Banter Capital

ActiveVenture Capital

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Updated: Jan 22, 2026 ·

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Investments Made

Date	Company	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Co-Investor(s)
Sep 1, 2025	Omen AI	$11.0M Seed	—	Ben Taft's Genius Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, CRV, Openview Venture Partners, Pareto Holdings, Silence, Cory Levy
Dec 1, 2024	Basis	$34.0M Series A	—	Gautam Gupta, Kevin Hartz, Accel, AirAngels, Alt Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Bain Capital Ventures, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Bond, Builders, C2 Investment, Caffeinated Capital, CP Ventures, Day One Ventures, DST Global, DTCP, Emergence Capital, Felicis Ventures, FJ Labs, Flexcap, Flex Capital, Forerunner Ventures, Friends & Family Capital, Global Founders Capital, Greenoaks Capital, Humba Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Matrix, Sheila Lirio Marcelo, One Way Ventures, Otherwise Fund, Oyster Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Ribbit Capital, South Park Commons, Spark Capital, Streamlined Ventures, Summit Partners, SV Angel, The Hit Forge, Theory Forge Ventures, Triatomic Capital, Y Combinator, Aaron Levie, Adam D'Angelo, Alice Lloyd George, Amit Agarwal, Amjad Masad, Arash Ferdowsi, Azeem Azhar, Balaji Srinivasan, Ben Tossell, Claire Hughes Johnson, Frederic Kerrest, Gokul Rajaram, Howie Liu, Kulveer Taggar, Kyle Vogt, Mark Gillespie, Mathilde Collin, Matt Macinnis, Mei Z., Mike Vernal, Nkechi Iregbulem, Paul Graham, Paul Stahura, Rich Miner, Scott Belsky, Siqi Chen, Thijn Lamers, Vipul Ved Prakash, Vishal Rao
Oct 1, 2024	Antares	$30.0M Series A	—	Alt Capital, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Humba Ventures, Hustle Fund, Innovation Endeavors, Khosla Ventures, Oyster Ventures, ScOp Venture Capital, Dean Bartosh
Jun 1, 2024	Donna	$2.0M Seed	—	Dawn Capital, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Everywhere Ventures (The Fund), Flex Capital, Fortino Capital, Fuel Ventures, Gotham Gal Ventures, Hustle Fund, Offline Ventures, Oyster Ventures, Peak, Pitchdrive, Roosh Ventures, #SecretFund, Slow Ventures, XAnge, Yes VC, Boris Bogaert, Bradley Horowitz, Christian Reber, Dean Bartosh, Guillaume Luccisano, Justin Mateen, Thibaud Elziere, Willem Delbare, Wim Derkinderen, Youcef Es-skouri
Jun 1, 2024	Switchboard	$1.0M Seed	—	Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Everywhere Ventures (The Fund), Hustle Fund, Musha Ventures, Oyster Ventures, Dean Bartosh
May 1, 2024	The Lumber Manufactory	$4.0M Seed	—	Comcast Ventures, DN Capital, Embedded Ventures, Foundry Group, Gutter Capital, High Alpha, Humba Ventures, Hyperplane, Initial Capital, LightShed Ventures, London Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, MMC Ventures, Montauk Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Polychain Capital, Ravelin Capital, REMUS Capital, Slow Ventures, Smash Capital, Touchdown Ventures, Baron Davis, Dan Springer, Frank Sagnier, Griffin Johnson, Jeff Crusey, Keith Masback, Marc Benioff, Paul Heydon, Rich Riley, Rob Meyerson, Scott Banister
Mar 1, 2024	Melengo	$2.0M Seed	—	DN Capital, Initial Capital, LAUNCH, LightShed Ventures, London Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, MMC Ventures, Frank Sagnier, Paul Heydon, Scott Banister
Jan 1, 2024	Stell	$4.0M Seed	—	DN Capital, Female Founders Fund, Greycroft, Initial Capital, LightShed Ventures, London Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, MMC Ventures, Drew Houston, Frank Sagnier, Paul Heydon
Jun 1, 2022	Snowplow	$40.0M Series B	—	Accel, Atlantic Bridge, Cortical Ventures, Dell Technologies Capital, DN Capital, Initial Capital, LightShed Ventures, London Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, MMC Ventures, Tony Florence, New Enterprise Associates, Summit Partners, Marc Lore, Frank Caufield, Frank Sagnier, Paul Heydon, Scott Banister
Jan 1, 2021	Snowplow	$10.0M Series A	—	Atlantic Bridge, Cortical Ventures, Dell Technologies Capital, DN Capital, Initial Capital, LightShed Ventures, London Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, MMC Ventures, Summit Partners, Frank Caufield, Frank Sagnier, Paul Heydon, Scott Banister
Nov 1, 2019	Snowplow	$5.0M Series A	—	DN Capital, Initial Capital, LightShed Ventures, London Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, MMC Ventures, Frank Sagnier, Paul Heydon, Scott Banister
Nov 1, 2019	Alpaca	$6.0M Series A	—	Kevin Hartz, Broadway Angels, Comeback Capital, Dig Ventures, DNX Ventures, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Flex Capital, Hustle Fund, Lazerow Ventures, LombardStreet Ventures, Mucker Capital, Oyster Ventures, quadratura.it, Recursive Ventures, Richmond Global Ventures, Saints Capital, SignalFire, Slow Ventures, SNR, Social Leverage, Spark Capital, WGI Group, Adam D'Angelo, Brian O'Kelley, Charlie Songhurst, Dean Bartosh, Eric Ries, Eric Stein, Ethan Beard, Evangelos Simoudis, Jay Weintraub, Jeremy Lizt, Joanna Rees, Joe Zawadzki, Kim Perell, Mark Gerson, Ron Hirson, Russell Fradin, Russ Fradin, Scott Faber, Tien Tzuo, Travis May, Warren Jenson
Oct 1, 2019	(Re)vive	$4.0M Seed	—	Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Everywhere Ventures (The Fund), Geekdom Fund, Musha Ventures, Oyster Ventures, Quona Capital, Daren Cotter, Dean Bartosh, Humba Ventures, Hustle Fund, Ravelin Capital, Slow Ventures
Aug 1, 2019	Knock Knock	$4.0M Series A	—	DN Capital, Initial Capital, LightShed Ventures, London Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, March Capital, MMC Ventures, Frank Sagnier, Matt Mazzeo, Paul Heydon, Scott Banister
Apr 1, 2019	SmartGurlz Inc	$200K Seed	—	Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Expansion Venture Capital, Hustle Fund, Magical Capital, MetaProp Ventures, Oyster Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Race Capital, SeedInvest, World Fund, Anselm Adams, Anthony Pompliano, Daren Cotter, Mark Cuban
Aug 1, 2017	Matchmade	$2.0M Series A	—	DN Capital, Initial Capital, LightShed Ventures, London Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, MMC Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners, Play Ventures, Frank Sagnier, Scott Banister
May 1, 2016	Kek.tv	$3.0M Seed	—	500 Startups, BASS Investment, DN Capital, Initial Capital, LightShed Ventures, London Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, MMC Ventures, Play Ventures, Frank Sagnier, Juha Paananen, Nikolaj Nyholm, Paul Heydon, Scott Banister
Feb 1, 2015	Matchmade	$1.0M Seed	—	DN Capital, Initial Capital, LightShed Ventures, London Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, MMC Ventures, Frank Sagnier, Scott Banister
Apr 1, 2013	Peak	$3.0M Seed	—	DN Capital, Expa, Initial Capital, London Venture Partners, Quiet Capital, Chung-Man Tam, David Lau-Kee, James Kelm, Karl Jacob, Paul Heydon, Accelerator Ventures, Akshay Kothari, Alumni Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, AperiamVentures, Arash Ferdowsi, Betaworks Ventures, Cameron Lester, Coatue, General Catalyst, Georges Harik, Gokul Rajaram, Haystack, Jeremy Zimmer, Jude Gomila Rolling Fund, Kamran Ansari, LightShed Ventures, Long Journey Ventures, Math Capital, Max Mullen, Next Play Capital, Plug & Play Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Ron Pragides, Sam Altman, Scott Banister, Siqi Chen, Spark Capital, SRB Ventures, Sri Batchu, The Hit Forge, Uncork Capital, Vivek Patel, Zander Lurie
Jun 1, 2012	Rockbot	$1.0M Seed	—	Accelerator Ventures, Audrey Capital, Climate Capital, FirstMark Capital, FPV Fund, Greylock, Humba Ventures, Lightbank, Lowercarbon Capital, Offline Ventures, Red Swan Ventures, Semble Ventures, Sound Ventures, SV Angel, ThirdLove, True Ventures, Vayner RSE, Don Dodge, Evan Williams, Joshua Schachter, Philip Kaplan, Shervin Pishevar, Tim Ferriss, Alice Lloyd George, Alt Capital, Anthony Saleh, Arianna Huffington, Bill Gates, Bradley Horowitz, Clark Landry, Gideon Yu, Hadi Partovi, Human Augmentation Syndicate, Louis Beryl, MetaProp Ventures, Moxxie Ventures, NEO, Next Play Ventures, NFX, Nicolas Berggruen, QueensBridge Venture Partners, Richard Branson, Sam Altman, Scott Heiferman, Slow Ventures

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Banter Capital.

Heston Berkman

Partner

Leadership Team

Key people at Banter Capital.

Heston Berkman

Partner

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Banter Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on supporting founders who are unconventional, curious, and ambitious. Its investment philosophy centers on backing innovative companies across diverse sectors, including Financial Services, FinTech, Retail, Retail Technology, Gaming, Aerospace, Fashion, Cryptocurrency, and Advanced Materials. The firm typically leads Seed and Series A funding rounds and collaborates closely with angel investors, other VCs, and strategic partners. Geographically, Banter Capital invests primarily in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Poland. Through its portfolio, which includes companies like Hemster, Revive, and Gallatin AI, Banter Capital aims to foster growth and innovation in emerging and evolving industries[1][2].

Origin Story

Founded in Florida, Banter Capital was established by Heston Berkman, who serves as Founder and Partner. The firm has evolved through nearly a decade of apprenticeship under prominent venture capital mentors, shaping its investment approach and sector focus. Since its founding, Banter Capital has expanded its geographical reach and sector diversity, culminating in the closing of at least one fund in April 2024. The firm’s evolution reflects a commitment to identifying and nurturing startups that challenge norms and demonstrate strong growth potential[1][2].

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Focuses on early-stage investments, primarily Seed and Series A, with a hands-on approach and collaboration with a broad network of angels and VCs.
Network Strength: Leverages relationships across multiple sectors and geographies, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Poland.
Track Record: Portfolio includes innovative companies across a wide range of industries, demonstrating versatility and sector expertise.
Operating Support: Provides strategic guidance rooted in extensive mentorship experience, helping founders navigate early growth challenges[1].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Banter Capital rides the wave of increasing diversification in venture capital, investing across both traditional sectors like Financial Services and emerging fields such as Cryptocurrency and Advanced Materials. The timing is significant as startups in these areas are gaining momentum amid technological advances and shifting market demands. By supporting unconventional founders and a broad sector base, Banter Capital influences the startup ecosystem by fostering innovation that challenges industry norms and accelerates the adoption of new technologies[1].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Banter Capital is poised to deepen its impact by continuing to back ambitious founders at early stages, potentially expanding its fund size and sector reach. Trends such as the rise of decentralized finance, advanced materials innovation, and retail technology evolution will likely shape its investment focus. As the firm matures, its influence may grow beyond capital provision to become a key strategic partner in scaling disruptive startups, reinforcing its role as a catalyst in the venture capital ecosystem[1][2]. This trajectory aligns with its founding ethos of candid, direct engagement—true to the spirit of "banter"—with founders who are reshaping industries.

Sources

High-Level Overview

Origin Story

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Focuses on early-stage investments, primarily Seed and Series A, with a hands-on approach and collaboration with a broad network of angels and VCs.
Network Strength: Leverages relationships across multiple sectors and geographies, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Poland.
Track Record: Portfolio includes innovative companies across a wide range of industries, demonstrating versatility and sector expertise.
Operating Support: Provides strategic guidance rooted in extensive mentorship experience, helping founders navigate early growth challenges[1].