Outside VC
Venture capitalPre-Seed–Seed · 26 people tracked
Find your way into Outside VC
192 people in our graph share verified history with the Outside VC team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
Outside VC invests in fintech infrastructure and products with the goal of creating a more inclusive financial system. Rather than serving the affluent minority already targeted by most fintechs, the firm backs 'outsider' founders building solutions intended to lift 100 million people into the middle class over the coming decade. It writes first checks into early-stage fintech founders well before their ideas become widely recognized, positioning itself as a hands-on partner ('friendvestor') who supports founders through the ups and downs. The firm is backed by a network of VC partners, CEOs, and fintech leaders.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 7, 2026.
Team · 26 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 5 of 6 portfolio companiesFintech ×4Mobility & Transportation ×2SaaS ×2AI & Machine Learning ×1B2B Marketplaces ×1Consumer ×1Data & Infrastructure ×1Enterprise Software ×1
HQs:United States×2Nigeria×1
Investments · 6 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathDebbie is a financial platform that rewards users for saving, making on-time payments, and smart spending rather than incentivizing consumption.
ConsumerFintechMiami, US
Rachel Lauren(Executive Officer, Director)inFrida Leobowitz(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Frida Leibowitz(Founder)
PartnerEthan Austin· solo GP
Co-investorsGeek VenturesGreen Egg VenturesOne Way Ventures
Star Kitchens Group builds Orda, a cloud-based restaurant operating system and ePos for African food businesses.
Walnut, US
PartnerEthan Austin· solo GP
Co-investorsAjim CapitalEnza CapitalLoftyInc CapitalMicrotractionQuona CapitalTechstars+1 more
Touch and Pay Technologies builds an NFC-based mobile payment platform for processing offline and online micro-transactions across Africa, targeting small businesses to large organizations for financial inclusion.
FintechImpact & Social GoodMobility & TransportationLagos, NG
Olamide Afolabi(Founder)inMichael Oluwole(Founder)inkabir Yabo(Founder)in
PartnerEthan Austin· solo GP
Co-investorsLoftyInc CapitalUnicorn Growth VenturesY Combinator
Volteras provides data infrastructure for connected vehicle data, making it reliable, official, and accessible for mobility businesses building fleet platforms and mobility products.
Data & InfrastructureIoTMobility & Transportation
Peter Wilson(CEO and Co-Founder)inAlexander Draper(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardNick Grossman(Director)in
PartnerEthan Austin· solo GP
Co-investorsEdenred VenturesLong Journey VenturesUnion Square Ventures (USV)Unruly Capital
Benji provides a platform that enables loyalty programs and merchants to offer point redemption across partner networks, allowing members to convert accumulated points into purchases in real-time across multiple channels including ecommerce, mobile apps, and physical stores.
B2B MarketplacesEnterprise SoftwareFintechMarketing TechSaaS
PartnerEthan Austin· solo GP
Co-investorsHyde Park Venture Partnersat.inc/Preface Ventures
Zumma automates corporate expense management, letting employees submit receipts via WhatsApp so the platform requests invoices from merchants and syncs data with the company's ERP.
AI & Machine LearningFintechSaaS
PartnerEthan Austin· solo GP
Co-investorsGG CapitalWollef Ventures
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesFrequently asked questions
- What stage does Outside VC invest at?
- Outside VC invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is Outside VC's typical check size?
- Outside VC typically writes checks of $200K – $300K.
- What sectors does Outside VC focus on?
- Outside VC focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Consumer, Direct to Consumer, Fintech, SaaS.
- Does Outside VC lead rounds?
- Outside VC typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamOutside The Norm – Founding Partner of Outside VC Ethan Austin
VentureFuel · Ethan Austin
"The people sleeping are probably outpacing you." Ethan Austin, Founding Partner of Outside VC
Collective Genius · Ethan Austin
Tech Scenes Unplugged with Ethan Austin, Founding Partner of Outside VC
Collective Genius · Ethan Austin
Finding Fun in the Mundane Aspects of Parenting | Ethan Austin (Father of 3, Founder, Outside VC)
Startup Dad Podcast · Ethan Austin
Images
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