Next Coast Ventures
Venture capitalAustin · Seed–Growth · 18 people tracked
Also known as NEXT COAST VENTURES, LLC
Investment thesis
Next Coast Ventures takes a thematic, data-driven approach to investing rather than focusing on fixed sectors. The firm first selects investing themes, then partners with driven ('glass-eating') entrepreneurs operating within those themes, and finally applies its resources to accelerate companies into hyper-growth. Founded by former operators who became investors, the firm emphasizes hands-on, pragmatic support drawn from personal company-building experience. Founders gain access to an expert network of 150+ current and former company leaders, partner-developed operational playbooks covering product/market fit, recruiting and succession, and a dedicated partner-level Head of Platform role focused on founder support. Its ethos is 'built for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs.'
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 18 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 39 of 137 portfolio companiesSaaS ×18AI & Machine Learning ×11Enterprise Software ×10Healthtech ×10Digital Health ×8Fintech ×8Wellness & Fitness ×6Consumer ×3
HQs:United States×42
Investments · 137 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathCardlytics is a commerce media platform powered by financial institutions' first-party purchase data that delivers personalized cash back offers to consumers based on their spending history.
AdTechFintechMarketing TechAtlanta, US
John Klinck(Director)Mark Johnson(Director)Tony Weisman(Director)David Adams(Director)Robert Legters(Director)Kirk Somers(Executive Officer)
Milwaukee, US
Philip L. Milstien(Director)Douglas A. Neis(Executive Officer)Thomas F. Kissinger(Executive Officer)Allan H. Selig(Director)Brian Stark(Director)Gregory S. Marcus(Executive Officer)
Enboarder provides an AI-driven platform for employee onboarding and cross-functional HR journeys, helping enterprise customers like Deloitte, ING, and Cisco reduce time-to-productivity and attrition.
AI & Machine LearningHR TechSaaSAustin, US
David Jacobson(Director)James Butler(Director)William Szczerbiak(Director)Brent Pearson(Executive Officer, Director)
Osano is an all-in-one data privacy platform that helps organizations build, manage, and scale their privacy programs, covering consent management, data subject rights, assessments, and vendor risk management.
CybersecurityLegalTechSaaSAustin, US
Arlo Gilbert(Co-founder & Chief Innovation Officer)Michael Smerklo(Director)Venu Shamapant(Director)Scott Hertel(Co-founder)Bobby Jaffari(Chief Executive Officer)Jessica Hamilton(Chief Financial Officer)
AlertMedia provides a unified risk intelligence and incident response platform that helps organizations manage disruptions, emergencies, and business continuity across geographically distributed teams.
Enterprise SoftwareSaaSAustin, US
Brian Cruver(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Board seatMike SmerkloThomas Ball· per SEC Form D
Austin, US
Anita Liu(Executive Officer)Thomas Ball(Director)Christian Wiens(Executive Officer, Director)Jansen Derr(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatThomas Ball· per SEC Form D · $4.1M raise · filed Sep 2025
Austin, US
Mike Smerklo(Director)Shawn Freeman(Executive Officer)Eric Korman(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatMike Smerklo· per SEC Form D · $2M raise · filed Aug 2016
Travel & HospitalityAkron, US
Brian Sharples(Director)Kevin Krone(Director)Jonathan Gray(Executive Officer, Director)Brett Shobe(Director)Philip Siegel(Director)Mark Jenney(Director)
Board seatBrian Sharples· per SEC Form D · $14.2M raise · filed May 2020
Stoplight is a collaborative platform for API design that helps teams build and manage APIs at scale.
Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsSaaSAustin, US
Board seatMike Smerklo· per SEC Form D
Austin, US
Scott Miller(Executive Officer)Rajeev Batra(Director)Vinay Bhagat(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatThomas Ball· per SEC Form D · $12.8M raise · filed Jul 2019
Mercer Island, US
Cliff Sharples(Co-Chief Executive Officer)Lisa Sharples(Co-Chief Executive Officer)Ben Sternberg(Chief Financial Officer and Secretary)Phillip S. Siegel(Director)David Lack(Director)Brian Sharples(Director)
Board seatBrian Sharples· per SEC Form D · $6.3M raise · filed Jun 2015
South Jordan, US
Yvette Wilkes(Manager)Khalid El-Awady(CFO, Treasurer, Secretary and Manager)David Wilkes(Chairman, CEO, President and Manager)
Board seatJulian Castelli· per SEC Form D · $6.6M raise · filed May 2020
Architect provides live migration and hibernation technology for stateful Kubernetes pods running on spot instances, enabling cost reduction of up to 90% compared to on-demand pricing without dropping connections or losing data.
Cloud ComputingDeveloper Tools
BrainCheck provides digital cognitive assessment and care planning tools that help healthcare providers screen for and monitor cognitive decline, supporting patients and caregivers.
Digital HealthHealthtechSaaSHouston, US
Yael Katz(Executive Officer, Director)David Eagleman(Executive Officer, Director)
Corechain provides a B2B payments platform that streamlines paperless payments and supply chain financing to help suppliers unlock working capital from unpaid invoices.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Diligent Robotics develops AI-powered robot assistants for healthcare settings, focusing on mobile manipulation and social intelligence to help hospital staff with routine non-patient-facing tasks.
AI & Machine LearningHealthtechMedical DevicesRoboticsAustin, US
Andrea Thomaz(Founder & CEO)
Austin, US
Domain Money provides investment management and financial planning services, charging no asset-under-management fees while offering tax-aware portfolio construction, direct indexing, and tax-loss harvesting.
Digital HealthFintechSaaS
Adam Dell(Founder and CEO)
Austin, US
Ryan Wuerch(Director)Ed Mock(Executive Officer, Director)Mike Lohner(Executive Officer, Director)
Dropoff is a same-day delivery and courier service that uses a logistics platform for electronic ordering, real-time tracking, and delivery performance reporting, with vetted professional drivers and 24/7 customer service.
Logistics & Supply ChainSaaSAustin, US
Jason Klann(Executive Officer)Paul Bricault(Director)Sean Spector(Executive Officer, Director)
Endless Health provides an all-in-one platform and strategic support for wellness professionals to launch and scale preventive health practices, combining precision lab testing, practice management software, and personalized coaching infrastructure.
HealthtechSaaSWellness & FitnessAustin, US
Cooper Galvin(Executive Officer, Director)
Eterneva creates memorial diamonds grown from the ashes of deceased loved ones, positioning itself as a grief wellness company for grieving families.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerWellness & FitnessAustin, US
ADELLE ARCHER(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)GARRETT OZAR(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Adelle Archer(Co-founder & CEO)Garrett Ozar(Co-founder & Co-CEO)
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.
Fund performance · per public LP disclosures · 3
as of Sep 2025| Fund | Vintage | Committed | Net IRR | TVPI | DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next Coast ETA I, L.P.LPs: Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association | 2021 | — | 14.8% | 1.37x | 0.14x |
| Next Coast Ventures II, L.P.LPs: Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association | 2019 | — | -5.0% | 0.79x | 0.01x |
| Next Coast Ventures I, L.P.LPs: Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association | 2016 | — | 17.4% | 2.39x | 0.76x |
Source: public limited-partner disclosures (CalPERS, CalSTRS). Net IRR / TVPI / DPI as reported by the limited partner; a fund's early-year IRR is an interim estimate (J-curve).
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Next Coast Ventures invest at?
- Next Coast Ventures invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth stages.
- What is Next Coast Ventures's typical check size?
- Next Coast Ventures typically writes checks of $2M – $4M.
- What sectors does Next Coast Ventures focus on?
- Next Coast Ventures focuses on Creator Economy, Digital Health, Healthtech, PropTech, Robotics, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Next Coast Ventures located?
- Next Coast Ventures is headquartered in Austin, US.
- Does Next Coast Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Next Coast Ventures leads investment rounds.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamEpisode #67, Mike Smerklo, cofounder, Next Coast Ventures, $600m+ Austin-based
Andrew Romans · Mike Smerklo
Meet the VC: Kaitlyn DeBernardo of Next Coast Ventures
Early Growth · Kaitlyn DeBernardo
Mike Smerklo from Next Coast Ventures on building disruptive companies in big markets
Life Self Mastery · Mike Smerklo
Mike Smerklo - Co-Founder and Managing Director of Next Coast Ventures
Road to Growth · Mike Smerklo
Images
Co-investors · 53
NextGen Venture Partners (NGVP) is an early-stage venture firm that leads seed investments in B2B startups, backing companies from seed to scale.
Silverton Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Texas that partners with founders long-term, having backed 75+ portfolio companies with 30+ acquisitions and 4 IPOs.
S3 Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2005 that invests in technology companies and medical device/health software startups, backed by a single philanthropic limited partner.
Canaan is an early-stage venture capital firm backing founders with transformative ideas across technology and healthcare.
Stage 2 Capital is a venture capital firm backed by a network of go-to-market and revenue executives, focused on helping B2B software companies scale their revenue.
Andreessen Horowitz's Strategic Partnerships page describes collaborations that connect its portfolio companies with established institutions to help scale and deploy their technology.
True Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that writes the first check for founders and supports them through subsequent stages of growth.
Norwest is a venture and growth equity investment firm that has backed over 700 companies across sectors including AI, retail, and healthcare, working alongside entrepreneurs from early to late-stage growth.
Tiger Global is a research-driven investment firm that partners with innovative, high-quality companies over the long term across various stages of their lifecycle.
Flybridge Capital Partners is an early-stage venture firm backing founders building AI-driven companies, from AI infrastructure and agentic business applications to entirely AI-native products.
Floodgate is a venture capital fund that backs founders at the earliest stages, positioning itself as their first true believers.
Bullpen Capital is an early-stage venture firm that has funded over 100 companies, focusing on businesses that have found product-market fit but are overlooked by other investors.
▶41 more co-investors
8VCDnx VenturesCapital FactoryLightShed VenturesJump CapitalSchematic VenturesATX Venture PartnersMeridian Street CapitalScOp Venture CapitalSequoia CapitalNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Founder CollectiveB Capital GroupOffline VenturesPartech VenturesSciFi VCPrecursor VenturesCaffeinated CapitalEmergence Capital PartnersResolute VenturesSierra VenturesRed Swan VenturesRidge VenturesHarrison MetalKortschak Investments L.P.OurCrowdBlackbird VenturesCollaborative Fund (Collab Fund)Active CapitalAZ-VCForum VenturesIndicator VenturesAdams Street PartnersLiveOak Venture PartnersFirefly HealthSandbox IndustriesElsewhere PartnersRPM VenturesDreamit VenturesBoom CapitalHilltop Venture Partners
Firms observed investing alongside Next Coast Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Next Coast Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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