Early Stage Partners

Early Stage Partners is a venture capital firm based in Cleveland, Ohio, that provides capital and advisory services to early-stage technology companies operating throughout the Midwestern United States. The firm operates with a team of approximately two employees and manages its investments through dedicated financial vehicles, specifically launching ESP Fund I in 2002 and ESP Fund II in 2008. The organization targets top-quartile financial returns for its limited partners by facilitating strategic corporate acquisitions and liquidity events for its regional investments. This strategy was demonstrated in 2014 when the firm recorded portfolio exits totaling nearly $750 million in combined transaction value. Notable portfolio companies involved in these transactions include TOA Technologies, which was acquired by Oracle, alongside medical technology developers Simbionix and Reverse Medical. Early Stage Partners was originally founded in 2001 by co-founder Jonathan Murry.