Benchstrength

ActiveVenture Capital

Updated: Dec 24, 2025 ·

About

Benchstrength is an early stage venture capital firm focused on investing in technology companies that transform business and uplift communities.

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Investments Made

Date	Company	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Co-Investor(s)
Nov 1, 2025	Lumonous	$16.0M Series B	—	Alpha Venture Partners, Collide Capital, Flybridge Capital Partners
Jun 1, 2025	Typedef	$6.0M Seed	—	Adeyemi Ajao, Rexhep Dollaku, Emergence Capital, Pear VC
May 1, 2025	Rhizome	$7.0M Seed	—	Adeyemi Ajao, Base10 Partners, B Capital Group, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Convective Capital, Emergence Capital, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Everywhere Ventures (The Fund), Expedite Ventures, Foxmont Capital Partners, Moxxie Ventures, Pear VC, Powerhouse Ventures, Gokul Rajaram, Ron Pragides
May 1, 2025	Rentana	$5.0M Seed	—	Matrix, Two Sigma Ventures, Zigg Capital, Mike Bestvina
May 1, 2025	Glide	$15.0M Series A	—	Acrew Capital, Act One Ventures, Alumni Ventures, American Express Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Adeyemi Ajao, Rexhep Dollaku, Coelius Capital, Company Capital, Craft Ventures, Emergence Capital, ENIAC Ventures, f7 Ventures, Homebrew, Index Ventures, Inspired Capital, Latitud, Operator Collective, Pear VC, Play Ventures, Precursor Ventures, PS Investments, Saga, Sequoia Capital, Stash Ventures, The General Partnership, Vamos Ventures, Visible Ventures, Y Combinator, Akshay Kothari, Alexandre Prot, Arash Ferdowsi, Claire Hughes Johnson, Emanuel Pleitez, Gloria Baeuerlein, Guillaume Princen, Hanno Renner, Jean Charles Samuelian, Job Van Der Voort, Maxime Paradis
Apr 1, 2025	heva	$3.0M Seed	—	Alpha Venture Partners, Adeyemi Ajao, Rexhep Dollaku, Carya Venture Partners, Collide Capital, Emergence Capital, Flybridge Capital Partners, Latitud, Nazca Ventures, Pear VC, Pioneer Fund, QED Investors, Quona Capital, Sierra Ventures, VentureSouth, Akshay Kothari, Anshu Sharma, Daren Cotter, Shamir Karkal
Feb 1, 2025	DevAI	$6.0M Seed	—	9Yards Capital, Adeyemi Ajao, Rexhep Dollaku, Base10 Partners, Construct Capital, Emergence Capital, Global Innovation Fund, Greenoaks Capital, Kamay Ventures, Next Ventures, Pear VC, Precursor Ventures, Ride Ventures, TCV, Ankit Jain, Arash Ferdowsi, Evan Moore, Felipe Villamarin, Juan Pablo Ortega, Jun Hwang, Luc Vincent, Simon Borrero
Aug 1, 2024	DEFCON AI	$44.0M Seed	—	Atomico, Bessemer Venture Partners, Converge Venture Partners, Craft Ventures, Defy Partners, Dimension Capital, Fitz Gate Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, M13, Red Swan Ventures, RTP Global, Sinai Ventures, Andreas Ehn
Apr 1, 2024	TaxDown	$5.0M Venture Round	—	Adeyemi Ajao, Rexhep Dollaku, Base10 Partners, Emergence Capital, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, JME Ventures, Pear VC, Felipe Navio, Javier Perez-Tenessa, Juan Urdiales, Kyle York, Philippe Teixeira da Mota
Apr 1, 2024	The Folklore Group	$3.0M Seed	—	fab Ventures, Slauson & Co., Untapped Capital
Oct 1, 2023	Automata	$40.0M Venture Round	—	Atomico, Bessemer Venture Partners, Converge Venture Partners, Craft Ventures, Defy Partners, Dimension Capital, Fitz Gate Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, M13, Octopus Ventures, Red Swan Ventures, RTP Global, Sinai Ventures, Andreas Ehn, Robin Klein
Jul 1, 2023	Wizzer	$400K Seed	—	B2 Founders, Kamay Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, NFX, Felipe Villamarin, Juan Pablo Ortega, Jun Hwang, Matias Woloski
Jun 1, 2023	Muta	$180K Seed	—	Impacta VC, Kamay Ventures, Felipe Villamarin, Juan Pablo Ortega, Jun Hwang, Simon Borrero
Jun 1, 2023	Altis Labs	$6.0M Seed	—	General Catalyst, New Voices Fund
Apr 1, 2023	Otis AI	$2.0M Seed	—	01 Ventures, 9Yards Capital, Kevin Hartz, Accel, Acrew Capital, Adverb Ventures, Alumni Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Audrey Capital, Blitzscaling Ventures, Bond, Broadway Angels, C2 Investment, CapitalG, Coatue, Cota Capital, Craft Ventures, Daffy, Dragoneer Investment Group, Flex Capital, FPV Fund, General Catalyst, Hardware Club, Heretic Ventures, Incite Ventures, LOI Venture, Pear VC, Quiet Capital, Redpoint Ventures, SciFi VC, Seven Seven Six, Sherpalo Ventures, Sound Ventures, South Park Commons, SV Angel, Tribe Capital, Y Combinator, Aaron Levie, Aaron Patzer, Aston Motes, Charlie Cheever, Clara Shih, Dharmesh Shah, Doug Sleeter, Drew Houston, Eric Ries, Hiten Shah, Jared Leto, Jeff Seibert, Jeremy Stoppelman, Josh Silverman, Justin Rosenstein, Kris Duggan, Louis Beryl, Marco Zappacosta, Matt Mickiewicz, Phil Libin, Sam Altman, Seth Sternberg, Tien Tzuo, Tobias Lutke, Wayne Chang
Mar 1, 2023	Bacu	$6.0M Seed	—	Atomico, Bessemer Venture Partners, Canary Ventures, Converge Venture Partners, Corazon Capital, Craft Ventures, CRV, Defy Partners, Dimension Capital, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Fitz Gate Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Kamay Ventures, M13, Maven Ventures, monashees, Montage Ventures, OurCrowd, Red Swan Ventures, RTP Global, Sinai Ventures, Andreas Ehn, Felipe Villamarin, Juan Pablo Ortega, Pablo Viguera, Preetha Parthasarathy, Simon Borrero
Nov 1, 2022	GoPerfect	$14.0M Seed	—	Atomico, Bessemer Venture Partners, Converge Venture Partners, Craft Ventures, Defy Partners, Dimension Capital, Fitz Gate Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, M13, Red Swan Ventures, RTP Global, Sinai Ventures, Andreas Ehn
Oct 1, 2022	Banyan	$28.0M Series A	—	Adverb Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Chloe Sladden, Jana Messerschmidt, Anthemis Group, Atomico, Bessemer Venture Partners, Converge Venture Partners, Craft Ventures, Defy Partners, Dimension Capital, Fin Capital, Fitz Gate Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Haun Ventures, M13, Otherwise Fund, Pareto Holdings, QED Investors, Red Swan Ventures, RTP Global, Sequoia Capital, Sinai Ventures, Trajectory Ventures, Wellington Management, Akshay Kothari, Andreas Ehn, Andy Coravos
Oct 1, 2022	Mars Materials	$660K Seed	—	fab Ventures, Slauson & Co., Untapped Capital
Jun 1, 2022	Homelister	$10.0M Series A	—	Atomico, Bessemer Venture Partners, Converge Venture Partners, Costanoa Ventures, Craft Ventures, Defy Partners, Dimension Capital, Fitz Gate Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Homebrew, M13, Norwest Venture Partners, Red Swan Ventures, RTP Global, Sinai Ventures, Workday Ventures, Andreas Ehn
Apr 1, 2022	The Folklore Group	$2.0M Seed	—	fab Ventures, Slauson & Co., Untapped Capital
Mar 1, 2022	Apploi	$25.0M Series B	—	Atomico, Bessemer Venture Partners, Converge Venture Partners, Craft Ventures, Defy Partners, Dimension Capital, Fitz Gate Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, M13, OurCrowd, Red Swan Ventures, RTP Global, Sinai Ventures, Supernode Ventures, Underscore, Andreas Ehn
Mar 1, 2022	TaxDown	$6.0M Seed	—	Armilar Venture Partners, Adeyemi Ajao, Rexhep Dollaku, Base10 Partners, Emergence Capital, Giant Ventures, JME Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Passion Capital, Pear VC, Seedcamp, Felipe Navio, Javier Perez-Tenessa, Juan Urdiales, Martin Villig, Philippe Teixeira da Mota, Rolf Schrömgens, Sacha Michaud, Tom Blomfield, Victoria van Lennep
Jan 1, 2022	Canalyst	$70.0M Series C	—	9Yards Capital, Kevin Hartz, Accel, Acrew Capital, Adverb Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Audrey Capital, Blitzscaling Ventures, Bond, Broadway Angels, C2 Investment, CapitalG, Coatue, Cota Capital, Craft Ventures, Daffy, Dragoneer Investment Group, Flex Capital, FPV Fund, General Catalyst, Hardware Club, Heretic Ventures, Incite Ventures, LOI Venture, Pear VC, Quiet Capital, Redpoint Ventures, SciFi VC, Seven Seven Six, Sherpalo Ventures, Sound Ventures, South Park Commons, SV Angel, Tribe Capital, Y Combinator, Aaron Levie, Aaron Patzer, Aston Motes, Charlie Cheever, Clara Shih, Dharmesh Shah, Doug Sleeter, Drew Houston, Eric Ries, Hiten Shah, Jared Leto, Jeff Seibert, Jeremy Stoppelman, Josh Silverman, Justin Rosenstein, Kris Duggan, Larry Augustin, Louis Beryl, Marco Zappacosta, Matt Mickiewicz, Phil Libin, Sam Altman, Seth Sternberg, Tien Tzuo, Tobias Lutke, Wayne Chang
Nov 1, 2021	CloudTrucks	$120.0M Series B	—	20VC, Activant Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Atomico, Balderton Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, BlueRun Ventures, Buckley Ventures, C2 Investment, Caffeinated Capital, Company Capital, Converge Venture Partners, Craft Ventures, CrunchFund, Curated, Daffy, Defy Partners, Dimension Capital, Fitz Gate Ventures, Flex Capital, Flybridge Capital Partners, Founder Collective, Greylock, GSV Asset Management, Heretic Ventures, Indeed.com, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, M13, Menlo Ventures, Next Play Ventures, Red Swan Ventures, Ride Ventures, RTP Global, SciFi VC, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sinai Ventures, Weekend Fund, WorkLife Ventures, Andreas Ehn, Anthony Pompliano, Baron Davis, Fidji Simo, Jeremy Yap, John Collison, Kevin Lin, Kintan Brahmbhatt, Mike Krieger, Rob Theis, Scott Belsky, Steve Chen, Vipul Ved Prakash, William Hockey

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Benchstrength.

Leadership Team

Key people at Benchstrength.

Deep Dive

Benchstrength is a New York City–based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2022 by former General Catalyst investors Ken Chenault Jr. and John Monagle. The firm’s mission is to invest in high-potential technology startups that transform business and uplift communities, focusing on pre-seed and seed-stage companies primarily in enterprise, fintech, healthcare, and consumer sectors. Benchstrength emphasizes sustainability, operational excellence, and diversity, supporting founders often overlooked by traditional venture capital networks. Since its inception, it has raised a $62 million fund backed by prominent institutional and individual investors and built a portfolio of about 20 companies, including AI-driven startups in pharma, personal styling, wealth management, and women’s healthcare[1][2][3][4].

Benchstrength was founded in 2022 by Ken Chenault Jr. and John Monagle, who met at Harvard Business School and previously worked together at General Catalyst. Their combined decades of investing experience shaped the firm’s focus on early-stage tech companies with strong growth potential and social impact. The firm has evolved to emphasize diversity and inclusion alongside financial returns, leveraging a network of experienced partners and institutional backers. Key team members include Principal Kendra Schultz and Head of Network Aleksandra Imbasciani, who contribute to sourcing and supporting portfolio companies[1][2][3][5].

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Focus on pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups with a commitment to sustainability and operational excellence.
Network Strength: Backed by top-tier institutional investors (e.g., Ford Foundation, Goldman Sachs) and influential individual investors (e.g., Henry Kravis, Ursula Burns).
Track Record: Rapidly built a diverse portfolio of 20 companies across enterprise, fintech, healthcare, and consumer sectors within a few years.
Operating Support: Provides hands-on support to founders, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, leveraging deep industry and investment expertise.

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Benchstrength rides the growing trend of early-stage venture capital focusing on technology companies that combine innovation with social impact. The timing is favorable due to increasing investor interest in diversity, sustainability, and healthcare innovation, alongside fintech and enterprise software growth. By backing diverse founders and transformative technologies, Benchstrength influences the startup ecosystem by expanding access to capital and operational resources, helping shape a more inclusive and sustainable tech landscape[2][3].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Benchstrength is poised to continue scaling its influence by deploying capital into emerging technology sectors with strong societal impact. Trends such as AI integration in healthcare and fintech, increasing demand for sustainable business models, and a focus on diversity in entrepreneurship will likely shape its investment strategy. As the firm matures, its role as a bridge between institutional capital and underrepresented founders could deepen, further amplifying its impact on the venture ecosystem and the broader technology landscape[3][4].

Sources

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Focus on pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups with a commitment to sustainability and operational excellence.
Network Strength: Backed by top-tier institutional investors (e.g., Ford Foundation, Goldman Sachs) and influential individual investors (e.g., Henry Kravis, Ursula Burns).
Track Record: Rapidly built a diverse portfolio of 20 companies across enterprise, fintech, healthcare, and consumer sectors within a few years.
Operating Support: Provides hands-on support to founders, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, leveraging deep industry and investment expertise.