Invest with LvlUp.

Learn more about the LvlUp process and unique offerings for our LPs.

Our mission is to build the most attractive fund for
the top 1% of founders.

Top-talent founders are already flocking to LvlUp, driven by the value we provide.

We believe in the power of community and are building a robust deal-flow network with top-tier VC, accelerator, angel group, and startup organization partners.

Having a deal-flow network like ours ensures we review the best of the best.

>10%

of LvlUp applicants have a previous exit

350+

Funding applicants per month
TOP-TIER DEAL FLOW PARTNERS
Dozens of VC, accelerator, angel group, and startup org partners.

450+

Venture Scouts (Global)

5-10%

Month-over-Month Growth
UNIVERSITY VENTURE SCOUTS
And more...

Additional deal-flow:
Venture Scout Program


We want to ensure we are attracting deals our partners may miss.

Our Venture Scout Program is an active visionary, entrepreneurial, investing, and operating community. Scouts work with Partners & fellow scouts to identify, educate and invest in the Startups in their network while building their personal investment portfolio & developing their venture track record.

Our scouts are tasked with finding high quality deal flow and sharing it with us. In exchange, we provide them with a piece of our carry if we end up investing.

  • In every major startup hub in the U.S. & expanding globally
  • Deal-flow co-investment opportunities to reduce risk to our portfolio
  • 20+ startup organization & university programs

Our GP's Venture Track Record

250+

Founding Partner Investments

<5%

Startup Failure Rate

$150M+

VC Funds raised by Portfolio Teams

We aim to provide next-level value.

Our Process

01

Funding Application Submitted

Day 1

All applications (whether general or through our partners & venture scouts) are centralized and sent to our digital deal warehouse.

Application Scored & Reviewed

Day 2 - 5

Our digital review interface calculates a base score to help prioritize review. All applications are reviewed within 4-5 business days and first call invites are sent to stand-outs.

02

03

First Call

Day 5 - 10

Introductory call with 1-2 LvlUp team members.

Second Review

Day 10 - 15

We reconvene as a team and share relevant information from first call and update internal scoring.

If there is additional interest, we request a second call.

04

05

Second Call

Day 15 - 20

Typically scheduled with 2-3 LvlUp team members, including a partner and/or subject matter expert.

Third Review

Day 20 - 25

We reconvene as a team to discuss the startup and share relevant information gathered from the 2nd call. At this point we have learned enough to either enter DD or reject.

06

07

Due Diligence Begins

Day 25 - 30

Companies are invited to complete our Due Diligence Questionnaire and we request access to their data room.

We further validate company's customer pipeline.

Third & Fourth Calls

Day 30 - 40

Upon reviewing the Due Diligence Questionnaire and data room, we’ll discuss further with any subject matter experts and schedule a 3rd and/or 4th call to further discuss.

08

09

Final Review

Day 40 - 45

We’ll meet again as a team to discuss any outstanding questions or concerns. Send term sheets.

An ideal fit.

We look for companies who have validated product-market fit with scalable potential, ed by strong founding teams with the intangibles needed to take their ventures to the next level.

Annual Revenue

Under $1 million

MoM Growth

> 10%

Estimated Time to Series A

18 - 24 months

Avg. Check Size

Up to $250,000

Target Value Cap

< $15 million

Providing great value to our teams adds opportunities for extra value to our LPs.

Non-Cash Equity Options

Many of our LPs are experienced operators with valuable insight they are willing to share.

Not only does this help our teams succeed, but it gives hands-on LPs a chance to earn additional non-cash equity.

Stronger Deal Terms

Our level of involvement helps us negotiate better deal terms, including:
Pro Rata Rights
Ratchet Protection
First Right of Refusal
Liquidity Options

Faster Liquidity Options

In future priced equity rounds, we build-in the option for early liquidity options for those who wish to exercise them.

We are exploring incentives for liquidity event options to roll disbursements into future funds.

Meet Our Core Team

Brandon Maier
General Partner

Co-Founder of Quake Capital, highlighted by CrunchBase for making the second-most investments in female-led startups (2018).

250+ Startup Investments, with 84% still active, 9 previous exits. 10X+ return on portfolio of active investments within last 6 years.

Extensive network of over 1,000 investors.

Frequent collegiate guest lecturer & startup judge.

AJ Smith
MANAGING Partner

Technical managing partner bringing over a decade of frontier tech experience and 5+ years of investment experience prior to LvlUp.

Four-time venture-backed CTO with 3+ years leading startup consultant firm assisting in pitch deck creation, fundraising, coaching, and more.

10+ years of full-stack dev. experience in FinTech, SocialTech, MedTech, and more.

New York University, Masters

Ben Kromnick
Managing Partner

Product and strategy leader with experience building at massive organizations and scaling Startups across the Fintech, Healthtech, Collaboration, Insuretech, Wearables and AI industries.

Head of Partnerships at DealMaker.

Adam Ned
Principal

Adam is a determined leader and expert problem solver, who takes a very hands-on approach with founders.

3 years of experience managing associates and working with a variety of startups across several industries.

Frequent Event & Pitch Competition Organizer, Host, and Participant

Co-Founder of a stealth mode cryptocurrency mining company.

B.S. Economics, Occidental College

Aaron Golbin
Founding Partner And Head of NExtUp

Four-time startup founder, creating and leading industry-leading enterprises like DebateIsland.com and The American Post.

9+ years of operating experience across VC-and-non-VC-backed startups and a multi-billion-dollar technology and strategy company in the Media, AI, FinTech, and Government Consulting industries.

Strategically advised and invested in about 20 companies.

Frequent Conference and Podcast participant.

Natalie DUnn
Investor

Former founder and operator with 10 years of experience in early and growth stage startups in a variety of industries from health tech to CPG.

2x venture backed executive (COO & COS).

3 years of experience allocating $30M per year of federal funding to advanced industry startups in bioscience, clean tech, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.

Active startup mentor, coach, and strategic advisor with a passion for supporting high-impact and undercapitalized founders.

BA University of Denver - Business and International Economics

Highlighted Venture Partners, Mentors, and LPs

Daniel Idzkowski
Venture Partner
Sanjeev Rao
Venture Partner
Kurt Akers
LP & MENTOR
Sam Palazzolo
LP & MENTOR
Jason Manasse
LP & MENTOR
Anthony Tijerino
Venture Partner
GAR LEE
LP & Mentor
KYLE JAMES
MENTOR
Zac Delvecchio
Venture Partner
Tom Zheng
Venture Partner
Wendy Diamond
LP
Jules Arthur
LP
Michele Arthur
LP