/Investor DB

Upslope Ventures

Venture capital

Denver · Pre-Seed–Series A · 5 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Upslope Ventures is an early-stage venture fund that backs startups nationwide, believing exceptional teams can come from any location. It invests across AI, SaaS, hardware, consumer, fintech, aerospace, robotics, and data science, with a portfolio spanning markets including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Colorado, Texas, Boston, and Seattle. Beyond capital and introductions, the firm leverages the Galvanize network to provide founders with resources aimed at improving their odds of success. It emphasizes diversity, noting that 19% of its portfolio founders are women, and it values diverse teams as central to building successful businesses.

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage
Pre-Seed–Series A
Check
$100K – $250K
HQ
Denver, Colorado, US
Leads rounds
Follows
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2021
Tracked investments
31
Unicorns
1
Acquisitions
6

Team · 5 people

from public directories
Chris Onan· Co-Founding General Partnerin𝕏

Chris Onan co-founded and led Galvanize to a ~$50M exit, ran an in-house seed fund with 50+ investments, and combines L.E.K. strategy experience with K‑12 education fund investment committee service.

Jim Deters· General Partnerin𝕏

Jim Deters is a serial founder-operator—co-founder of Galvanize and founder of Gravity Haus—whose experience building education-focused tech communities and a membership hospitality brand informs comfort with capital‑intensive, operations‑heavy businesses.

Kate Beardsley· Director
Richard Thoms· Executive Officer
Lawrence Mandes· General Partnerin𝕏

Lawrence Mandes, cofounder of Galvanize, is an operator-CEO leveraging deep relationships with thousands of engineers and founders to back hardware, AI, fintech, enterprise and gaming from Denver.

Founder mafia

3 people who came through Upslope Ventures went on to found or lead other companies.

What they invest in

from 26 of 31 portfolio companies

Consumer ×11SaaS ×9AI & Machine Learning ×7Enterprise Software ×5Cloud Computing ×4Data & Infrastructure ×4Developer Tools ×4Direct to Consumer ×3

HQs:United States×25Canada×1Portugal×1

Who they back

founder profiles across 24 portfolio companies
33%
solo founders
8 of 24 mapped founding teams
53%
repeat founders
of 34 founders with career history

Founding team size:solo founder×82 founders×53 founders×84+ founders×3

Where their founders studiedfrom 30 founders with education data

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ×3Estonian Information Technology College ×2Massachusetts Institute of Technology ×2University of Michigan ×2University of Technology Sydney ×2

What their founders studiedfrom 30 founders with field-of-study data

Computer Science ×12Business & Management ×11Engineering ×8Economics ×2

Where their founders worked beforefrom 34 founders with career history

Microsoft ×3Atlassian ×2Billie ×2Galvanize ×2MF Superfund ×2OpsGenie ×2Precog ×2Salesforce ×2

Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program

Techstars ×8Y Combinator ×6

2 founders hold a PhD · 5 hold an MBA (of 31 with degree data)

Investments · 31 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2022 · 12019 · 12015 · 12014 · 14 dated

AirHelpairhelp.comin𝕏

AirHelp provides technology to help air passengers claim compensation for delayed and cancelled flights.

ConsumerLegalTechSaaSTravel & HospitalityLisbon, PT

Henrik Zillmer(Founder)inNicolas Michaelsen(Founder)inGreg Roodt(Technical Advisor)inTomasz Pawliszyn(CEO)inAlex Chang(Investor)in

Co-investorsABRY PartnersAngel Capital ManagementAnya CapitalTempoCapXG VenturesY Combinator+17 more

Arrive Healtharrivehealth.comin𝕏Acquired

Arrive Health provides in-workflow software that gives clinical care teams real-time insurance, medication cost, and coverage data plus automation for prior authorization and patient outreach.

Digital HealthHealthtechSaaS

Co-investorsCU Healthcare Innovation FundFirst Trust Capital PartnersJAZZ Venture PartnersMemorialCare Innovation FundWormhole Capital

Billiemybillie.cominacquired by Edgewell Personal Care · Nov 2021 · $310M

Billie is a direct-to-consumer body brand offering shaving products, including its award-winning razor, and bodycare essentials such as body wash, lotion, and deodorant.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceNew York, US

Georgina Gooley(Founder)inJason Bravman(Founder)inConsumer E-commerce Georgina Gooley(Founder)

Co-investorsAlign VenturesFemale FoundersGreycroftHypothesisPartners ResolutePICUS CAPITAL+5 more

Brandzookabrandzooka.comin𝕏

Brandzooka provides automated digital advertising management software that enables advertisers to purchase and manage ad placements on television and web properties at scale.

AdTechSaaSBoulder, US

Kelly Dotseth(Executive Officer, Director)inAquiles La Grave(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardDane McDonald(Director)inMichael Beaudoin(Director)

Co-investorsBatshit Crazy VenturesCommunity Access FundKokopelli CapitalSpringTime Ventures

chowboticschowbotics.comin𝕏acquired by DoorDash

The page presented is a DoorDash merchant site promoting its restaurant offerings, including online ordering, delivery, and dine-in booking tools for restaurants and small businesses.

FoodTechLogistics & Supply ChainMarketplacesRedwood City, US

Deepak Chandra Sekar(Director)Rick Wilmer(Executive Officer, Director)Cosme Fagundo(Director)Michael Anthofer(Executive Officer)Richard A Page(Director)

Co-investorsCentral Texas Angel NetworkGeekdomTechstarsFoundry

Cloud Elementscloudelements.cominacquired by UiPath · Mar 2021

Cloud Elements was a Denver-based API integration platform that let SaaS providers and enterprises publish, integrate, and manage APIs through prebuilt one-to-many connectors, linking entire categories of cloud applications through a single unified API.

Enterprise SoftwareSaaSDenver, US

Mark Geene(Founder & CEO)

BoardJoseph R. Zell(Director)Jeffrey Hinck(Director)inJim Franklin(Director)

Co-investorsAccess Venture PartnersFirstMile VenturesMercato PartnersRally Ventures Management, LlcGrotech VenturesHarbert Growth Partners

Datadata.worldin𝕏

data.world offers a data marketplace that presents an organization's most-used data products in an e-commerce-style shopping experience, with domain-based organization and curated views.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSaaS

Co-investorsAKAR Ventures llcAlumni VenturesATPmark vcSamsung NextTexas Ventures+7 more

Eight Sleepeightsleep.com𝕏

Eight Sleep manufactures a smart bed system called the Pod that provides personalized temperature control, elevation adjustment, and integrated sound for sleep optimization.

ConsumerHardwareIoTWellness & FitnessNew York City, US

Matteo Franceschetti(CEO)inMassimo Andreasi Bassi(CTO)inAlexandra Zatarain(CMO)inAndrea Ballarini(COO)Brian Chen(Advisor)Keith Myers(Recruiting Manager)

Co-investorsAltra VentureAntiAzure Capital PartnersBlue Scorpion InvestmentsCapital B Private HoldingsComcast Ventures+74 more

Geniesgenies.com

Genies creates AI personas with visual avatars that can be customized and deployed across various applications, games, websites, and brands, functioning as AI companions, NPCs, and enterprise agents.

AI & Machine LearningConsumerGamingLos Angeles, US

Akash Nigam(Founder)inEvan Rosenbaum(Founder)inAkash Nigam Evan Rosenbaum(Founder)

Co-investorsA.Capital VenturesBase Venture Management, Inc.Bond Capital ManagementBreyer CapitalCoinbase VenturesCoinFund+29 more

Gobygoby.co

Platform for ESG management that helps businesses establish, monitor, and communicate ESG initiatives.

Chicago, US

Christopher Happ(Chief Executive Officer and Secretary)Ryan Nelson(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardJAMIE JAMES(Director)inTHOMAS ESPIARD(Director)J. Paul Saccone(Manager)

Co-investorsGreensoil PropTech VenturesRiverside Acceleration CapitalBBG VenturesCorrelation VenturesGreenSoil Building Innovation FundKepha Partners+4 more

Hipcamphipcamp.comin𝕏Jul 2019

Hipcamp is a platform to discover and book camping experiences including tent sites, RV resorts, glamping, and private land stays across the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

ConsumerMarketplacesTravel & HospitalitySan Francisco, US

Alyssa Ravasio(Founder)inEric Bach(Co-founder)

BoardTripp Jones(Director)inSarah Tavel(Benchmark partner / investor)inAndrew Chen(Andreessen Horowitz partner and board member)in

Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzAugust CapitalBond Capital ManagementDreamers VCRevolutionSlow Ventures+5 more

JumpCloudjumpcloud.comin𝕏

JumpCloud is an AI-powered unified IT management platform that provides identity, access, and device management for organizations managing both human users and non-human AI identities.

Cloud ComputingCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareSaaSBoulder, US

Greg Keller(Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer)inRajat Bhargava(Founder)inAntoine Jebara(General Manager of Channels & Alliances, Co-founder)inSerhat Can(Director, Product Management, Co-founder)inMustafa Akın(Senior Manager, Engineering, Co-founder)inLeonardo Cooper(Co-Founder and Director of Product)in

Co-investorsGeneral AtlanticAlumni VenturesAtlassian VenturesBY Venture PartnersFoundryH.I.G. Capital+13 more

Keen IOkeen.ioin𝕏

Keen is a fully managed event streaming platform that enables developers to collect, store, and analyze real-time data using APIs built on Apache Kafka, Storm, and Cassandra.

Cloud ComputingData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsSan Antonio, US

Dan KadorinKyle WildinRyan Spraetzin

Co-investors500 GlobalHeavybitScaleworksStreamlined VenturesTechstarsXG Ventures+3 more

Kenota (formerly ExVivo Labs)kenota.comin𝕏Defunct

The site is a Vietnamese-language affiliate/review portal that ranks and rates online lottery ("lô đề") betting operators, offering comparisons of payout ratios, licensing, payment methods, and security.

ConsumerHealthtechMedia & EntertainmentMedical DevicesKitchener, CA

Moufeed Kaddoura(CEO)inEric Blondeel(CTO)inPeter Đặng(Founder)Sandra Jim(Culture and People)

Co-investorsBeaconsfield CapitalFifty YearsJude GomilaMetaplanetNorthtech Capital InvestorsY Combinator+10 more

Netominetomi.comin𝕏

Netomi is a customer experience platform powered by AI that enables enterprises to interact with customers across multiple channels with intelligence and consistency.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSSan Francisco, US

Puneet Mehta(CEO)inNicholas Bruno(Senior Recruiter)Anant Verma(Head of Enginering)Michael Kahn(Vice President Sales)Can Ozdoruk(Vice President Marketing)Shilpi Sardana(Head of People Ops (India Labs))

Co-investorsAdvancit CapitalBare VenturesBowery CapitalBoxGroupHaymaker VenturesWestern Technology Investment+14 more

Panajoinpana.comin𝕏

Pana offers dollar-denominated accounts that let users open an account from their phone using a passport or ID, and send, receive, and manage money internationally with fee-free transfers between users.

FintechTravel & HospitalityMiami, US

Piero del Risco(Founder)inLuis Peña(Founder)inDevon TivonaLianne HaugSam Felsenthal

Co-investors500 GlobalAspira CapitalBessemer Venture PartnersMatchstick VenturesPixel Perfect VenturesTechstars+5 more

Pilotlypilot.lyin𝕏

Pilotly is a media research platform for concept, content, and advertising testing, serving streamers, networks, studios, and agencies in the entertainment and media industry.

AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechMedia & EntertainmentOakland, US

James Norman(CEO, Co-founder)inHector Osorio(CTO, Co-founder)in

BoardJoseph Audette(Director)

Co-investors500 GlobalBackstage CapitalHustle FundICA FundLaunchCapitalRevUp Capital+2 more

PureWowpurewow.com𝕏

PureWow is a multimedia lifestyle brand producing original content and experiences across beauty, fashion, wellness, family, and food, distributed via website, social, video, email, and events.

ConsumerMedia & EntertainmentWellness & Fitness

Joni Evans(Founder)in

Co-investorsMiroma VenturesNew York Venture Partners

Rachiorachio.comin𝕏Nov 2015

Rachio makes smart irrigation controllers that automatically adjust watering based on weather, season, and local conditions to reduce outdoor water waste for residential properties.

Climate TechConsumerHardwareIoTDenver, US

Franz Garsombke(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inChris Klein(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inMatt ReismanGary Stone(Executive Officer)in

BoardRobert Hawk(Director)Jonathan Hallett(Director)

Co-investors500 GlobalArborview CapitalBLH Venture Partners, LLCBonaventure CapitalEastside PartnerseLab Ventures+5 more

Revolution Spacerevolutionspace.com

A space technology company developing advanced propulsion and space systems.

Deep TechDefense TechSpace Tech

Darren Garber(Chief Executive Officer & Chief Technology Officer)

Co-investorsRRE Ventures

Rival IQrivaliq.comin𝕏

Rival IQ, founded in 2012, provides social media analytics software that helps marketers find, analyze, and act on their social media data.

Data & InfrastructureMarketing TechSaaSSocialSports TechSeattle, US

John C. Clark(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Seth B. Pollack(Executive Officer, Director)Seth W. Bridges(Executive Officer, Director)Thomas A. McCann(Director)Rival IQ

Co-investorsGravity VenturesMatchstick Ventures

section.iosection.ioin𝕏acquired by Webscale

Webscale provides cloud hosting, application delivery, and security infrastructure that sits beneath ecommerce platforms like Adobe Commerce, Magento, and Shopware, along with an AI product suite for first-party data and shopping assistance.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsRetail TechBoulder, US

Daniel Bartholomew(Director)inStewart McGrath(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)in

BoardRyan McIntyre(Director)Paul Savill(Director)

Co-investorsFirstMile VenturesMatchstick VenturesTechstarsPV Ventures

Selfself.incin𝕏

Self provides credit-building tools and savings products designed for people with low or no credit history.

ConsumerFintechAustin, US

James Garvey(Founder)in

Co-investorsConductive VenturesKickstartSilverton PartnersTechstarsAltos VenturesAccion+2 more

Shopmomentshopmoment.com𝕏

Moment designs and sells mobile camera lenses and mounting systems that attach to smartphones to expand photographic capabilities.

ConsumerCreator EconomyDirect to ConsumerE-commerceHardware

Shyftmyshyft.comin𝕏

Seattle-founded Shyft provides digital infrastructure and supply-chain software for the global moving and relocation industry.

Seattle, US

Brett Patrontasch(Founder)Chris Pitchford(Founder)Daniel Chen(Founder)Kyle Liu(Founder)

Co-investorsMadrona Venture GroupTechstarsBlumberg CapitalFJ LabsGeneral CatalystInovia Capital+2 more

Streamgetstream.ioin𝕏

Stream provides infrastructure for building AI applications and real-time communication features including chat, video, feed, and moderation across multiple platforms.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareBoulder, US

Thierry Schellenbach(Founder)inTommaso Barbugli(Executive Officer, Director)in

BoardJohn Ives(Director)

Co-investorsTechstarsFelicis VenturesSocial StartsUpVentures CapitalV1 VC01 Advisors+10 more

Testliotestlio.comin𝕏

Testlio operates a crowdsourced testing platform that provides global quality assurance and testing services for software releases at scale.

AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsSaaSSan Francisco, US

Marko Kruustük(Founder)inKristel Kruustük(Founder)in

Co-investorsClick VenturesGeekdomTechstarsVertex VenturesAltos VenturesRembrandt Venture Partners+1 more

VIDA & Co.shopvida.comAcquired

VIDA creates sustainable, fashion-forward apparel and personal care products manufactured in the USA.

Circular EconomyConsumerDirect to ConsumerMarketplacesSan Francisco, US

Umaimah Mendhro(CEO)inEddie Phanichkul(CEO)in

Co-investorsHalogen Ventures Management Company LlcRevolutionY CombinatorACE & CompanyBeehive HoldingsGV (Google Ventures)+4 more

Other

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

Gravity Platform ICozyGridCraft

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.

Exits · 6

6 acquisitions · showing 4

Billieacq. by Edgewell Personal Carechowboticsacq. by DoorDashCloud Elementsacq. by UiPathsection.ioacq. by Webscale

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies
Genies, Inc. - Wikipedia

Genies · en.wikipedia.org · Aug 18, 2026

AirHelp - Wikipedia

AirHelp · en.wikipedia.org · Jul 3, 2026

Netomi Raises $110M in Funding

Netomi · finsmes.com · May 1, 2026

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Upslope Ventures made?
Upslope Ventures has 31 tracked investments, 6 of which have exited.
What stage does Upslope Ventures invest at?
Upslope Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
What is Upslope Ventures's typical check size?
Upslope Ventures typically writes checks of $100K – $250K.
What sectors does Upslope Ventures focus on?
Upslope Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Consumer, Data & Infrastructure, Fintech, Hardware, Robotics, SaaS, Space Tech.
Where is Upslope Ventures located?
Upslope Ventures is headquartered in Denver, US.
Does Upslope Ventures lead rounds?
Upslope Ventures typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Who does Upslope Ventures co-invest with?
Upslope Ventures most often shares deals with Techstars, Y Combinator, 500 Global, among 170 tracked co-investors.

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