How many investments has IDEA Fund Partners made?

IDEA Fund Partners has 33 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 3 dated in the last 24 months.

What stage does IDEA Fund Partners invest at?

IDEA Fund Partners invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Late Stage stages.

What is IDEA Fund Partners's typical check size?

IDEA Fund Partners typically writes checks of $250K – $500K.

Where is IDEA Fund Partners located?

IDEA Fund Partners is headquartered in Chapel Hill, US.

Who does IDEA Fund Partners co-invest with?

IDEA Fund Partners most often shares deals with Alerion Ventures, Amity Ventures, Correlation Ventures, among 22 tracked co-investors.

IDEA Fund Partners

Venture capital

Chapel Hill · Pre-Seed–Late Stage · 8 people tracked

Also known as IDEA FUND PARTNERS, LLC

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1,719 people in our graph share verified history with the IDEA Fund Partners team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

John Kimunlockedknows Lister Delgado · together at Brown University (overlapped)

×5knows the team · via Y Combinator

knows the team · via Brown University

knows the team · via Dell

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Investment thesis

IDEA Fund Partners believes great companies can emerge from anywhere and anyone, and that traditional VC pattern-matching around geography, experience, and education overlooks strong founders. The firm invests in innovative companies increasingly built outside core venture markets by non-traditional entrepreneurs, betting that diverse teams will continue to outperform. It seeks exceptionally talented, driven, and ethical founders with strong conviction that their innovations will disrupt or create markets. Beyond providing capital, the firm offers guidance, expertise, and connections to improve the odds of success, and it deliberately aims to serve underserved founders and locations.

Invests inConsumer Deep Tech Enterprise Software Healthtech Medical Devices New Materials SaaSSector AgnosticChapel Hill North America United States

Source: firm website, verified Sep 15, 2026.

Stage

Pre-Seed–Late Stage

Check

$250K – $500K

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US

Instruments

Equity

Founded

2006

Last 12 months

1 investment

AUM

$100M

VC funds

Tracked investments

Acquisitions

Team · 8 people

from the firm's website & curated & public directories

John Cambier· Chief Financial Officer and Partner· Durham, North Carolinain

Cofounder of IDEA Fund Partners with over 25 years in technology investing; served as Managing Partner from 2007 to 2023 before becoming CFO. He focuses on early-stage software, tech-enabled services, Healthcare IT, and DeepTech, and often takes board roles. He holds an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler and a BA from Michigan State.

j•••@ideafundpartners.comreveal

Zakiya Alta Lee-Hill· Principal

Principal at IDEA Fund Partners focused on fundraising, founder support, and expanding the firm's strategic network. She previously performed as an NBA dancer for the Atlanta Hawks, founded Z Pro Prep, worked in corporate marketing, and earned an Executive MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

Rami Essaid· Venture Partner· Washington, District of Columbia, United Statesin 𝕏

Rami Essaid founded Distil, which grew to over $25 million in revenue before being acquired by Imperva. He has raised venture capital to support his ventures.

Michael Baiardi· Venture Fellowin

Zach Herak· Venture Fellow· Miami-Fort Lauderdale Areain

Zach Herak is Director of Strategy & Business Development and GM of DASH Apps at SprintFWD, a SaaS platform built on HubSpot. With over 14 years of experience leading cross-functional teams in military, SaaS, and startup environments, he combines operational expertise with business strategy across go-to-market and scaling initiatives. Herak holds an MBA from Duke Fuqua, maintains an active Secret security clearance, and serves as a Major in the Army Reserve supporting Latin America strategy at US Southern Command.

Juan Carlos Pacheco· Senior Associate· Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Senior Associate at IDEA Fund Partners since October 2024, focusing on transformative technology startups in the Southeast. Previously co-founded and led the digital health startup ExstoMD, founded Pacheco Law Firm serving startups, and held a search-fund private equity role at NextGen Growth Partners. Holds a JD from UNC School of Law and an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler.

j•••@ideafundpartners.comreveal

Lister Delgado· Managing Partner· Chapel Hill, North Carolinain

Co-founder, sole owner, and Managing Partner of IDEA Fund Partners, responsible for all aspects of the venture process from sourcing to portfolio management. A first-generation immigrant from Peru, he previously worked at AT&T Bell Labs and Lucent Technologies and was part of the investment team at MCNC Ventures, where he designed the NC IDEA grants program.

l•••@ideafundpartners.comreveal

Lelon Winstead· Raleigh, North Carolinain

What they invest in

from 25 of 33 portfolio companies

SaaS ×14AI & Machine Learning ×13Enterprise Software ×9Fintech ×6Marketing Tech ×5Hardware ×4Retail Tech ×4Advanced Manufacturing ×3

HQs:United States×23Canada×1Israel×1

Investments · 33 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2026 · 1 2025 · 2 2023 · 5 2022 · 1 2021 · 1 2020 · 1 2019 · 2 2018 · 1 2014 · 115 dated

Adrichadrich.io in 𝕏Jun 2023✓ verified

Adrich is a consumer insights and smart replenishment platform using AI and IoT to give brands and retailers post-purchase data on how consumers use products and when supplies run low.

AI & Machine LearningIoTMarketing TechRetail TechPittsburgh, US

Adhithi Aji(Executive Officer, Director)inChristopher Langford(Director)Manish Sinha(Director)

Co-investorsXRC Sony Ventures Corporation

Antennaantenna.dev in

Antenna builds an analytics platform that gives engineering leaders system-level visibility into how AI tools, models, and agents affect developer productivity and costs.

AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaS

Co-investorsNext47 Hyper Imagination Capital SK Ventures UTA Ventures Waverley Capital

Antennaantenna.live in 𝕏

Antenna's Subscriber Views product measures how programming affects audience behavior and subscriber loyalty by tracking which shows drive sign-ups, retention, and engagement across streaming services.

Data & InfrastructureMarketing TechMedia & EntertainmentSaaS

Jonathan Carson(Founder)inRameez Tase(Founder)in

Co-investorsImagination Capital Waverley Capital Hyper SK Ventures UTA Ventures Grit Capital Partners +2 more

Biospatialbiospatial.io in 𝕏

Biospatial operates a data analytics platform that ingests emergency medical services (EMS) and health data to deliver real-time analytics and insights for healthcare and public health users.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDigital HealthHealthtechDurham, US

Jon Woodworth(Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer)inChris Lunsford(Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer)inJosh Walters(Chief Operating Officer)inPaul Runkle(Executive Officer, Director)

Board David Jones(Director)in

Co-investorsBull City Venture Partners Alerion Ventures VentureSouth Wolfpack Investor Network

Ceterusceterus.com in

Ceterus provides automated bookkeeping and financial reporting services, combining automation with human oversight to deliver accurate financials for its customers.

Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSNorth Charleston, US

Levi Morehouse(Executive Officer, Director)inDerek Carter(Executive Officer)in

Co-investorsAlerion Ventures Elevate Innovation Partners Grotech Ventures Harbert Growth Partners TechOperators Venture Capital

ChoiceWORX in

New York, US

Sam Gross(Executive Officer, Director)Frank Casale(Executive Officer, Director)David Haines(Director)inStephen Socoloff(Director)Joseph Schechter(Executive Officer)George Karidis(Director)

Co-investorsFront Row Fund Tech Council Ventures

Cognotacognota.com in 𝕏Sep 2023 · $5.5M

Cognota provides a platform for learning and development (L&D) and talent professionals to manage workforce development and transformation.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHR TechSaaSToronto

Ryan Austin(Founder)inDavid Sikora(Director)

BoardLaura Lenz(Director)

Co-investorsBlossom Street Ventures Differential Ventures Houston Angel Network MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF)TIA Ventures BDC Capital Corporation +1 more

FilterEasyfiltereasy.com in

FilterEasy is an online retailer that sells home air filters directly to consumers, with a focus on delivery and subscription-based replacement.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceRaleigh, US

Thaddeus W. Tarkington(Executive Officer, Director)Kevin J. Barry(Executive Officer, Director)in

Board Steve Dauphin(Director)David E. Gardner(Director)in Lister Delgado(Director)inTom Lotrecchiano(Director)

Co-investorsCofounders Capital Elevate Innovation Partners Arsenal Arsenal Growth Equity Bonaventure Capital Hatteras Venture Partners +2 more

Finmarkfinmark.com in 𝕏Jan 2022 · $6.5Macquired by Bill.com Holdings, Inc.

Finmark was a financial planning and modeling software startup that helped startups and SMBs build financial models, forecast cash flow, and plan budgets without spreadsheets.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSRaleigh, US

Rami Essaid(Founder)in Greg Lissy(Founder)in Jeremy Neuberger(Founder)in

Board LISTER DELGADO(Director)in

Co-investorsAAF Management Ltd.Bessemer Venture Partners Decibel Partners Service Provider Capital Wayfinder Ventures Y Combinator +1 more

Impossible Objectsimpossible-objects.com inDec 2014

Impossible Objects develops composite-based 3D printing technology.

Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechHardwareNew MaterialsNorthbrook, US

Robert Swartz(Chairman & Founder)in Steve Hoover(Chief Executive Officer)inLawrence Kaplan(Executive Officer, Director)Ian Drury(Director)in

Co-investorsElevate Innovation Partners Tensility Venture Partners OCA Ventures

InsightFinderinsightfinder.com in 𝕏Dec 2019 · $2M

InsightFinder AI uses patented unsupervised machine learning for AI Observability and IT Observability, providing real-time anomaly detection, root cause analysis, and incident prediction across logs, metrics, and traces.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareBrooklyn, US

Xiaohui Gu(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Helen Gu(Founder)in

Co-investorsEastlink Capital Partners Eight Roads Ventures Fellows Yu Galaxy

LiveSourcelivesource.com in

LiveSource is a supplier portal that manages the product launch process for direct materials manufacturers, covering supplier risk management, product launch, and collaborative manufacturing.

Advanced ManufacturingLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS

Co-investorsAlerion Ventures Fulcrum Equity Partners Knoll Ventures Service Provider Capital

Lucid Botslucidbots.com in 𝕏Mar 2026 · $20M

Lucid Bots designs and manufactures commercial robotics and drones for exterior cleaning and building maintenance in the construction and facilities management industries.

Advanced ManufacturingConstruction TechHardwareRoboticsCharlotte, US

Andrew Ashur(Founder)in

Co-investorsFounders G Vision Capital MPG Fund Triangle Tweener Y Combinator Cubit Capital

Noblebenoble.io in 𝕏Sep 2025Defunct

Noble provides modular software components that enable companies to evaluate customer creditworthiness and track changes in credit quality over time, supporting the construction of credit assessment systems.

Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSTel Aviv-Yafo, IL

Tomer Biger(Founder)in Moran Mishan(Founder)in

Co-investorsAtento Capital Y Combinator Circle Ventures Corazon Capital Hustle Fund Oversubscribed Ventures +1 more

Payzerpayzer.com in 𝕏Jun 2021

Payzer builds an all-in-one software platform for trade contractors covering payments, financing, and business operations from initial customer contact through final payment.

Construction TechEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSCharlotte, US

Joe Giordano(Founder)inDouglas Little(Executive Officer)Thomas McCulley(Director)Mark E McDowell(Director)in

Board Benjamin Britt(Director)in Don Rainey(Director)in

Co-investorsAlerion Ventures Elevate Innovation Partners Gray Ventures Grotech Ventures Route 66 Ventures Charlotte Fund +2 more

Revcastrevcast.com inJul 2023 · $3M

Revcast is an AI-agent-based revenue planning platform that generates sales forecasts and revenue plans using real-time data on people capacity, pipeline, performance, and costs.

AI & Machine LearningSaaSSales Tech

Eric Boduch(Founder)in

Co-investorsLorimer Ventures Coughdrop Capital CRV (Charles River Ventures)Tiferes Ventures

Reveal Mobilerevealmobile.com in 𝕏

Reveal Mobile provides out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaign measurement, offering a self-serve platform with real-time analytics, brand lift studies, and foot traffic attribution for advertisers and OOH brands.

AdTechData & InfrastructureMarketing TechSaaSRaleigh, US

Brian E. Handly(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)

Board David Jones(Director)inJonathan Frangakis(Director)James F. Goodmon, Jr.(Director)Edward C. McCarthy(Director)Lister Delgado(Director)in

Co-investorsAlerion Ventures Bull City Venture Partners Elevate Innovation Partners Gray Ventures Wolfpack Investor Network

Rightrevrightrev.com inMay 2023

RightRev provides an AI-powered revenue recognition platform that automates rev rec calculations, contract modifications, SSP allocation, and journal entries with traceable, auditable rules.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSAustin, US

Jagan Reddy(Executive Officer, Director)inMarc J. Diouane(Director)Helen Chua Te(Director)

Board John Cambier(Director)in

Co-investorsCheyenne Ventures Correlation Ventures Innovius Capital Norwest Venture Partners Top Corner Capital IDEA

Sense Photonicsouster.com in 𝕏Apr 2020

Ouster develops high-resolution lidar sensors for long, mid, and short-range applications, enabling automation and autonomous systems across infrastructure and industrial sectors.

AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareIoTRoboticsSan Francisco, US

Charles Angus Pacala(Executive Officer, Director)Mark Frichtl(Founder)inEric Younge(Founder)inZachary Frankel(Director)David Blau(Director)Ashok M. Rao(Director)

Co-investorsAmity Ventures Congruent Ventures Creative Ventures Fontinalis Partners Piva Capital Prelude Ventures +4 more

Silbosilbo.ai in

SportsEngine provides technology for youth sports organizations to manage team scheduling, registration, payments, communication, live streaming, and tournaments.

ConsumerSaaSSports TechRaleigh, US

Paul Dorney(Executive Officer)Brendan Szulik(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)John Lambert(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Daniel Caldwell(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)

BoardMatthew Szulik(Director)

Co-investorsHatteras Venture Partners

Skillmakerskillmaker.ai inAug 2025

Skillmaker.AI provides an AI-powered platform that combines XR technology to help companies and educators create, deploy, and manage training programs for hands-on workforces.

AI & Machine LearningEdTechFuture of WorkHR TechCarolina Beach, US

Dustin Jooste(Executive Officer)inRobin Cowie(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardCamden Weis(Director)

Co-investorsWolfpack Investor Network Greenwave Ventures

Sortspokesortspoke.com in

SortSpoke provides AI-powered document processing and analysis for insurance companies using machine learning models trained in Toronto.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareInsurTechSaaSToronto, CA

Jasper Liin

Co-investorsNAventures ScaleUP Ventures SixThirty Ventures

Spiffyspiffy.ai in

Envive builds AI agents for online retail, helping brands deploy AI at scale for e-commerce ("Agentic Commerce").

AI & Machine LearningE-commerceMarketing TechRetail Tech

Scot Wingo(Founder)inAniket Deosthali(Co-Founder)Sameer Singh(Co-Founder)in Iz Beltagy(Co-Founder)in Matthew Peters(Co-Founder)in

Co-investorsEdison Partners Moai Capital Samsung Next Bull City Venture Partners Flucas Ventures Gaingels +3 more

Spiffygetspiffy.com in 𝕏

Spiffy operates a mobile automotive service platform, providing dealers and OEMs with software, van upfits, connected diagnostic devices, and training to launch and scale mobile car service operations.

HardwareMobility & TransportationRetail TechSaaSSan Marcos, US

Karl Murphy(CEO & Co-founder)in

Co-investorsElevate Innovation Partners Flucas Ventures Service Provider Capital TFX Capital Wolfpack Investor Network Bull City Venture Partners +7 more

weblinknestment.com in

Nestment provides first-time homebuyers with 1:1 coaching supported by AI-powered market data and analysis, homebuying education, and referrals to vetted real estate agents and lenders.

AI & Machine LearningFintechPropTech

Matt Trocker(VP of Coaches)

Co-investorsAspira Capital Cleo Capital DERIVE VENTURES The MBA Fund VamosVentures Westbound Equity Partners+1 more

Windsor Circlewindsorcircle.com 𝕏

Windsor Circle provides data-driven lifecycle and email marketing software for online retailers, using purchase and customer data to power automated campaigns like cart recovery, win-back, replenishment, and best-customer emails.

E-commerceMarketing TechRetail TechDurham, US

Matthew Williamson(Executive Officer, Director)Bradley McGinity(Executive Officer, Director)

Board Andrew Cleland(Director)inScot Wingo(Director)Lister Delgado(Director)in

Co-investorsAlerion Ventures Comcast Ventures

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

FenrisFenris DigitalGet Spiffy Klearly Analytics Qoreboard Royalty ExchangeSocial Solutions

Exits · 1

1 acquisitions

Finmarkacq. by Bill.com Holdings, Inc.

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Royalty Exchange Review 2026: Music Royalty Investing

Royalty Exchange · angelinvestorsnetwork.com · Jul 9, 2026

Ouster’s Latest Pullback Follows $192 Million Capital Raise - Ouster (NASDAQ:OUST) - Benzinga

Sense Photonics · benzinga.com · Jul 7, 2026

Cognota broadens corporate learning platform with Learnexus acquisition | BetaKit

Cognota · betakit.com · Jun 25, 2026

Skillmaker raises $4.5M for AI workforce training platform - Triangle Business Journal

Skillmaker · bizjournals.com · Jun 10, 2026

InsightFinder Raises $15M in Series B Funding

InsightFinder · finsmes.com · Apr 20, 2026

Startuphub

Lucid Bots · startuphub.ai · Mar 25, 2026

Antenna Group Backs Semafor as Global News Startup Turns Profitable - The National Herald

Antenna · thenationalherald.com · Jan 7, 2026

Spiffy AI - $15M Early Stage Venture | Startup Intros

Spiffy · startupintros.com · Sep 17, 2025

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has IDEA Fund Partners made?: IDEA Fund Partners has 33 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 3 dated in the last 24 months.
What stage does IDEA Fund Partners invest at?: IDEA Fund Partners invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Late Stage stages.
What is IDEA Fund Partners's typical check size?: IDEA Fund Partners typically writes checks of $250K – $500K.
What sectors does IDEA Fund Partners focus on?: IDEA Fund Partners focuses on Consumer, Deep Tech, Enterprise Software, Healthtech, Medical Devices, New Materials, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
Where is IDEA Fund Partners located?: IDEA Fund Partners is headquartered in Chapel Hill, US.
Who does IDEA Fund Partners co-invest with?: IDEA Fund Partners most often shares deals with Alerion Ventures, Amity Ventures, Correlation Ventures, among 22 tracked co-investors.

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