data movement with sub-minute latency and zero data loss.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
Jacqueline Cheong(Founder)inRobin Tang(Founder)inArmando McIntyre-Kirwin(Executive Officer, Director)Ryan Horrigan(Executive Officer, Director)William Haw(Eng)Nathan Villaescusa(Founding Engineer)
Co-investorsStandard CapitalCanaan PartnersFJ LabsGeneral CatalystIA Seed VenturesPathlight Ventures+6 more
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BookSeats allows fans to book sports and event tickets bundled with flights and hotel accommodations in a single platform.
B2B MarketplacesMarketplacesSports TechTravel & Hospitality
Co-investorsComcast VenturesPhoenix Capital Ventures
CRAFTSMAN+ provides an AI-powered platform for building high-volume playable and interactive ad creatives, including agents that generate ad variants, write custom code, and analyze live campaign data.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningMarketing Tech
Alex Merutka(Founder)in
diDNA offers a programmatic advertising stack that publishers integrate with a single Prebid.js script tag, giving access to 50+ premium demand partners such as Google AdX, PubMatic, OpenX, and Index Exchange.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningSaaS
East Cape Boats builds custom fishing boats, from technical poling skiffs to larger inshore and nearshore platforms, using vacuum-infusion composite construction, with each boat personalized to the owner, fishery, and fishing style.
Advanced ManufacturingConsumerHardwareSports TechEverglades, US
Kevin Fenn(Founder)in
Future Mortgage is an online platform for obtaining home mortgages, offering pre-approvals, rate quotes, and a digital workflow to upload documents, e-sign disclosures, and manage loan tasks.
FintechPropTech
Marty Luckenbach(Founder)in
Hydrant makes electrolyte drink mixes formulated with real fruit juice, sugar, and balanced electrolytes for hydration, sold direct to consumers.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerWellness & FitnessNew York, US
John Sherwin(Founder)inJai Jung Kim(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsDorm RoomRx3 Growth PartnersSoma CapitalThe MBA FundCoefficient CapitalRx3 Ventures
Lightfox Games is a venture-backed mobile game studio developing a new mobile title based on a well-known IP, with a publisher and IP partner lined up.
GamingSeattle, US
Jordan Douglas Arnold(Executive Officer, Director)Ryan Alan Hanft-Murphy(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardCherry Freeman(Director)inLouis Gresham(Director)in
Co-investorsHiro CapitalMarch Capital Partners
LoudCrowd is a creator commerce software platform used by direct-to-consumer brands to run affiliate, influencer, UGC, and ambassador programs.
Austin, US
Gary Garofalo(Executive Officer, Director)inJustin Papermaster(Executive Officer, Director)in
Co-investorsMucker CapitalTrinity Ventures
ConsumerGamingSan Francisco, US
Jesse Zhang(Founder)inAdam Menges(Product Design)Melissa YuMatthew HuangJoe Bernardi(Head of Engineering)Blake Owens(Head of Backend Engineering)
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzNat TurnerSoma CapitalWayfinder VenturesY CombinatorACORN HEAVY INDUSTRIES+5 more
MaxRewards is an app that helps credit card holders optimize their spending by recommending which card to use for different purchases, tracking rewards across multiple cards, and auto-activating merchant offers.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerFintechAtlanta, US
Anik Khan(Executive Officer, Director)inRon Watson(Director)David Gao(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsService Provider CapitalTechstarsDundee Venture CapitalFinTech Ventures
MuukTest provides AI-powered quality assurance automation as a managed service, combining proprietary AI agents with expert QA engineers to design, execute, and maintain automated tests for software teams.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsSaaSRaleigh, US
Ivan Barajas Vargas(Founder)in
Co-investorsContour Venture PartnerseLab VenturesNC IDEASilicon Road VenturesTechstars
Status (formerly Statusphere) operates a platform that automates influencer marketing campaign management for brands while connecting creators with brand partnership opportunities.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyMarketing TechSaaSWinter Park, US
Kristen Wiley(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardJacqui Deegan(Director)Larry Cheng(Director)in
Co-investorsBehind Genius VenturesHearstLabHow Women InvestUlu VenturesVolition Capital1984 Ventures Management, Llc
A consumer oral care company that produces eco-friendly floss picks combining waxed floss with toothpick functionality, made from plant-based cornstarch handles and infused with mint and baking soda.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerWellness & Fitness
Julian Levine(Founder)inCody Levine(Founder)in
Co-investorsAusum VenturesPlug and Play VenturesThe Fund
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
PWRFWDU
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesArtie · ycombinator.com · Jun 9, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Calano Ventures made?
- Calano Ventures has 18 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 2 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Calano Ventures invest at?
- Calano Ventures invests at the Series A, Series B, Growth stages.
- What is Calano Ventures's typical check size?
- Calano Ventures typically writes checks of $500K – $1.5M.
- What sectors does Calano Ventures focus on?
- Calano Ventures focuses on Consumer, Enterprise Software, Media & Entertainment, SaaS.
- Where is Calano Ventures located?
- Calano Ventures is headquartered in Orlando, US.
- Does Calano Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Calano Ventures leads investment rounds.
- Who does Calano Ventures co-invest with?
- Calano Ventures most often shares deals with FJ Labs, Soma Capital, Techstars, among 41 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamInsights from Both Sides: Arron Solano (Calano Ventures) on Founding and Funding
Ryan Dodds · Arron Solano
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