Fundraising Fox
Cincinnati · Pre-Seed–Series A · 6 people tracked
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Investment thesis
Lightship Capital invests in entrepreneurs and funds that leverage limited resources to achieve outsized returns, with a focus on finding and developing remarkable talent and catalyzing emerging ecosystems. The firm operates on the belief that impact and profit can be pursued simultaneously, positioning itself as an impact-oriented investor that supports underserved or overlooked founders.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 6 people
from the firm's website & public directories
Founder mafia
2 people who came through Lightship Capital went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 18 of 22 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×6Consumer ×6SaaS ×5Healthtech ×4Direct to Consumer ×3Data & Infrastructure ×2E-commerce ×2Enterprise Software ×2
HQs:United States×10
Who they back
founder profiles across 11 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×52 founders×6
Where their founders studiedfrom 11 founders with education data
University of Louisville ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 12 founders with field-of-study data
Business & Management ×4Engineering ×4Computer Science ×2Physics ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 14 founders with career history
Sensys Networks ×2University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ×2
Investments · 22 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2023 · 12022 · 12021 · 22020 · 32017 · 12014 · 19 dated
MoviePass is a movie subscription service that also operates Mogul, a prediction market and fantasy league for film and entertainment.
ConsumerGamingMedia & EntertainmentSaaSNew York
Stacy Spikes(Founder)inHamet Watt(Founder)in
BoardChristopher Kelly(Director)
Co-investorsAurumCanaan PartnersClaritas CapitalElevate Innovation PartnersEvolution VC PartnersZenStone Venture Capital+6 more
Allergyamulet develops a portable food allergen and ingredient sensor to help people with food allergies safely identify potential allergens in food before consumption.
ConsumerHardwareHealthtechMedical Devices
Abigail Barnes(Co-Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsAllerfund Ventures, LlcColle Capital PartnersDipalo VenturesGreat North VenturesGreat Oaks Venture CapitalHealthX Ventures+2 more
Arbit provides real-time marketplace pricing and normalized product data through APIs and custom integrations, serving marketplaces, authenticators, and commerce applications in the sneaker resale sector.
B2B MarketplacesData & InfrastructureMarketplacesForest Hill, US
Gregory DiNardo(Executive Officer, Director)Alexander Bullington(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsAtento Capital
Boddle develops interactive learning software for students that adapts to individual learners and tracks their academic performance.
EdTechTulsa, US
Edna Martinson(Executive Officer)inClarence Tan(Executive Officer, Director)in
Co-investorsAtento CapitalCortado VenturesPlains VenturesRevolutionScout FundService Provider Capital+2 more
Brevity provides AI-powered sales simulation and practice platform for sales teams, enabling them to rehearse calls with realistic AI buyer personas that provide immediate feedback and coaching to develop selling skills.
AI & Machine LearningSaaSSales Tech
Co-investorsBlack Tech Nation VenturesHomegrown CapitalIlluminate VenturesMairs & Power VC
Zite is an AI-powered no-code platform that builds business apps, workflows, and databases from natural-language prompts, letting teams connect their existing data and deploy internal or external apps with built-in authentication, hosting, and security.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Eric Nelson(Founder)in
Co-investorsContrary
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A decision-making assessment tool that evaluates business leaders' decision processes, preferences, and teamwork dynamics to provide insights for organizational decision-making.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareHR TechVallejo, US
Teasha Cable(Executive Officer, Director)inJazmine Cable-Whitehurst(Executive Officer)inRuss Muzzolini(Executive Officer)in
Co-investorsInnovation DepotRogue Womens FundTechstars
CurlMix creates natural hair care products designed for curly hair, particularly for women with textured and gray hair.
ConsumerWellness & FitnessChicago, US
Kim Lewis(CEO & Co-Founder)inTim Lewis(Founder)in
Co-investorsBackstage CapitalCleveland AvenueConsumer VenturesNext Play VenturesOssian Capital
Enable Injections develops and manufactures enFuse, a wearable drug delivery device that delivers large volumes of pharmaceutical and biologic therapeutics subcutaneously for patients with chronic diseases.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesCincinnati, US
Mike Hooven(Chairman, President and CEO)inTimothy Flaherty(Executive Officer)Simone Song(Director)Karen Robards(Director)Richard J D'Augustine(Director)Norman R. Weldon(Director)
Co-investorsAngel Physicians FundCincyTechOhio Innovation FundMagnetar AI VenturesVersant Ventures
Femi Secrets produces period products including reusable period underwear, pads, and liners designed for menstrual hygiene and comfort.
ConsumerFemTech
Davielle Jackson(Founder and President)
FreshFry makes an all-natural, self-contained adsorbent pod that filters and extends the life of frying oil without additional equipment.
Advanced ManufacturingCircular EconomyFoodTechNew MaterialsLouisville, US
Jeremiah Chapman(Co-Founder & CEO)inJacob Huff(Co-Founder & COO)in
BoardAlex Frommeyer(Director)
Co-investorsBluegrass Angel VentureFTW VenturesKeyhorse CapitalOpen Prairie
Haute Hijab designs and sells hijabs and related accessories, including underscarves and magnets, for Muslim women seeking modest fashion products.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceNew York, US
Melanie Elturk(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inAhmed Zedan(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardAnthony Tjan(Director)
Co-investorsBackstage CapitalHelmCue BallLudlow VenturesMaveronMuse Capital
Healthy Roots Dolls manufactures dolls designed to celebrate children's beauty and promote self-love.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerDetroit, US
Yelitsa Jean-Charles(Executive Officer, Director)in
Co-investorsBackstage CapitalThe Perkins Fund
The page promotes online slot gambling with deposits made via the DANA e-wallet, marketed to Indonesian players.
Co-investorsBase Venture Management, Inc.
Kare Mobile operates a direct-to-consumer dental service delivery model through mobile units, aiming to increase access to oral healthcare across the country.
Direct to ConsumerHealthtech
Co-investorsRender Capital
Proov offers at-home hormone and fertility testing products, including systems to identify the fertile window, confirm ovulation, and screen for leading causes of infertility, paired with an app providing hormone insights and personalized recommendations.
Digital HealthFemTechHealthtech
Co-investorsBoulder VenturesGingerbread CapitalKaya VenturesPortfoliaService Provider CapitalSteelSky Ventures+5 more
Proov.ai offers an AI agent for sports betting operators that delivers personalized, real-time in-play betting suggestions and offers based on player behavior, performance data, and betting history.
AI & Machine LearningSaaSSports Tech
Co-investorsCommunitas Capital Partnersfresh.fundCerca PartnersGingerbread CapitalHelios CapitalMangrove Capital Partners+2 more
Undock provides a calendar assistant that integrates with email clients (Gmail, Outlook 365, Superhuman) and messaging apps (Slack, Twitter, LinkedIn) to help users propose, manage, and schedule meetings.
AI & Machine LearningFuture of WorkSaaSNew York City, US
David Altman(Founder)
Co-investors37 AngelsAlumni VenturesEntrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA)Kairos AngelsLerer HippeauVisible Hands+2 more
Vyrill is an AI platform that analyzes video content from social, mobile, and desktop platforms to provide brand marketers with quantitative and qualitative insights from user-generated and brand videos.
AI & Machine LearningE-commerceMarketing TechSilicon Valley, US
Ajay Bam(Founder)inDr. Barbara Rosario(Founder)in
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesBeresford VenturesIcebook Investments Corp.Long Venture PartnersNOEMIS VenturesNurture Venture Partners
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
BootupSemiosis AIVisuwall
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Lightship Capital made?
- Lightship Capital has 22 tracked investments.
- What stage does Lightship Capital invest at?
- Lightship Capital invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Lightship Capital's typical check size?
- Lightship Capital typically writes checks of $100K – $10M.
- What sectors does Lightship Capital focus on?
- Lightship Capital focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Climate Tech, Consumer, E-commerce, FemTech, Healthtech, Impact & Social Good, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Lightship Capital located?
- Lightship Capital is headquartered in Cincinnati, US.
- Does Lightship Capital lead rounds?
- Lightship Capital typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does Lightship Capital co-invest with?
- Lightship Capital most often shares deals with Backstage Capital, Alumni Ventures, Atento Capital, among 52 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamLightship Capital's Brian Brackeen on Capital, Bootcamp, and Accelerator Programs
AALBC.com · Brian Brackeen
Silicon Global Online: Ask A VC Anything! Candice Brackeen, Lightship Capital
Silicon Global Online · Candice Brackeen
Images
Co-investors · 3
Backstage Capital is an investment firm focused on supporting underrepresented founders. It publishes a weekly newsletter, The Mixtape, sharing news, opportunities, and stories for these founders.
Collide Capital is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders with resources, networks, and hands-on operational support, emphasizing diverse and underrepresented founding teams.
NOEMIS Ventures is an investment firm that supports companies in bringing technology and commerce to market through its platform and services.
Firms observed investing alongside Lightship Capital, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Lightship Capital's recorded portfolio.
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