Fundraising Fox

Sam Cates

Investor

Partner at Positive Sum Capital

San Francisco Bay Area

Writes $10K – $100K checks · typically $25K

About

Sam Cates is a Venture Partner at Virta Ventures, where he focuses on investments in data and machine learning applications across emerging domains. He works within a venture capital fund structured around a network of investors and operators.

LinkedIn ↗X / Twitter ↗Website ↗

Experience

  1. Virta VenturesVenture Partnercurrent2026 — present
  2. daybreakExploringcurrent2020 — present
  3. Positive SumPartner and Founder2020 — 2026San Francisco Bay Area
  4. GEVenture Investing2014 — 2019
  5. GE DigitalBusiness Development2013 — 2014San Ramon, CA
  6. GECorporate Audit Staff2011 — 2013Fairfield, CT
  7. GE EnergyFinancial Management Program2009 — 2011Atlanta, GA

Education

  1. Clemson UniversityBachelor of Science, B.S., Financial Management

Skills & more

Microsoft Excel2PowerPoint1Financial Modeling15Managerial Finance16Auditing6Strategic Financial Planning1Business Development12Mergers & Acquisitions8Acquisition Integration1Process Improvement1Analysis5Financial Analysis13
+12 moreCorporate FinanceFinanceForecastingAccountingBusiness StrategyFinancial PlanningCoachingProcess SimplificationCross-functional Team LeadershipProgram ManagementBusiness Process ImprovementStart-ups
  • Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder — CFA Institute

From Sam's professional profile.

Same school

Also attended Clemson University26

Satish DharmarajManaging Director at Redpoint VenturesJustin LedbetterChief Operating Officer, Marlan Space at Cortado VenturesHattie DuplechainPrincipal Consultant, Operations and Impact Measurement at The Innovation SpaceAndrew DietrichVice President, Fund Accounting at Harbert Growth PartnersDavid MendezManaging Partner at Good Growth CapitalTrevor ZimmermanCo-Founder and Managing Partner at Unless

+ 20 more

Shared employers

Also worked at Positive Sum2

Alison Davis RiddellInvestor at Positive Sum CapitalGabriela MarquesAssociate at Positive Sum Capital

Also worked at GE169

Karim FarisInvestor at GV (Google Ventures)Alex ConstantinopleChief Marketing Officer at GreycroftSaket SrivastavaInvestor at Foundation CapitalEric AndersonPartner at Scale Venture PartnersMatthew StoneCOO at FJ LabsAndy LeaverOperating Partner at Notion Capital

+ 163 more

Also worked at GE Digital12

Ravi RajamonyVice President at March Capital PartnersSteve AngelAdvisor at Industrious VenturesMark TrevittFounder & Managing Partner at Inovia CapitalMichael DolbecManaging Partner, Momenta at The HiveKaren Roter DavisManaging Partner at Entrada VenturesJenn BennettVenture Advisor at Pier 70 Ventures

+ 6 more

Also worked at GE Energy15

Clayton MacDougaldInvestment Director - Water at Emerald Technology Ventures AgColleen CalhounInvestor at BURNT ISLAND VENTURESTom HirschfeldHealth System / Hospital at Pave Health VenturesArul MuruganManaging Partner & Chairman at Borderless VentureTim JonesPartner at ICITimothy HowePartner at Socium Ventures

+ 9 more

Colleagues at Positive Sum Capital

Alison Davis Riddell
Investor at Positive Sum Capital
Avidan Rudansky
Investor at Positive Sum Capital
Brie Wolfson
Investor at Positive Sum Capital
Dom Cooke
Investor at Positive Sum Capital
Donald Lee-Brown
Investor at Positive Sum Capital
Eric Jasinski
Investor at Positive Sum Capital
Gabi Marques
Investor at Positive Sum Capital
Gabriela Marques
Associate at Positive Sum Capital

Network1

Adam Demuyakor
Founder & Managing Partner at Wilshire Lane Capital

Investors connected to Sam in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.