FAQs

When should I start the conversation with Proven?

The sooner the better, honestly. An investment decision, for both parties, is deeper than capital. We want to get to know you, and you’re gonna want to get to know us too.

If you’ve got a business concept, we’re ready to engage.

We’ll spend our first conversation understanding your background, your founder story, and diving into the problem you’re solving.

How does Proven Ventures make investment decisions?

First and foremost, we want every cold email. Reach out directly and know that our general partners take every first meeting. 

In our first conversation, we like to get to know you as founders, your company’s origin story and lessons from customers thus far. As our relationship progresses, we’ll delve deeper into your product, processes, people and sales approach. 

We can make an investment decision within a few conversations, but always value the time to get to know you and the business. 

What do you look for in a company?

Companies built from well defined and clearly identified customer needs, pains or problems. Ideally, companies that leverage technology to scale. 

We like to see a lean initial spend with insight into early, but promising, unit economics that shows a clear path to revenue.

And, we prefer to see companies that are built in Nebraska with plans to grow in Nebraska.

What size checks do you write?

Our “round tables only” approach ensures you have full clarity on what milestones unlock follow-on funding. Checks start at $50,000 and go all the way up to $500,000.

The fund has significant follow-on reserves to ensure each of our portfolio companies can come back to the well, quickly and efficiently, to raise additional capital.

This element of our fund construction allows you founders to spend more time building your business rather than fundraising for it.

What do you look for in a founding team?

Founders who know their bright spots and blind spots related to talents, role coverage and growth needs.

We want to see that you have urgent pace, consistent and deliberate execution from the founding team.

And, most importantly, we want full alignment on growth goals, partnership aspirations and operational plans.

What is it like working with Proven Ventures?

Our fund prioritizes the profitability and sustainability of your business above boom-or-bust venture.

We will do the work - lead sourcing, sales scriptwriting, customer support and more - to help you achieve exciting and sustainable revenue growth.

We fully expect that our portfolio company CEOs put us to work and set high expectations for our team’s role in their growth.