Garden City Companies

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)
Feb 1, 2022	Plural.com	$750K Seed	—	Celesta, Company Capital, Crosscut Ventures, LOI Venture, Meritech Capital Partners, Pareto Holdings, Softbank Group, Village Global, Jason Robins
Feb 1, 2022	Biomason	$65.0M Series C	—	Celesta, Company Capital, Crosscut Ventures, Meritech Capital Partners, Softbank Group, Village Global, Jason Robins
Sep 1, 2021	Envisagenics	$19.0M Series A	—	01 Advisors, AVANT BIO, Celesta, Company Capital, Conviction Partners, Crosscut Ventures, Madrona Ventures, Meritech Capital Partners, Operator Collective, Softbank Group, Village Global, Jason Robins, Josh Silverman
Aug 1, 2021	Apeel Sciences	$250.0M Series E	—	Acre Venture Partners, Astanor Ventures, Congruent Ventures, Founders Fund, Jay, Shawn Modarresi, K2 Global, Khosla Ventures, Pario Ventures, Prelude Ventures, Presight Capital, Serena Ventures, Seven Seven Six, The March Group, Transformation Capital, What If Ventures, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Bill Gates, Derek Jeter, Jay Z, Jonathan Neman, Paul George, Raj Luhar, Shane Neman, Trevor Noah, William Adams
Aug 1, 2021	Xentral	$75.0M Series B	—	Alven, Atomico, Celesta, Company Capital, Crosscut Ventures, La Famiglia, Meritech Capital Partners, Northzone, Point Nine Capital, #SecretFund, Sequoia Capital, Softbank Group, Village Global, Visionaries Club, Jason Robins, Nicolas Steegmann, Thibaud Elziere
Aug 1, 2021	Lockstep	$3.0M Series A	—	Celesta, Company Capital, Crosscut Ventures, Meritech Capital Partners, Softbank Group, Village Global, Jason Robins
May 1, 2021	Bitski	$19.0M Series A	—	2.12 Angels, Kevin Hartz, AME Cloud Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Angelic Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Matt Ocko, DFJ, Dispersion Capital, Dreamers VC, Founders Fund, Goat Capital, Goodwater Capital, Greylock, Hardware Club, Jay, Shawn Modarresi, K2 Global, Khosla Ventures, LAUNCH, Locus Ventures, Marcy Venture Partners, Mayfield, Menlo Ventures, Obscura, Off the Grid Ventures, Pantera Capital, Pario Ventures, SeaChange Fund, Serena Ventures, Seven Seven Six, South Park Commons, The Hit Forge, Uncork Capital, Verified Capital, Witz Ventures, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Balaji Srinivasan, Bill Gates, Chris Kelly, James Hong, Jared Leto, Jay Z, Jeff Seibert, John Hennessy, Katy Perry, Paul George, Raj Luhar, Rob Glaser, Sean Rad, Shane Neman, Shervin Pishevar, Trevor Noah, William Adams
Apr 1, 2021	Level	$27.0M Series A	—	#ANGELS (Hashtag ANGELS), Electric Capital, Jay, Shawn Modarresi, K2 Global, Khosla Ventures, Pario Ventures, Serena Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Thirty Five Ventures, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Baron Davis, Bill Gates, Brendan O'Driscoll, Jay Z, Katy Perry, Paul George, Raj Luhar, Shane Neman, Trevor Noah, William Adams
Mar 1, 2021	Looped	$8.0M Seed	—	14W, 20VC, Adjacent, Audacious Ventures, Awesome People Ventures, Founders Fund, Greylock, Intuition Capital, Jay, Shawn Modarresi, K2 Global, Khosla Ventures, Night Capital, Pario Ventures, Serena Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Vibe Capital, Will Ventures, WorkLife Ventures, Alexandre Scialom, Ash Pournouri, Bill Gates, Bradley Horowitz, Casey Neistat, Jay Z, Jean Charles Samuelian, Jesse Leimgruber, Katy Perry, Matt Gibstein, Paul George, Paul Yacoubian, Raj Luhar, Scott Belsky, Sebastian Ingrosso, Shane Neman, Steve Schlafman, Thibaud Elziere, Trevor Noah, William Adams
Jan 1, 2021	Huddles	$4.0M Seed	—	Jay, Shawn Modarresi, K2 Global, Khosla Ventures, Pario Ventures, Serena Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Bill Gates, Jay Z, Katy Perry, Paul George, Raj Luhar, Shane Neman, Trevor Noah, William Adams
Dec 1, 2020	Public	$65.0M Series C	—	2xN, Accel, Advancit Capital, Bono, BoxGroup, Courtside Ventures, Equity Alliance, Founder Collective, Founders Fund, Fusion VC, General Catalyst, Hanabi Capital, K2 Global, Lakestar, Lerer Hippeau, Lightspeed Venture Partners, M13, Mantis VC, Obvious Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Sapphire Ventures, Susa Ventures, Tencent Holdings, Thrive Capital, True Ventures, Yes VC, Biz Stone, Bryan Meehan, Evan Williams, Jared Leto, Mike Krieger, Stanley Druckenmiller
Dec 1, 2020	Squire	$45.0M Series C	—	Alumni Ventures, Battery Ventures, CapitalG, Catapult Capital, Cedar Capital Group, Clear Ventures, Craft Ventures, CRV, Dragoneer Investment Group, Eunoia Capital Partners, FirstMark Capital, FPV Fund, Insight Partners, Jay, Shawn Modarresi, K2 Global, Khosla Ventures, Mayfield, Pario Ventures, Penny Jar Capital, Prosperity7 Ventures, Rally Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, Serena Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Singular, Snowflake Ventures, Team Builder Ventures, Telescope Partners, Trinity Ventures, VSC Ventures, Wellington Management, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Bill Gates, Cherian Mathew, Gautam Shah, Jay Z, Katy Perry, Paul George, Raj Luhar, Shane Neman, Steven Kamali, Sue Bird, Tim Kendall, William Adams
Sep 1, 2020	Rally	$17.0M Series B	—	Better Tomorrow Ventures, Drive Capital, FJ Labs, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Matchstick Ventures, Rucker Park Capital, Seven Seven Six, Social Leverage, TCG (The Chernin Group), Team Ignite Ventures, Techstars, Todd and Rahul's Angel Fund, Trust Ventures, Mark Pincus, Vince Thompson
Aug 1, 2020	Lyra Health	$110.0M Series D	—	Dragoneer Investment Group, Forerunner Ventures, Founders Fund, Greylock, GSV Acceleration, IVP, Jay, Shawn Modarresi, K2 Global, Khosla Ventures, Andrew Schoen, Scott Sandell, O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, Pario Ventures, Red Swan Ventures, Renegade Partners, Serena Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Susa Ventures, Tenaya Capital, Tiger Global Management, Tribe Capital, Venrock, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Arianna Huffington, Bill Gates, Howard Schultz, Jared Leto, Jay Z, Katy Perry, Megan Quinn, Michael Abramson, Paul George, Raj Luhar, Richard Branson, Shane Neman, Trevor Noah, William Adams
Aug 1, 2020	Vicarious Surgical	$13.0M Series A	—	Dimension Capital, Innovation Endeavors, Lux Capital, Osage University Partners, The Column Group, UpHonest Capital, Bill Gates, Marc Benioff
Aug 1, 2020	Coda	$80.0M Series C	—	1984 Ventures, 75 & Sunny, Abstract Ventures, AlleyCorp, AME Cloud Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Angel investor, Jana Messerschmidt, Bain Capital Ventures, Banana Capital, BoxGroup, Craft Ventures, First Round Capital, FJ Labs, Foundation Capital, Friále, General Catalyst, Glilot Capital Partners, Greylock, Hack VC, Hardware Club, Inspired Capital, Kleiner Perkins, KRM Interests LLC, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Manta Ray Ventures, Moving Capital, NextView Ventures, NTT Venture Capital, OurCrowd, Pareto Holdings, Pioneer Fund, Polychain Capital, QueensBridge Venture Partners, Renegade Partners, Republic Records, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, SoftBank Investment Advisers, Team Ignite Ventures, Todd and Rahul's Angel Fund, Trust Ventures, YLEM, Aaron Harris, Demetrios Christofidis Jr, Eric Wu, Fabio Cannavale, Immad Akhund, Josh Mohrer, Konstantin von Unger, Kristian Segerstrale, Michael Ma, Nick Jonas, Ran Makavy, Rashaun Williams, rich simoni, Steve Aoki, Steve Chen, Varsha Rao, Vince Thompson, Yair Tauman, Yaron Lemelbaum
May 1, 2020	Command E	$4.0M Seed	—	8090 Industries, 8VC, A Capital, Addition, AIX Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Angel investor, Betaworks Ventures, BlueRun Ventures, Chapter One Ventures, Climate Capital, Color Capital, Craft Ventures, Creandum, Divergent Capital, Double Down, DST Global, E1 Ventures, Eunoia Capital Partners, Factorial, Fika Ventures, Flucas Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Insight Partners, Lakestar, LGF, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Listen, Lux Capital, MaC Venture Capital, Menlo Ventures, Next47, Oak HC/FT, Otherwise Fund, Partners Resolute, Roosh Ventures, Scribble Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, Shrug Capital, Social Capital, Sound Ventures, Summit Partners, Web Smith, Team Ignite Ventures, Techstars, The Hit Forge, Thirdbase Capital, Thirty Five Ventures, Todd and Rahul's Angel Fund, Tribe Capital, Trust Ventures, Weekend Fund, WorkLife Ventures, Alex Pattis, Andrew Gluck, Augusto Marietti, Austin Ogilvie, Balaji Srinivasan, Brad Bitler, Bradley Horowitz, Casey Neistat, Charles Zedlewski, Clement Benoit, Florian Douetteau, Gokul Rajaram, Jaime Schmidt, Jeff Morris, Jeff Seibert, Jen Rubio Butterfield, Jim Pallotta, Jon Runyan, Kevin Weil, Ligaya Tichy, Marc Benioff, Mark Chou, Michael Ma, Moshe Lifschitz, Peter Ackerson, Peter Hunn, Ronny Conway, Ryan Chan, Sahin Boydas, Shervin Pishevar, Sung ho Choi, Thibaud Elziere, Tim Ferriss, Valentin Gui, Vince Thompson, Wayne Chang, Zach Segal
May 1, 2020	Apeel Sciences	$250.0M Series D	—	BoxGroup, Brand Foundry Ventures, Brighton Park Capital, Cowboy Ventures, Imaginary Ventures, Jay, Shawn Modarresi, K2 Global, Khosla Ventures, Pario Ventures, Serena Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Upfront Ventures, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Bill Gates, Ellie Wheeler, Jay Z, Paul George, Rachel Zoe, Raj Luhar, Shane Neman, Trevor Noah, William Adams
Feb 1, 2020	AdQuick	$6.0M Series A	—	2xN, 3one4 Capital, Kevin Hartz, Addition, Andreessen Horowitz, AngelList, Atomico, Balderton Capital, BITKRAFT Ventures, Bono, Coatue, Convective Capital, Coughdrop Capital, CRV, Daft Capital, Eclipse Ventures, Flex Capital, Founder Collective, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Goat Capital, Hanabi Capital, Infinite Niches, Invariantes Fund, Jetstream, Lightspeed Venture Partners, M13, MS&AD Ventures, MUFG Innovation Partners, NFX, Hans Tung, Obvious Ventures, Otherwise Fund, Pareto Holdings, Pioneer Fund, Quiet Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, SOSV, SQN Venture Partners, Team Ignite Ventures, The Hit Forge, Thirty Five Ventures, Tiger Global Management, Todd and Rahul's Angel Fund, Tribe Capital, True Ventures, Y Combinator, Yes VC, YOBE Ventures, Andre Iguodala, Biz Stone, Brad Bao, Bradley Horowitz, Bryan Meehan, Evan Moore, Evan Williams, George Godula, Jared Leto, Jonathan Swanson, Joshua Reeves, Joshua Webster, Mario Götze, Mike Krieger, Ryan Shea, Sahin Boydas, Scott Belsky, Suhail Doshi, Tim Kendall, Tony Hawk
Feb 1, 2020	Retina AI	$3.0M Seed	—	Celesta, Company Capital, Crosscut Ventures, Meritech Capital Partners, Softbank Group, Village Global, Jason Robins
Jan 1, 2020	Evolv Technology	$30.0M Series C	—	Altair Capital Management, Anorak Ventures, Dolby Family Ventures, Hoxton Ventures, Lux Capital, Presence Capital, Richmond Global Ventures, Tuesday Capital, Larry Braitman, Lawrence Braitman, Mike Kourey
Jan 1, 2020	SkySelect	$10.0M Series A	—	Audrey Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Chemistry VC, Foundry Group, Initialized Capital, Lux Capital, NextGen Venture Partners, Osage University Partners, Techstars, Uncork Capital, Bill Gates, Mark Solon
Nov 1, 2019	Extend, Inc.	$16.0M Series A	—	AAF Management Ltd., ArcTern Ventures, Celesta, Climate Capital, Commerce Ventures, Crosscut Ventures, Earthshot Ventures, G2VP, Maveron, Tiger Global Management, Tribe Capital, Village Global, Vouch Insurance, Damien Mahoney, David Emanuel, Eric Quan, Justin Mateen, Lisa Gansky, Peter Ackerson
Sep 1, 2019	Wheels	$3.0M Venture Round	—	Alumni Ventures, Anderson Angels, Avanta Ventures, Bascom Ventures, Clearstone, DBL Partners, Family Office, FirstMark Capital, F-Prime Capital Partners, Greycroft, Modern Venture Partners, NextView Ventures, Plug & Play Ventures, The Hit Forge, Tribe Capital, Uprising, Alain Hanover, Joi Ito, Matt Mazzeo, Shane Battier
Aug 1, 2019	Ollie	$280K Venture Round	—	Alumni Ventures, Arrive, Clearstone, FPV Fund, Meritech Capital Partners, Sequoia Capital, True Ventures, Shane Battier

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Garden City Companies.

Michael Arrieta

Investor

Leadership Team

Key people at Garden City Companies.

Michael Arrieta

Investor

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Garden City Equity is a *people-first holding company* that acquires and grows exceptional founder- and family-owned businesses with a long-term perspective. Unlike traditional private equity firms focused on short-term gains, Garden City prioritizes *preserving company culture, legacy, and dignity for employees* while driving sustainable profit growth. Their investment philosophy centers on partnering with businesses that have strong profits, competitive advantages, solid management teams, enduring operations, healthy margins, and high integrity. They typically seek companies with annual net income between $5 million and $25 million or more. Garden City’s impact on the startup and business ecosystem lies in providing founders and families with fair, flexible liquidity options while protecting the culture and long-term value of their companies[1][2][3].

Origin Story

Founded by Michael Arrieta, who serves as CEO and Partner, Garden City Equity emerged with a mission to redefine investment by focusing on *people over profits*. The firm is backed by long-term, mission-driven families rather than institutional investors, which allows it to avoid heavy leverage and short-term pressures. Key partners include Jeffrey D. Giles (Senior Partner & CIO), Devan Krüger (Operating Partner), and Nick Illuminati (Principal). The company’s evolution reflects a deliberate shift away from traditional private equity models toward a holding company approach that values culture, legacy, and transparent communication with founders during transactions[3][2].

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Operates as a holding company, not a typical private equity firm; uses little to no debt and plans for multi-generational ownership.
People-First Philosophy: Prioritizes dignity, respect, and purpose for every team member; protects and invests in company culture.
Founder Partnership: Works closely with founders to honor and continue their vision and legacy, often allowing founders to remain involved as advisors or chairpersons.
Flexible Deal Structures: Provides liquidity solutions that avoid “rip and replace” tactics common in PE, focusing instead on value protection and creation.
Strong Network: Supported by notable advisors and board members including Dan Cathy (Chick-fil-A), Pat Gelsinger (Intel/VMware), Horst Schulze (Ritz Carlton), and others.
Selective Criteria: Targets businesses with $5-25M+ net income, 10%+ net margins, strong operational history (10+ years), competitive edge, and high integrity[1][3].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Garden City Equity rides the growing trend of *mission-driven investing* and *stakeholder capitalism*, where investors seek to balance financial returns with social impact and cultural preservation. The timing is favorable as many founder- and family-owned businesses look for alternatives to traditional private equity that often prioritize rapid exits and cost-cutting. Market forces such as increasing awareness of employee well-being, demand for ethical business practices, and the desire for legacy preservation align with Garden City’s model. By protecting company culture and supporting long-term growth, Garden City influences the broader ecosystem by demonstrating that investment can be both profitable and people-centered, potentially inspiring other firms to adopt similar approaches[3][1].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Garden City Equity is well-positioned to expand its portfolio of founder- and family-owned businesses by leveraging its reputation for culture-first investing and flexible deal structures. As trends like ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing and stakeholder capitalism continue to shape capital markets, Garden City’s approach will likely gain further traction. Their influence may grow as a model for sustainable private equity alternatives that emphasize legacy and employee welfare alongside financial performance. The firm’s commitment to long-term partnerships and transparent communication suggests it will continue to build trust and attract businesses seeking a “forever home” rather than a quick flip[3][1].

In sum, Garden City Equity exemplifies a modern investment philosophy that values *people, purpose, and profit* in equal measure, offering a compelling alternative to traditional private equity models.

Sources

High-Level Overview

Origin Story

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Operates as a holding company, not a typical private equity firm; uses little to no debt and plans for multi-generational ownership.
People-First Philosophy: Prioritizes dignity, respect, and purpose for every team member; protects and invests in company culture.
Founder Partnership: Works closely with founders to honor and continue their vision and legacy, often allowing founders to remain involved as advisors or chairpersons.
Flexible Deal Structures: Provides liquidity solutions that avoid “rip and replace” tactics common in PE, focusing instead on value protection and creation.
Strong Network: Supported by notable advisors and board members including Dan Cathy (Chick-fil-A), Pat Gelsinger (Intel/VMware), Horst Schulze (Ritz Carlton), and others.
Selective Criteria: Targets businesses with $5-25M+ net income, 10%+ net margins, strong operational history (10+ years), competitive edge, and high integrity[1][3].