Zelkova Ventures logo

Zelkova Ventures

North America, Florida, United States, Miami

Description

Zelkova Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in Miami, Florida, with a clear focus on supporting promising startups from the Seed to Series A stages. The firm positions itself as more than just a capital provider, aiming to be a strategic partner for entrepreneurs building scalable businesses. Their investment philosophy is centered on identifying innovative companies with strong leadership teams and significant market potential, primarily within the United States. They demonstrate a sector-agnostic approach, with investments spanning B2B SaaS, fintech, healthcare, and consumer technology.

The firm's investment strategy is characterized by its commitment to providing initial capital that can significantly impact a startup's early growth trajectory. Zelkova Ventures typically writes initial checks ranging from $250,000 to $1,000,000. This range allows them to engage with a diverse set of early-stage companies, providing crucial funding for product development, team expansion, and market entry. They are known for their hands-on approach, leveraging their extensive network and operational expertise to assist portfolio companies in navigating the challenges of rapid scaling.

Beyond initial funding, Zelkova Ventures is prepared to provide substantial follow-on capital, demonstrating a long-term commitment to their portfolio companies' success. They can deploy up to $5,000,000 in subsequent funding rounds, ensuring that successful ventures have access to the necessary resources as they mature. This patient capital approach, combined with active mentorship and strategic guidance, underscores their dedication to fostering sustainable growth. As of early 2024, their portfolio includes over 30 companies across various sectors, reflecting their broad interest in disruptive technologies and business models.

Investor Profile

Zelkova Ventures has backed more than 101 startups, with 4 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 4 rounds, about 4% of its total and boasts 36 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Series A, Series Unknown rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Canada, Israel.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, SaaS, Enterprise Software.
  • Typical check size: $250K – $1M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (49%)
  • Series A (25%)
  • Series Unknown (8%)
  • Angel (5%)
  • Pre Seed (4%)
  • Series B (4%)
  • Convertible Note (2%)
  • Debt Financing (2%)
  • Series C (1%)
  • Undisclosed (1%)

Country Focus

  • United States (96%)
  • Canada (2%)
  • Israel (1%)
  • Sweden (1%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Saas
  • Enterprise Software
  • Analytics
  • Internet
  • E-commerce
  • Apps
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Fintech
circle-line
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Zelkova Ventures frequently co-invest with?

First Round Capital
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 5
Techstars
North America, Colorado, United States, Boulder
Co-Investments: 22
ff Venture Capital
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 7
500 Global
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 10
SV Angel
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 5
BoxGroup
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 7
Gotham Ventures
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 5
Uncork Capital
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 8
Techstars Ventures
North America, Colorado, United States, Boulder
Co-Investments: 14
Lerer Hippeau
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 10

Which angels does Zelkova Ventures often collaborate with?

FG
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 3
DS
North America, Massachusetts, United States, Boston
Shared Deals: 2
David Tisch
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 6
David Cancel
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
JC
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 3
WW
North America, Massachusetts, United States, Boston
Shared Deals: 5
PC
North America, California, United States, Los Angeles
Shared Deals: 6
AL
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Shared Deals: 2
JG
North America, Florida, United States, Miami Beach
Shared Deals: 3
SP
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 4

What are some of recent deals done by Zelkova Ventures?

Compyl

Brooklyn, New York, United States

Compyl is a provider of automated security and compliance solutions for business acceleration and security activities.

ComplianceCyber SecurityInformation TechnologyRisk ManagementSecuritySoftware
Series AJun 4, 2025
Amount Raised: $12,000,000
Respondology

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Respondology develops a customizable comment moderation tool for businesses or anyone with a large online audience.

AdvertisingSocial Media ManagementSpam Filtering
Series AApr 23, 2025
Amount Raised: $5,000,000
Ocient

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Ocient is a hyper-scale data analytics company that allows organizations to unlock value by analyzing petabyte to exabyte scale data sets.

AnalyticsBig DataComputerDatabase
Series BApr 22, 2025
Amount Raised: $42,100,000
Basil

New York, New York, United States

Workforce management software for busy in-house teams & agencies.

Contact ManagementCRMEnterprise SoftwareInformation TechnologyMarketingProductivity ToolsProject ManagementSaaS
UndisclosedSep 1, 2024
FORA

Nyack, New York, United States

FORA is an Artificial intelligence startup designed for the C-suite

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Generative AISoftwareWeb Development
Pre SeedJan 31, 2024
Amount Raised: $3,800,000
Respondology

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Respondology develops a customizable comment moderation tool for businesses or anyone with a large online audience.

AdvertisingSocial Media ManagementSpam Filtering
Series AApr 6, 2023
Amount Raised: $11,000,000
myPocketCFO

San Francisco, California, United States

A friendly tool for CPG founders to automate bookkeeping, interpret financial statements, and collaborate with CFOs for decision making.

AccountingAnalyticsConsumer GoodsE-CommerceFinancial ServicesSmall and Medium Businesses
Pre SeedNov 8, 2022
Notably

Florida, New York, United States

Notably offers a qualitative research intelligence platform for building a SaaS product & offering qualitative research.

SaaSUX Design
SeedOct 12, 2022
Amount Raised: $1,500,000
Teal

Miami, Florida, United States

A personal career growth platform that gives you the tools, skills, & recommendations you need to accelerate your career.

Career PlanningPersonal DevelopmentProfessional Services
SeedJun 6, 2022
Amount Raised: $6,300,000
Vitally

New York, New York, United States

Vitally is a customer success platform (CSP) designed for maximizing productivity, visibility and collaboration, plus eliminate churn.

AnalyticsB2BData VisualizationInternetProductivity ToolsSaaS
Series AJun 24, 2021
Amount Raised: $9,200,000