Hustle Fund

Hustle Fund Research (Refreshed March 2026) Investment Thesis Hustle Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in "hilariously early startups" at pre-seed and seed stages. Founded in 2017 by Elizabeth Yin, Shiyan Koh, and Eric Bahn, the fund's mission is to democratize access to venture capital and mentorship for exceptional founders everywhere. The founding team are "recovering entrepreneurs" who have been through the startup grind themselves. This operational experience informs their founder-first approach—they understand startup challenges intimately because they've lived them. They position themselves as fast, scrappy, first-principles thinkers who make conviction-based bets on founders before market consensus forms. Sector Focus Hustle Fund operates with broad sector coverage, investing across: Developer Tools & Infrastructure — API platforms, DevOps, database solutions Enterprise SaaS — Vertical SaaS, workflow automation, business software Fintech — Payments, banking, insurance, crypto Digital Health — HealthTech, wellness platforms Consumer & Social — Consumer apps, social platforms, marketplaces Food & Agriculture — AgriTech, food innovation, supply chain PropTech — Real estate technology, housing solutions EdTech — Education technology, professional development Blockchain & Web3 — Crypto, NFTs, blockchain applications The fund has made 850+ investments demonstrating significant deployment velocity and network breadth. They invest globally with portfolio companies across US, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Stage Focus Hustle Fund is definitively early-stage: Pre-Seed — Concept stage, often pre-product Seed — First institutional capital Follow-on — Selective participation in Series A for portfolio winners They emphasize being the "first check" and can make investment decisions within 1-2 meetings, wiring funds within a week. Their positioning is "hilariously early"—backing founders at concept stage before traditional VCs will engage. Check Size Initial checks: $25K - $500K Typical seed: $100K - $250K Follow-on reserves: Maintained for portfolio winners They position themselves as accessible to founders at very early stages without requiring large minimum checks. Lead Tendency Leads at pre-seed and seed stages. Hustle Fund doesn't wait for other lead investors—they position themselves as first-check investors willing to make conviction bets on concept-stage founders. They also participate in follow-on rounds and occasionally lead Series A investments for portfolio standouts. Recent Activity Hustle Fund has been actively deploying through 2025 and into 2026: January 2026: Invested in Sound Games (Entertainment Software) December 2025: Invested in Ciphero AI Technologies (Pre-Seed) Ongoing: Angel Squad community with 2000+ angels doing co-investments Camp Hustle Asia: Annual event in Bali (September) The fund reviews 1000+ startups per month through its Angel Squad pipeline, filtering to 50-100 serious opportunities. Fund II is in active deployment phase. Portfolio Highlights Notable Exits & Success Stories: Webflow — No-code web development platform (co-founder Vlad Magdalin confirmed early partnership) NerdWallet — Personal finance platform Rupa Health — Lab testing infrastructure (founder testimonial on strategic partnership) Hemster — Tailoring technology Bicycle Health — Telemedicine for addiction treatment Boom Supersonic — Supersonic aircraft Representative Active Portfolio (by sector): Developer Tools: Pulley, Falcon, Vested Finance Enterprise SaaS: AbstractOps, Adaptive Live Fintech: Vested Finance, Amari AI Health: Accomplish Health, Bicycle Health Consumer: Sound Games AgriTech: 3DIMO (Africa), Agot AI PropTech: Aireal EdTech: Academlo (LatAm) Web3: AcadArena (Philippines) Portfolio spans 850+ companies across 6+ continents with strong representation in emerging markets. Team General Partners (Co-Founders): Elizabeth Yin — Recovering entrepreneur and marketer. SF Bay Area based. Deep operational experience from founding startups. Shiyan Koh — Combines pragmatism with SF Bay Area idealism. Known for analytical rigor ("loves factoids and weird humans"). Eric Bahn — Serial entrepreneur with 15 years startup experience. Obsessed with operational details and founder vibes. Investment & Operations Team: Haley Bryant — Partner. Formerly COO at Animalz. Strong operational background supporting portfolio. Brian Nichols — GM of Angel Squad. 2x founder, early leader at Lyft and Zoox. Deep scaling experience. Wael Jabir — Chief of Staff. Engineering background turned operator, handles scaling operations. Janel Spilker — Head of Business Development Elaine Lamsus — CFO/COO Decision Process Partnership model led by three co-founders with operational support. Decision-making is fast and founder-friendly: 1-2 meetings typical Decision within days Wire within a week The emphasis on "fast, scrappy, first-principles thinking" suggests minimal bureaucracy. They filter 1000+ monthly opportunities down to 50-100 serious looks, then move quickly on conviction. Geographic Focus Explicitly global. No geographic restrictions. Portfolio distribution: US: Bay Area, NYC, East Coast, South Latin America: Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil Africa: Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana Asia: Philippines, Singapore, Southeast Asia Europe: Via Angel Squad partnerships MENA: Dubai, emerging coverage Annual Camp Hustle Asia event in Bali demonstrates commitment to Asia-Pacific market. Founder Preferences Hustle Fund explicitly seeks "hustlers" — founders who are: Fast-moving and obsessed with their problem Operating on instinct before market consensus Willing to sacrifice comfort and conventional career paths "Weird humans" (founder team's own language) Operators with grit and determination Not requiring hand-holding but valuing mentorship They emphasize founder vibes and cultural fit alongside metrics. The team describes themselves as "nerdy" and value authenticity in founder interactions. Supporting Programs Redwood School — Customer acquisition and sales training program for portfolio founders Angel Squad — 2000+ angel investor community with weekly virtual events, co-investment opportunities, and deal flow access. Reviews 1000+ startups monthly. Founder Playbook Blog — Weekly content for founders on fundraising, operations, and growth Small Bets Blog — Content for angel investors on deal evaluation and portfolio strategy Deck Doctors — Pitch deck review resource and published ebook Interview Prep — Preparation resources for pitching to Hustle Fund Uncapped Notes — YouTube series on startup topics Fund Status Fund II is actively deploying with strong capital availability. Key indicators: 850+ total investments 93 NPS score from founders Consistent deal flow through January 2026 Active Angel Squad community growth Differentiators Speed — Decision in 1-2 meetings, wire within a week Angel Squad — Largest angel co-investment community (2000+ members) Global — No geographic constraints, strong emerging markets presence Operator DNA — All GPs are former founders Content Machine — Extensive educational resources for founders and angels Redwood School — Dedicated sales/growth training for portfolio