/Investor DB

Lunch Partners

Venture capital

New York · Seed–Series A · 15 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Lunch Partners is a collective of experienced business leaders who co-invest in early-stage, founder-led companies at seed and early Series A stages. The firm is industry-agnostic but shows a bias toward passionate entrepreneurs backed by teams with deep domain expertise, and favors products with clear purpose, demonstrated market demand and large potential. It is especially drawn to companies that use consumer intelligence and operational excellence to build direct, one-to-one relationships with consumers. As a strategic investor, it reserves a meaningful portion of its fund for follow-on investments and supports portfolio companies with hands-on advice drawn from the partners' backgrounds in consumer products, media, marketing, finance, consulting and technology.

Invests inSector AgnosticNew YorkUnited States

Source: firm website, verified Oct 25, 2026.

Stage
Seed–Series A
Check
$150K – $250K
HQ
New York, New York, US
Leads rounds
Follows
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2018
Tracked investments
16
Unicorns
1
IPOs
1
Acquisitions
1

Team · 15 people

from the firm's website & public directories
Jason Ostheimer· Co-Founder/Partner, Advancit Capital

Member of Lunch Partners; Co-Founder and Partner at Advancit Capital.

Jesse Angelo· Founder and CEO of Checker Media

Member of Lunch Partners; Founder and CEO of Checker Media.

Katie Bayne· Founder & President, Bayne Advisors

Member of Lunch Partners; Founder and President of Bayne Advisors.

Sean Moran· Co-Founder & Managing Partner, ScaleTeam Advisory

Member of Lunch Partners; Co-Founder and Managing Partner at ScaleTeam Advisory.

Ross Martin· President, Knownin

General Partner at Lunch Partners; President of Known.

Carl Stern· Former Chairman, Boston Consulting Group

Member of Lunch Partners; former Chairman of Boston Consulting Group.

Dan Riess· EVP, Chief Growth Officer, Univision

Member of Lunch Partners; EVP and Chief Growth Officer at Univision.

Ken Hertz· Senior Partner, Hertz Lichtenstein & Young

Member of Lunch Partners; Senior Partner at Hertz Lichtenstein & Young.

Lisa Licht· Marketing Advisor, Executive Coach; Former CMO Live Nation Concerts

Member of Lunch Partners; marketing advisor and executive coach, former CMO of Live Nation Concerts.

Mark Weinstein· SVP & Global Head of Marketing, Hilton

Member of Lunch Partners; SVP and Global Head of Marketing at Hilton.

Nicholas Tran· Chief Marketing Officer, FARFETCH

Member of Lunch Partners; Chief Marketing Officer at FARFETCH.

Sanjay Gupta· EVP, Head of Client Solutions & Outcomes, TIAA

Member of Lunch Partners; EVP and Head of Client Solutions & Outcomes at TIAA.

Seth Kaufman· President & CEO, Vintage Wine Estates

Member of Lunch Partners; President and CEO of Vintage Wine Estates.

Tariq Hassan· Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer, McDonald's USA

Member of Lunch Partners; Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer at McDonald's USA.

Jeff Kingsley· Board Member, Knownin

Member of Lunch Partners; Board Member at Known.

What they invest in

from 8 of 16 portfolio companies

Marketing Tech ×4E-commerce ×3AI & Machine Learning ×2Consumer ×2Direct to Consumer ×2SaaS ×2Wellness & Fitness ×2AdTech ×1

HQs:United States×5

Investments · 16 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2022 · 32020 · 12018 · 15 dated

Surf Airsurfair.comin𝕏NYSE: SRFM

Surf Air Mobility operates regional air travel across the U.S. through scheduled flights, on-demand private charter booking, and electric aviation technology.

CleantechMobility & TransportationTravel & HospitalityHawthorne, US

Sudhin Shahani(Director)inOliver Reeves(Executive Officer)Tyler Painter(Director)Deanna White(Executive Officer)inJames Bailey(Director)Bruce Gonzalez(Executive Officer)

Co-investorsAnthem Venture Management, LlcBaroda VenturesBase Venture Management, Inc.Ff Venture CapitalMucker CapitalNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)+8 more

Airair.incin𝕏

Air provides a content organization and asset management platform for creative and marketing teams.

AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyMarketing TechSaaS

Shane Hegde(Founder)inTyler Strand(Founder)

Co-investorsAdvancit CapitalAvenir Growth CapitalBlack Jays VenturesDesigner FundGood FriendsLerer Hippeau+6 more

Chatdeskchatdesk.comin𝕏Jan 2022 · $7M

Chatdesk provides a managed customer support service that handles engagement, moderation, and ticket management across social channels including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

E-commerceEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkMarketing TechSaaSNew York, US

Aneto Okonkwo(Co-founder)Andrew(Co-founder)

Co-investorsCultivation CapitalFika VenturesHarlem CapitalHustle FundMenlo VenturesPartech Ventures+3 more

Jupiterhellojupiter.com

Jupiter sells anti-dandruff hair care products, including shampoos, conditioners, serums, and dry shampoo formulated with ingredients like zinc pyrithione to treat dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerWellness & Fitness

Co-investorsMelitas Ventures LlcSWAT Equity PartnersTrue Beauty VenturesSugar Capital

MikMakmikmak.cominJan 2020Acquired

MikMak provides an AI-driven commerce intelligence platform that helps consumer brands measure, plan, and optimize sales and media across the full funnel, drawing on shopper and retailer data.

AI & Machine LearningE-commerceMarketing TechRetail Tech

Rachel Tipograph(Founder)in

Co-investorsMiroma VenturesUTA VenturesWaverley CapitalLuminari CapitalMadrona Venture GroupWavecrest Growth Partners

Qonsentqonsent.comMar 2022

Qonsent offers a composable identity and consent data management platform that helps brands, agencies, and publishers collect, validate, and route first-party data and consumer permissions with a focus on privacy and transparency.

AdTechData & InfrastructureMarketing TechWestport, US

Jesse Redniss(Executive Officer, Director)inGreg Couture(Product & Technology)Stephano Kim(Director)inKenneth H. Zekavat(Director)Andrea Redniss(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsMu VenturesBrand New MatterCrosscut Venturessuper{set}

Religion of Sportsreligionofsports.com𝕏Mar 2018

Religion Of Sports is a full-service media studio that produces documentary and narrative content about elite athletic performance and sports culture.

Media & EntertainmentSports TechSanta Monica, US

Tom Brady(Co-founder)inMichael Strahan(Co-founder)Gotham Chopra(Co-founder)inAmeeth Sankaran(Chief Executive Officer)in

BoardDeepen Parikh(Director)in

Co-investorsAdvancit CapitalAllievo CapitalCourtside VenturesLinkinFirmRosecliff VenturesShamrock Capital+3 more

Sundays for Dogssundaysfordogs.cominMar 2022 · $10M

Sundays for Dogs produces human-grade, vet-formulated dog food designed for dog parents who prioritize their pet's nutrition and wellbeing.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceFoodTechWellness & FitnessWalnut, US

Michael Waxman(Executive Officer, Director)inDr. Tory(Founder)Vince Vasquezin

Co-investorsAvenir Growth CapitalBAM VenturesBoxGroupGreat Oaks Venture CapitalImaginary Venture CapitalNat Turner+2 more

Other

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

BrightlandGemistNomadicaPathwaterPostcardSphereSundaysWolves

Exits · 2

1 IPOs · 1 acquisitions · showing 1

Surf AirNYSE: SRFM

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Lunch Partners made?
Lunch Partners has 16 tracked investments, 2 of which have exited.
What stage does Lunch Partners invest at?
Lunch Partners invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
What is Lunch Partners's typical check size?
Lunch Partners typically writes checks of $150K – $250K.
What sectors does Lunch Partners focus on?
Lunch Partners focuses on Sector Agnostic.
Where is Lunch Partners located?
Lunch Partners is headquartered in New York, US.
Does Lunch Partners lead rounds?
Lunch Partners typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Who does Lunch Partners co-invest with?
Lunch Partners most often shares deals with Advancit Capital, Anthem Venture Management, Llc, Lerer Hippeau, among 34 tracked co-investors.

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