Redbud VC
Venture capitalActively deployingColumbia · Pre-Seed–Seed · 16 people tracked
Investment thesis
Redbud VC backs founders at the earliest stages—from first check to pre-seed—investing in rare talent building generational, category-defining technology companies regardless of pedigree or introduction path. As a generalist with no industry bias, the firm prioritizes founders 'strengthened by struggle,' believing resilience is the greatest driver of venture returns. Many portfolio founders are first-time entrepreneurs, immigrants, or have Midwest roots. Redbud's operator partners have built billion-dollar companies and provide hands-on support, securing hundreds of introductions to investors, customers, and early hires. The team draws on its own experience building a large company in Columbia, MO with minimal resources.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 16 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 32 of 70 portfolio companiesSaaS ×15AI & Machine Learning ×14Fintech ×7Enterprise Software ×6Healthtech ×4PropTech ×4Digital Health ×3Marketing Tech ×3
HQs:United States×9Canada×2
Investments · 70 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Rebulk is a platform for bulk-materials terminal and transport operations that captures billable events — railcars, trucks, transfers, scale tickets, BOLs, inventory movements, demurrage — onto a single record to support invoicing and inventory visibility.
Enterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS<UNKNOWN>
Fair Warranty provides insurance pricing and risk management solutions for the automotive sector.
Enterprise SoftwareInsurTech
William Betteridge(Founder, CEO)Stephen Bates(Founder, Chief Risk Officer)
Clearing provides trust accounting and automated bookkeeping software for short-term rental property managers and real estate investors, helping them reconcile accounts and close their books faster.
FintechPropTechSaaS
Haxion develops spatial intelligence technology that enables artificial intelligence systems to understand and interact with the physical world, creating persistent environmental memory and advanced reasoning capabilities for embodied AI applications.
AI & Machine LearningDeep Tech
High Degree Machinery provides a pre-plant soil steam treatment service that kills weed seeds and soil-borne pathogens such as Fusarium, Verticillium wilt, Macrophomina, and Phytophthora.
AgTechCleantech
Focus is a case management and testing platform for litigation attorneys that recruits venue-matched evaluators to review case materials and provide feedback, then uses AI to surface key themes, stance distribution, and demographic patterns.
AI & Machine LearningLegalTechSaaS
Formula Health is a prescription management and fulfillment platform that helps medical practices prescribe compounded therapeutics such as GLP-1s, peptides, hormone replacement therapy, and personalized supplements.
Digital HealthHealthtechSaaS
Layer 9 provides an AI agent platform with policy-based guardrails, requiring human approval for agent actions and integrating with a company's existing gear, monitoring, and billing systems.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise Software
PropTechLas Vegas, US
Mihailo Bozic(Cofounder)Dylan Gibbs(Cofounder)
Pave provides compensation and equity data to help employees understand and compare their pay.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechHR TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Matt Schulman(Founder)inAaron Hultgren(Executive Officer, Director)John Geiken(Executive Officer, Director)Oren Bass(Executive Officer, Director)Alexander Turkot(Director)Salim Lahoud(Director)
Public Grid simplifies access to household energy efficiency actions and connects individuals with their neighbors to collectively reduce emissions and save money.
CleantechClimate TechEnergyFintech
Reelist automates social media recruitment campaigns for hiring teams, sourcing and qualifying candidates from platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, then delivering them directly to ATS systems like Teamtailor.
AdTechHR TechMarketing TechSaaSNorfolk, US
Sean Worden(Executive Officer, Director)Catherine Schuck(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardStephanie Campbell Doran(Director)
Reffie is an AI-powered platform that consolidates rental leads from multiple listing sites and property management systems into a single interface for property managers and leasing teams.
AI & Machine LearningPropTechSaaSLos Angeles, US
Daniel Kats(Director, Promoter)Connie Lee(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Bukie Adebo Umeano(Director)
Resolv is a back-office platform for contractors, especially HVAC installers, that finds and files energy rebates, files building and mechanical permits, and registers equipment warranties automatically.
AI & Machine LearningEnergySaaS
Saferide develops driver assistance technology that retrofits existing vehicles with advanced safety features including automatic emergency braking, lane centering, and adaptive cruise control.
AI & Machine LearningMobility & TransportationSan Francisco, US
Robbins Schrader(Executive Officer, Director)Whitney Schrader(Executive Officer, Director)T. Scott Law(Director)
beehiiv is a newsletter platform for marketing teams, offering a content editor, branded newsletter website on a custom domain, list growth tools, CRM/CDP integrations via API and webhooks, engagement analytics for pipeline attribution, and a native ad network for monetization.
Creator EconomyMarketing TechMedia & EntertainmentSaaS
Tyler DenkBenjamin HargettJacob Hurd
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Redbud VC invest at?
- Redbud VC invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is Redbud VC's typical check size?
- Redbud VC typically writes checks of $50K – $150K.
- What sectors does Redbud VC focus on?
- Redbud VC focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Redbud VC located?
- Redbud VC is headquartered in Columbia, US.
- Does Redbud VC lead rounds?
- Yes, Redbud VC leads investment rounds.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamBrett Calhoun | Redbud VC
Fun Raising with VC Sheet · Brett Calhoun
Episode 49: "It's a Volume Game" | Redbud VC's Brett Calhoun
The Diligent Observer · Brett Calhoun
Images
Co-investors · 4
MetaProp is a venture capital firm focused on the proptech sector, dedicating its resources to support portfolio founders and their teams as they grow their businesses.
Lerer Hippeau is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs founders across sectors, emphasizing investing in companies before they gain wider recognition.
Hustle Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests quickly in startups, offering capital along with educational programs and mentorship. It also runs an angel investing community that lets members invest alongside the fund.
Polygon is a blockchain platform positioned as infrastructure for global payments and money movement, enabling assets to move onchain at scale. It offers an open stack for accessing the onchain economy and is powered by its native token $POL.
Firms observed investing alongside Redbud VC, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Redbud VC's recorded portfolio.
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