What stage does Traction Capital invest at?

Traction Capital invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth, Late Stage stages.

What is Traction Capital's typical check size?

Traction Capital typically writes checks of $500K – $1M.

Where is Traction Capital located?

Traction Capital is headquartered in Minnesota, US.

Traction Capital

Venture capital

Minnesota · Seed–Late Stage · 12 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Traction Capital positions itself as an alternative to typical VC or PE firms, focusing on early-stage startups and acquisitions of established businesses in Minnesota and the broader Midwest. Led by entrepreneurs who have built, scaled, and exited companies, the firm emphasizes hands-on partnership over passive capital. It helps portfolio companies implement the EOS operating system and supports them from investment through exit with strategic guidance, operational support, and network connections. More than 80% of its backers are entrepreneurs themselves. The firm prioritizes local, regional investing, describing itself as investing where it lives and driving growth for Midwest entrepreneurs and business owners.

Invests inAdvanced Manufacturing Consumer Enterprise Software Retail Tech SaaSSector AgnosticUnited States

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage

Seed–Late Stage

Check

$500K – $1M

Minnesota, Minnesota, US

Instruments

Equity

Founded

2010

Last 12 months

1 investment

AUM

$16.6M

Tracked investments

Team · 12 people

from the firm's website & public directories

Shane Erickson· Founder & Managing Partner· Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Areain

Founder and Managing Partner of Traction Capital, focused on helping Minnesota entrepreneurs grow through exit. Previously co-founder and CEO of IMC for nearly 30 years, and an experienced venture investor (Mentormate, Ultralox). Co-developer of the Traction Capital Proven Process and leads Minnesota's EO Accelerator.

s•••@tractioncapital.comreveal

Dan Mallin· Strategic Growth Partner· Minneapolis, Minnesota, United Statesin

Strategic Growth Partner and serial entrepreneur with five exits (Oatmeal Media, Spot Buy Spot, Imaginet, Magnet 360, Lucy). Co-founder of the Minnesota Cup and board member of the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Minnesota.

Matt Meents· Strategic Growth Partner· Minneapolis, Minnesota, United Statesin

Strategic Growth Partner with 25+ years building and scaling high-growth companies. Co-founder and CEO of Magnet360 (scaled to $50M revenue, acquired by Mindtree) and co-founder of Yardstik. Teaches entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas.

Scott Litman· Strategic Growth Partner· Minnesotain

A serial entrepreneur, advisor, and investor with five company exits (Imaginet Inc, Spot Buy Spot, Imaginet LLC, Magnet 360, and Lucy). He founded the Minnesota Cup business plan competition and has advised numerous successful startups.

Brian Cox· Integrator / Partner· Greenfield, MNin

President/Integrator of Traction Capital, focused on processes and operations. A lifelong Minnesota entrepreneur who built and sold multiple businesses and still runs one he started in 2004. Joined Traction in March 2020 and helped raise Focus Fund I.

b•••@tractioncapital.comreveal

Peyton Green· VP of Investments / Partner· Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Areain

VP of Investments overseeing the entire investment process and supporting portfolio founders and partners on strategy. Passionate about the Minnesota startup scene and meeting founders at local events.

p•••@tractioncapital.comreveal

Jo Ann Buckholz· VP of Finance & Operations· Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Areain

VP of Finance & Operations and a CPA with over two decades of accounting and financial management experience, specializing in M&A. Previously CFO of PowerObjects and started her career at Ernst & Young.

John Klick· EOS Implementer· Wayzata, Minnesota, United Statesin

Certified EOS Implementer for Traction Capital with 25 years of experience owning and running small businesses, including an award-winning brewery. Implements EOS for portfolio companies and runs his own practice.

Justina Palmer· Analyst· St Paul, Minnesota, United Statesin

Analyst focused on acquisitions and helping on the venture side. Joined via a private equity fellowship with the University of St. Thomas and became a full-time analyst in 2024. A former Schulze Innovation Scholar.

j•••@tractioncapital.comreveal

Chris Carey· VP of Acquisitions / Entrepreneur in Residence· Cottage Grove, MNin

VP of Acquisitions and Entrepreneur in Residence, and a post-exit entrepreneur who founded Modern Automotive Performance (grew to $40M+ revenue, sold in 2020). Joined Traction Capital in April 2022.

c•••@tractioncapital.comreveal

Cooper Eral· Analyst· Wayzata, Minnesota, United Statesin

Analyst focused on acquisitions while assisting on the venture side, working closely with the VP of Investments on deal sourcing and evaluation. Joined as a PE analysis intern in 2023 and went full-time after graduating from the University of St. Thomas in 2024.

c•••@tractioncapital.comreveal

Ellie Pigott· Analyst· Minneapolis, Minnesota, United Statesin

Analyst managing incoming deal flow and assisting with marketing. Joined Traction Capital as a marketing intern while a University of St. Thomas student, majoring in Entrepreneurship with a Sustainability minor.

e•••@tractioncapital.comreveal

Founder mafia

3 people who came through Traction Capital went on to found or lead other companies.

Matt MeentsStrategic Growth PartnerFounded Yardstik Scott LitmanStrategic Growth PartnerFounded Minnesota Cup Dan MallinStrategic Growth PartnerFounded Minnesota Cup

What they invest in

from 4 of 5 portfolio companies

SaaS ×2AdTech ×1E-commerce ×1EdTech ×1Enterprise Software ×1Fintech ×1Marketing Tech ×1Media & Entertainment ×1

HQs:United States×4

Investments · 5 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2025 · 1 2024 · 1 2021 · 13 dated

RepetixDec 2021SEC filingmedium confidence

Rochester, US

Michael J. Rolih(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardBrian Cox(Director)inRobert Rich(Director)Randy Sparks(Director)

Board seatShane Erickson· per SEC Form D · $1000K raise · filed Jan 2022

Backpackbackpackumn.com in

Backpack is a student-built and student-led creative agency offering brand communication, storytelling, and strategy services for brands.

AdTechMarketing TechMedia & Entertainment

Minnesota Cupumn.edu in 𝕏

The University of Minnesota is a public higher education institution offering undergraduate majors, graduate and professional degrees, and internship and research opportunities across fields including liberal arts and business.

EdTechMinneapolis, US

Co-investorsAngel Physicians Fund

Refr Sportsrefrsports.com inOct 2025

Refr is a referee assigning platform that lets sports assignors and organizations import schedules, assign officials, and manage payments from a single dashboard.

FintechSaaSSports TechMinneapolis, US

Isaac Huxley Sorock(Executive Officer)Wyatt Karl Gustafson(Executive Officer)

Co-investorsCampus Founders Fund GROOVE CAPITAL Techstars Kickstart

Saltbox Mgmtsaltboxmgmt.comDec 2024

Saltbox Mgmt is a Salesforce consulting partner that designs, implements, and optimizes commerce and revenue solutions using tools like Agentforce Commerce, Order Management, Partner Cloud, and Data Cloud.

E-commerceEnterprise SoftwareSaaSMinneapolis, US

David Blue(Executive Officer, Director)inJon Madrid(Chief Operating Officer & Director)Marie-Michelle Caron(Director)Christina Bailey(Director)George Acker(Director)Das Nobel(Director)

Co-investorsSalesforce Ventures

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.

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Techstars Update: July 2026 | Techstars | Techstars

Refr Sports · techstars.com · Jul 31, 2026

What Stood Out to Our Team Ahead of Connections 2026

Saltbox Mgmt · saltboxmgmt.com · May 13, 2026

Frequently asked questions

What stage does Traction Capital invest at?: Traction Capital invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth, Late Stage stages.
What is Traction Capital's typical check size?: Traction Capital typically writes checks of $500K – $1M.
What sectors does Traction Capital focus on?: Traction Capital focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, Consumer, Enterprise Software, Retail Tech, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
Where is Traction Capital located?: Traction Capital is headquartered in Minnesota, US.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

from their channel

Traction Capital - A Founder's Perspective

Traction Capital

Introductions

Traction Capital

About the Company and the Fund

Traction Capital

Why EOS?

Traction Capital

Why Shane and Why Traction Capital?

Traction Capital

Why Traction Capital?

Traction Capital

Images

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