Venture First
Venture capitalLouisville · Growth · 20 people tracked
Investment thesis
Venture First combines investment capital with financial services to support a broad entrepreneurial ecosystem. It manages multiple specialty funds and SPVs while providing CFO leadership, accounting, valuation, transaction support, and market intelligence to growth-stage companies. The firm favors long-term partnerships, typically charging competitive rates and often taking long-term equity or bonus incentives to align interests with the teams it serves. Beyond its own investments and services, Venture First aims to connect entrepreneurs, investors, and the wider network that helps new ventures thrive, and intends to expand its offerings over time.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 6, 2026.
Team · 20 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 2 of 33 portfolio companiesConsumer ×1Digital Health ×1EdTech ×1Enterprise Software ×1Fintech ×1SaaS ×1Wellness & Fitness ×1
HQs:United States×3
Investments · 33 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathVenture Capital portfolio company
BabySparks is a venture focused on early childhood development, supporting the parent-child relationship and children's developmental progress.
ConsumerDigital HealthEdTechWellness & FitnessPembroke Pines, US
Juan Pablo Mejia(Executive Officer, Director)Gustavo A Rodriguez Ardila(Executive Officer, Director)Salomon Sredni(Director)JoseJuan Pablo
Specialty Credit portfolio company
Specialty Credit portfolio company
Private Equity portfolio company
Venture Capital portfolio company
Forecastr provides financial planning and CFO services to early-stage founders and startups, helping them prepare for funding rounds and manage company growth.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSLouisville, US
Steven Plappert(Founder)Logan Burchett(Founder)Jonathan Frazier(Founder)Steven Ambs(Founder)John Shumate(Director)
BoardRobert Penta(Director)
Private Equity portfolio company
Venture Capital portfolio company
Louisville, US
Neil Barnfather(Executive Officer)Yung Nguyen(Director)Phoebe Wood(Director)Charlie Meredith(Executive Officer)Bruce Miles(Director)Rob Penta(Director)
Venture Capital portfolio company
Venture Capital portfolio company
Venture Capital portfolio company
Private Equity portfolio company
Specialty Credit portfolio company
Venture Capital portfolio company
Venture Capital portfolio company
Venture Capital portfolio company
Specialty Credit portfolio company
Fund performance · per public LP disclosures
as of Jun 2024| Fund | Vintage | Committed | Net IRR | TVPI | DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venture First II, L.P.LPs: North Carolina Retirement Systems | 1988 | — | 0.2% | — | — |
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 Venture First invest at?
- Venture First invests at the Growth stage.
- What sectors does Venture First focus on?
- Venture First focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Venture First located?
- Venture First is headquartered in Louisville, US.
Images
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