focal

focal

Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals

San Francisco, California 2,283 followers

We lead pre-seed rounds in software startups across North America.

About us

We thrive where others say “too early”, backing you from the start with up to $750K. True 0 to 1 specialists, laser focused on helping you cut through Seed and get to Series A and beyond with velocity. ➡️ pitch us at hello@focal.vc / visit us at focal.vc

Website
http://focal.vc
Industry
Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
Company size
2-10 employees
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Type
Privately Held
Founded
2020

Locations

Employees at focal

Updates

  • focal reposted this

    View profile for Pascal Unger, graphic

    Managing Partner @ focal || We lead Pre-Seed rounds

    Are you building a startup in sports and / or health tech? If so, you HAVE TO know this professional athlete turned early-stage investor who may have been your ideal customer in her previous life.  This week's findfunding.vc spotlight is on CiCi Bellis from Cartan Capital. She: ☀️ Is Florida based 🎾 Was formerly a professional tennis player (career-high ranking of WTA #35 / WTA Newcomer of the Year 2017!!) 🏆 Has spent the last 4+ years in sports and health tech Amongst founders, CiCi and her team at Cartan Capital, including Jake Goldklang, and Emily Krall (Morrison) are known for going above and beyond with high impact network introductions while fully trusting the founding team to make the best decisions and run the company. ✉️ To get in touch, make sure to pitch her at info@cartancapital.com For more, check out our funder spotlight card below along with Cartan Capital's profile on findfunding.vc (link in comments).

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  • We are very excited to introduce On Me Gifting - a new era in digital gifting 🎁 At focal, we look for startups that dare to rethink the norm, and On Me is doing exactly that. They’re reinventing the gift card experience for a modern, digital-first world. By building cards around hobbies and passions, On Me transforms gifting into something more meaningful, personal, and joyful. This isn't just about convenience—it’s about connection. A huge congrats to the founding team, Darragh Meaney and Sitar Harel! When we met the former Google product managers, we were drawn to their (rare) mix of vision, execution, and heart. Add to this a Mastercard partnership that enables national scale, and we were sold. Quite literally, as we have already purchased On Me cards for the loved ones in our lives. We are proud to partner with the team alongside Lerer Hippeau, and, given our B2B focus, are particularly excited about the forward-thinking approach to the corporate gifting market. On Me is poised to unlock tremendous potential in this space, with a solution that elevates the gifting experience for businesses, their employees, and clients. With the global gift card market on the cusp of digital transformation, On Me is positioned to lead the charge. Their approach of blending technology with meaning taps into a universal truth: gifts are about more than what’s given—they’re about how they make someone feel. On Me captures this beautifully, and we can’t wait to see where this journey takes them. Check them out at onme [dot] com as well as the Fortune coverage from Leo Schwartz. Congrats again Darragh, Sitar, and the rest of the On Me Gifting team 👏 Daniel | Pascal | Sydney

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  • "There's definitely a race to make things more challenging within these walled gardens of what's happening across all the different advertising channels. I think the race is just starting and eventually I think there could be an anonymous Internet” Michael True the Co-Founder & CEO of Prescient AI , discusses this and more on the latest episode of Daniel's 5 Year Frontier podcast 🎙️ In it, they chat about advertising on autopilot, the end of cookies, privacy-first marketing, next-gen agencies, and the future of online advertising. #5YF #PrescientAI #VC #PrivacyFirstInternet

  • focal reposted this

    View profile for Pascal Unger, graphic

    Managing Partner @ focal || We lead Pre-Seed rounds

    If you are a Boston based startup or building a transformational B2B business - here's an investor who will love what you're building! (𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴.) This week's findfunding.vc spotlight is on Lily Lyman from Underscore VC. She: 🍩 Is Boston based (previously SF and a native NYer) 🌎 Has lived and worked in 75 countries 🤸Can walk on her hands (a gymnast in her previous life)  🎧 Is patiently waiting for the women's version of the All-In Podcast (so are we...⏲️) Amongst founders, Lily and her team at Underscore VC, including Brian Devaney, Richard Dulude, and Chris Gardner, are known for serving as a helpful extension of their team by bringing empathy and helpful connections along the way. To get in touch, make sure to: ✉️ Pitch her at lily@underscore.vc 🐦 Follow her @lilylyman For more, check out our funder spotlight card below along with Underscore's profile on findfunding.vc (link in comments).

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  • focal reposted this

    View profile for Pascal Unger, graphic

    Managing Partner @ focal || We lead Pre-Seed rounds

    Building in supply chain / manufacturing or software infrastructure? Here's an investor you should know. This week's findfunding.vc spotlight is on Julian Counihan from Schematic Ventures. He: 🌁 Is SF based 🏭 Started in tech as a software developer at FORTNA where he worked on warehouse control & automation systems 💯 Has a 100% success rate for companies raising follow-on capital! Amongst founders, Julian and his team at Schematic Ventures, including Alex Freed, Aditya Raghupathy and Ananya Vasagiri, are known for bringing both deep sector networks & technical expertise that accelerate the path to product market fit. To get in touch, make sure to: ✉️ Pitch him at hello@schematicventures [dot] com 🤖 Check out Schematic's upcoming RoboCode event in SF - https://lu.ma/6ffg1dzd For more, check out our funder spotlight card below along with Schematic's profile on findfunding.vc (link in comments).

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  • View organization page for focal, graphic

    2,283 followers

    "AI models today are an amalgamation of the data on the internet but there is a lot of data held in corporations that hasn’t been gathered yet” Troy Demmer the Co-Founder & CPO of Gecko Robotics, discusses this and more on the latest episode of Daniel's 5 Year Frontier podcast 🎙️ In it, they chat about industrial robots, smart infrastructure, predictive maintenance, reinforcing America’s $5T backbone, and the future of robotics #5YF #GeckoRobotics #AIinInfrastructure #VC #IndustrialAutomation

  • View organization page for focal, graphic

    2,283 followers

    "So that's really been the unlock, is creating a language that both the machines understand and the biology understands. And if you have this common language, then you can start teaching machines how to control biology.” Deniz Kent, PhD, the Co-Founder & CEO of Prolific Machines, discusses this and more on the latest episode of Daniel's 5 Year Frontier podcast 🎙️ In it, they chat about machines controlling biology, light reprogramming cells, algorithms for drug development, commoditizing pharma, and the future of biotechnology. #5YF #ProlificMachines #Biotechnology #AI

  • focal reposted this

    View profile for Pascal Unger, graphic

    Managing Partner @ focal || We lead Pre-Seed rounds

    Are you a founder transforming the world of law? Then this early-stage investor is about as good of a fit for you as it can get - just look at the fund name! This week's findfunding.vc spotlight is on Zach Posner from The LegalTech Fund. He: 😎 Currently lives in Southern Florida, but is originally from the "greatest city in America, Baltimore, MD 😀" <-- his words! 🧩 Has been working on solving a Rubik's cube for years, two sides down! Maybe this will be the motivation he needs!! 🎤 Manages the annual TLTF Summit (this Dec in Miami, tltfsummit.com) - a group of industry leaders and startup founders to see what’s coming around the corner and envision the future of the legal industry Amongst founders, Zach and his team at The LegalTech Fund, including Tanner Rogers, are known for acting as a partner in every aspect of what their portfolio companies do. Most of their connectivity is focused on leveraging their amazing network in and around the world of law. They host retreats that are big and small, designed to give their companies the opportunity to get in front of their key stakeholders. They are constantly promoting their companies every day whether on social media or in person. To get in touch, make sure to: ✉️ Pitch him by checking out legaltech.com or reach out on here 💌 Check out the TLTF Summit at tltfsummit.com and apply to attend! For more, check out our funder spotlight card below along with The LegalTech Fund's profile on findfunding.vc

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  • focal reposted this

    View profile for Pascal Unger, graphic

    Managing Partner @ focal || We lead Pre-Seed rounds

    If you are a radically ambitious founder building a frontier technology company, here's an early-stage investor you have to meet! This week's findfunding.vc spotlight is on Jonathan Kerstein from Centre Street Partners. He: 🏙️ Is NYC based 🧵 Previously worked at Insight Partners, VMG Partners, and Red Sea Ventures  📚 Prefers to read vs. listen (thus his newsletter recs vs podcasts) Amongst founders, Jonathan and his team at Centre Street Partners, including Abie J. Cohen, are known for being constructive, thoughtful, low-ego partners with an exceedingly long-term outlook/orientation ✉️ To get in touch, make sure to pitch him at jkerstein@centrestreet.partners For more, check out our funder spotlight card below along with Centre Street's profile on findfunding.vc

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  • focal reposted this

    Arctic Wolf CEO & President Nick Schneider joined the focal 5 Year Frontier podcast 🎙️ with Daniel Darling to chat through all things future-focused in cybersecurity, including why companies with the most data will lead the way in this new era of cyber warfare, the potential networks effects of security and why advanced automation and #AI will be the catalysts for advancing the security posture of businesses of all sizes. #EndCyberRisk #5YF Watch the full interview and read more here: https://lnkd.in/gSa--fAY

    5YF Episode #25: Arctic Wolf CEO Nick Schneider

    5YF Episode #25: Arctic Wolf CEO Nick Schneider

    focal.vc

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