Start Fund
Start Fund is a joint venture focused on seed- and early-stage investments.
Financial History
Leadership Team
Key people at Start Fund.
Start Fund is a joint venture focused on seed- and early-stage investments.
Key people at Start Fund.
Key people at Start Fund.
Start Fund is not a joint venture, but rather an innovative venture capital fund structure developed by Decile Group to democratize access to professional fund management for emerging managers, angel groups, accelerators, and domain experts. Its mission is to lower the barriers to entry for launching venture capital funds by streamlining legal, operational, and regulatory complexities, while embedding institutional-grade oversight and transparency. The investment philosophy centers on enabling managers to build legitimate track records by deploying capital across multiple startups—typically 8–12 portfolio companies per fund—across diverse sectors and stages. Start Fund’s impact on the startup ecosystem is significant: it empowers a broader range of investors to participate in early-stage funding, increases the flow of capital to innovative founders, and fosters a more inclusive and dynamic venture landscape.
Start Fund was created by Decile Group, a firm with deep experience in launching and supporting venture capital managers, having helped form over 600 funds through its VC Lab accelerator program. The structure emerged from Decile’s recognition that traditional fund formation was prohibitively expensive, complex, and slow—especially for first-time or smaller managers. By leveraging their operational expertise and feedback from hundreds of emerging managers, Decile designed Start Fund as a modern, single-entity solution that eliminates the need for the traditional three-entity structure (Fund, GP, ManCo). This innovation allows managers to focus on sourcing and supporting startups rather than navigating legal and administrative hurdles. Over time, Start Fund has evolved to serve a wide range of profiles—from angel groups seeking professionalization to domain experts monetizing their networks—while maintaining institutional credibility and regulatory compliance.
Start Fund is riding the trend of democratization in venture capital, where technology and operational innovation are breaking down historical barriers to entry. The timing is critical: as the startup ecosystem grows more global and diverse, there is increasing demand for new sources of capital and fresh perspectives in early-stage investing. Start Fund’s model aligns with the rise of micro-funds, angel syndicates, and domain-driven investing, enabling a wider array of talent to participate in venture. By lowering the cost and complexity of fund formation, Start Fund is helping to decentralize capital allocation, support underrepresented founders, and accelerate innovation across sectors. Its influence is evident in the growing number of emerging managers who are able to launch and scale funds that might otherwise have been impossible under traditional frameworks.
Start Fund is poised to play an increasingly central role in shaping the future of venture capital, particularly as the industry continues to evolve toward more accessible, transparent, and efficient models. As more managers seek to professionalize their investing activities and as LPs demand greater flexibility and lower minimums, Start Fund’s streamlined approach will likely become a standard for early-stage fund formation. The next phase may see further integration of technology—such as AI-driven portfolio management and enhanced investor reporting—as well as expansion into new geographies and asset classes. Ultimately, Start Fund’s influence will be measured not just by the number of funds it enables, but by the diversity of founders and ideas it helps bring to life. In a world where innovation is increasingly decentralized, Start Fund is a catalyst for a more open and dynamic startup ecosystem.
| Date | Company | Round | Lead Investor(s) | Co-Investor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2022 | Novig | $6.0M Seed | — | 2048 Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, BITKRAFT Ventures, Byld Ventures, Kima Ventures, LAUNCH, Liquid 2 Ventures, Pioneer Fund, Pnina International, Sandwith Ventures, SixThirty, Soma Capital, Techstars, Trajectory Ventures, Twenty Two Ventures, Y Combinator, Chris Smoak, David Lieb, Dominik Richter, Gabriel Jarrosson, Kyle Porter, Marc McCabe, Mathilde Collin, Michael Ma, Niklas Jansen, Paolo Padiernos, Paul Graham, Peter Kazanjy, Philippe Teixeira da Mota, Sam Altman, Stani Kulechov |