Where Companies are Founded
According to Crunchbase, 2829 companies were founded in the United States. Of those, 44% were founded in the Midwest, South, and Mountain West.
Rest of United States
56%
Mountain West
3%
Midwest
9%
The South
32%
Funding Breakdown
According to Pitchbook in 2021, a total of $332.68 bn were invested in companies. Only 13.6% of investments went to the Midwest, South, and Moutain West.
Funds Invested in $$$ (bns)
% of Funds Invested
300
200
100
0
Midwest
South
Mountain West
All Others
GDP/GPI by Region
The South, Midwest, and Mountain West contributed more than 60% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Personal Income (GPI) to the U.S. economy in 2022 according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis indicating a great deal of buying power in these regions.
DVRGNT VENTURES
South
Midwest
Mountain West
All Others
GDP
GPI
0
10
20
30
40
Our venture firm is committed to supporting and investing in the dynamic start-ups and entrepreneurs in the Midwest, South, and Mountain West regions of the United States.
Why Now?
M&A
The next 10-15 years will see companies primarily exit via M&A versus IPOs. Corporations will target innovative startups to help make up for the inability to cultivate innovation internally due to continued constraints on resources.
Return to Middle America
The U.S. population is moving at historic rates from large urban areas and the coasts to the suburbs and middle America. The next generation of founders will be from these cities.
Back to Basics Business Fundamentals
Business fundamentals more than ever are the differentiator between resilient companies that can withstand market changes and those that are fads.
Unique Deal Flow
Accelerators, State, & University Connections
Numerous relationships with accelerators. state, and college funded programs:: Gener8tor (WI, AL, IL, NE, NV, MN, ND. OH, OK) NewChip, Illinois State Treasurer, 1871, StartOut, Kellogg and more to come
Angel Networks
Relationships with Angel Networks like Portolo Valley Partners, Gaingels, Wealthing VC, etc.
Affinity Relationships
In conversation with groups like Afrotech and Lesbians Who Tech to create opportunities for connections to founders within their networks
Our Founder
B. is the first Black trans VC founder. B. is an award-winning product & culture strategist, podcast host, startup advisor, investor, and certified executive coach, as well as a respected thought leader in agile technologies. As a dedicated enthusiast of scalable processes, great products, and culture development, B.’s fierce drive to promote diversity in tech and impact real authentic change continues to define both their professional and personal lives. B. claims both Mississippi and Tennessee as home. B. is a proud graduate of Northwestern University with a B.A. in history in addition to an MBA and master of information systems from Robert Morris University. B. is also an alum of companies like Sprout Social, Apple, Netflix, Cars.com, Wyzant, and Product School.
Some of our advisors
Representative of these industries:
- Education
- Construction
- Healthcare
- Automotive
- CPG
- AI
- Media & Entertainment
- Real Estate
- Fintech
- JEDI
- SAAS
- Marketplaces
Alissa Pagels-Minor
Dir. of Marketing Magiclinks
Gunny Scarfo
Co-Founder Nonfiction Research
McCeil Johnson
VP Accreditation U of Phoenix
Richard Watkins
Senior Legal Counsel Medtronic
Jennifer Purcell
VP, Associate General Counsel
US LBM
Brandon Parkes
Head of Corporate Board Diversity
Gaingels
Kimberly MacLean
Culture & Belonging Expert
Dr. Michael Mazzeo
Kellogg
Northwestern
Nicholas Belgrave
VP, Risk
Genesis
Catherine Jefcoat
ECG Management Consultants
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference." ~
Robert Frost
