Overlooked Ventures

Overlooked Ventures Research Investment Thesis Overlooked Ventures is a mission-driven venture capital fund focused on democratizing access to venture capital by investing in early-stage companies founded by historically overlooked and underrepresented founders. The firm was founded in May 2021 by Janine Sickmeyer and Brandon Brooks, two successful entrepreneurs who recognized significant gaps in VC funding for women, Black, and other marginalized founders. The fund's core belief is grounded in data showing that companies with diverse founding teams perform 30% better according to McKinsey research, yet less than 2.5% of all venture capital reaches women founders and less than 1% reaches Black founders. Sickmeyer and Brooks founded Overlooked Ventures to systematically correct this market inefficiency. Fund Structure and Size Overlooked Ventures Fund I is a $50 million pre-seed/seed-stage fund filed as a 506(c) offering, allowing public marketing. The fund targets 80-100 portfolio companies across industry-agnostic tech, tech-enabled, and direct-to-consumer sectors. Investment Stage and Check Sizes The fund focuses exclusively on early-stage investments: Primary Stage : Pre-Seed and Seed Check Size Range : $150,000 - $250,000 Target Ownership : Approximately 10% with reserve reserves for follow-on investments Investment Approach : Non-lead investor (does not lead rounds) Portfolio Composition and Diversity As of May 2022, Overlooked Ventures' portfolio reflected strong commitment to backing historically overlooked founders: Nearly 60% women founders 41.7% Black founders 16.7% Latino/Latina founders 16.7% Indian founders 8.3% Syrian founders Other underrepresented backgrounds As of September 2022, the fund had invested in 16 companies across diverse sectors. Notable portfolio companies include: Pipe (unicorn, Series C) - Revenue-based financing marketplace for SaaS businesses, based in Los Angeles Prometeo (Series A) - Open banking API platform based in Montevideo, Uruguay Femly (Seed) - Organic menstrual hygiene products, Baltimore-based Lalo (Seed) - Family social networking app, Bothell-based Carpe Diem Social (Seed) - Most recent investment (September 2022) Recent Activity and Fund Status The fund has been actively deploying capital since late 2021 when initial LP commitments were secured. In March 2022, Bank of America committed to investing in the fund, validating the firm's mission and approach. Sickmeyer indicated in 2023 that while fund I had completed most of its 80-100 target portfolio companies, the fund had not yet invested in any Central Ohio startups, though some final positions were possible. As of late 2023, the fund appeared to be in the final deployment stages. Investment Decision Process Overlooked Ventures operates as a partnership with both GPs actively involved in investment decisions. The firm has built an extensive founder and advisor network including: Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund) Marie Rocha (Realist Ventures) McKeever "Mac" Conwell (RareBreed Ventures) Saba Karim (Techstars) Katelin Holloway (Seven Seven Six) The decision-making process emphasizes founder fit and founder story, with particular attention to the backgrounds, experiences, and overcome obstacles of founding teams. Founder Preferences and Investment Criteria Overlooked Ventures explicitly seeks: Founders from historically marginalized communities (women, Black founders, immigrant founders, founders from underrepresented backgrounds) Technical and non-technical founders with entrepreneurial drive and grit Founders with compelling stories of overcoming systemic obstacles Teams demonstrating resilience and resourcefulness Founders committed to serving customers and building meaningful companies The fund prefers founders who: Have already demonstrated progress (early revenue, traction, or strong MVP) Understand their market and customer pain points Show operational discipline and resourcefulness Value transparency and authentic relationships Sector and Model Focus Investments span a broad range of sectors reflecting the "industry-agnostic" approach: Consumer and retail companies Media and entertainment Enterprise applications Software platforms DTC (direct-to-consumer) brands Fintech and financial services Social and community platforms Healthcare and wellness No particular sector is excluded from consideration, with the fund maintaining flexibility to deploy across tech, tech-enabled, and consumer categories. Co-Investment and Network The fund actively co-invests with complementary investors including: Elevate Capital Shor Capital Various angel investors and smaller funds The firm's extensive founder network and board of advisors allows portfolio companies to access operational expertise, marketing and sales strategy, fundraising guidance, and business development support beyond just capital. Operations and Support A distinguishing characteristic of Overlooked Ventures is the founders' commitment to hands-on support. Both Sickmeyer and Brooks are experienced entrepreneurs and bring operational expertise to portfolio company support: Pitch preparation and fundraising guidance for future rounds Marketing and sales strategy development Hiring and team building support Network introductions and business development Strategic advisory at key milestones This approach reflects the founders' personal bootstrap journeys and recognition that many overlooked founders lack access to the operator networks and business expertise that better-capitalized teams take for granted. Historical Context and Founder Story Janine Sickmeyer founded a legal tech startup (NextChapter) in 2016 after eight months of unsuccessful fundraising attempts. Despite strong product traction (14% month-over-month growth for three years), she faced gender bias and ultimately bootstrapped to profitability. The company was acquired in 2019. Post-acquisition, Sickmeyer began angel investing in women and underrepresented founders, investing in nine companies through Let's Start Up Ventures before meeting Brandon Brooks. Brandon Brooks came to the partnership with experience as a successful tech entrepreneur and founder. Together, they founded Overlooked Ventures to systematically address the market inefficiency of overlooked talent. Fund Philosophy The fund's core philosophy is grounded in five key insights: Diverse teams drive better returns : Research from McKinsey, West River Group, and others demonstrates that diverse founding teams create more innovation and superior business outcomes. Systematic discrimination limits capital access : Black Americans face historical systemic barriers to financial services and capital access (net worth gap of 10x relative to white families). Women and other founders face similar structural barriers. Emerging diverse fund managers drive diverse investments : Firms with diverse partners invest in diverse founders at higher rates, and diverse partnerships achieve better returns (9.7% higher profitability, 20% higher net IRR in emerging markets). Market inefficiency creates opportunity : With 86% of 2020 VC funding going to all-male teams and less than 1% to Black founders, there is massive untapped talent and opportunity. Operator support matters : Overlooked founders often lack access to business networks and operational expertise that well-connected teams have. Providing this support multiplies the value of capital. Fund Metrics and Confidence The fund is too early-stage to have exit data, but early indicators are positive: One portfolio company (Pipe) has reached unicorn status Portfolio companies are across multiple stages (Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series C) Diverse portfolio across sectors suggests resilience and opportunity capture Strong LP backing from institutional sources (Bank of America) validates the approach Contact and Application Process Founders can apply to Overlooked Ventures through their Airtable form at https://airtable.com/shrxICQtjx7CUcVyR. The firm accepts applications year-round for Fund I and is transparent about their mission and criteria.