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Key people at Telos Ventures.
Telos Ventures was founded in 2013 by Eric Quan (Servant, Disciple-Maker, Co-Founder).
Telos Ventures operates as a global gospel-centered venture community and advisory group. It focuses on encouraging and equipping entrepreneurs and investors who are building new startups, integrating faith and business principles. The organization provides individualized advisory services and mentorship, fostering a supportive community for founders seeking to align their ventures with Christian values and contribute positively to the world.
The organization was co-founded by David Kim and Eric Quan. Eric Quan established Telos Ventures following a calling to merge his business acumen with his pastoral experience, while David Kim brings extensive background in corporate finance and law, with over a decade of experience advising and investing in startups globally. Their combined experience informs the group's approach to nurturing purpose-driven ventures.
Telos Ventures serves entrepreneurs and investors who are developing businesses with a mission beyond profit. Its vision is to unlock entrepreneurial spirit, guiding participants to build ventures that glorify God and make disciples. The community aims for founders to deepen their faith through their work, leveraging business as a powerful platform for innovation and to share the Gospel effectively, creating a lasting impact.
Key people at Telos Ventures.
Telos Ventures was founded in 2013 by Eric Quan (Servant, Disciple-Maker, Co-Founder).
Telos Ventures has 1 tracked investment across 1 company. The latest tracked deal is $1.2M Seed in VendorHawk in July 2017.
| Date | Company | Round | Lead Investor(s) | Co-Investor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 3, 2017 | VendorHawk | $1.2M Seed | Inovia Capital | Chris Stolte, Darrell Cavens, John Case, JON Roskill, T.a. Mccann, Alliance OF Angels, Curious Capital, Social Starts, Techstars |
Telos Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2013, functioning as a hybrid investment syndicate, accelerator, coworking space, and advisory community that invests in Gospel-centered, for-profit software-technology enabled ventures with liquidity potential.[1][2][4][5] Its mission is to multiply resources entrusted by investors (drawing from Matthew 25 and Luke 19), foster discipleship through startups, and integrate faith into business without a secular/sacred divide, primarily targeting healthcare, education, and lifestyle sectors with initial investments of $20,000 to $150,000.[2][4] The firm has made 4 total investments (2 active), supports entrepreneurs via syndicates and operating resources, and emphasizes building a Gospel-centered ecosystem to catalyze innovation for kingdom impact.[2][4][5]
Telos Ventures was founded in 2013 in San Mateo, California (Silicon Valley), emerging from a recognition that startups thrive in ecosystems like Silicon Valley and that fragmented early-stage capital, combined with discipleship, could spark a Gospel-centered venture movement.[1][2][4][7] Key insights driving its creation include biblical views on work (Genesis 2:15, Colossians 3:23) and the Church's historical oversight of work's role in calling and Gospel-sharing over 600 years.[4][8] The firm evolved from a venture fund into a broader global community accelerator, consulting lab, and advisory group, addressing gaps in ministry, business, academic, and financial networks for faith-aligned entrepreneurs.[4][5][8] No specific founders are named in available data, but it positions itself as a response to cultural divides, now leading syndicates for its portfolio.[2][4]
(Note: Distinct from unrelated "Telos Venture Partners," a separate Palo Alto firm with broader tech focus.[3])
Telos Ventures rides the wave of faith-tech and values-driven investing, capitalizing on rising demand for purpose-aligned startups amid cultural shifts, remote work ecosystems, and tech's role in societal challenges like healthcare access and education equity.[2][4][8] Timing aligns with Silicon Valley's proven model for startup flourishing, now extended globally to underserved Gospel-centered niches, countering a 600-year sacred/secular divide that has limited Christian innovation in venture capital.[4][8] Market forces favoring it include growing impact investing (e.g., stakeholder capitalism), AI/tools like virtual designers for efficient marketing, and fragmented early capital needs in mission-driven tech.[2][4][8] It influences the ecosystem by catalyzing networks, integrating discipleship into VC, and proving faith can drive scalable, for-profit ventures, potentially expanding the "regenerative" startup movement.[4][5]
Telos Ventures is poised to scale its syndicate model, championing more advisory-based startups toward liquidity events while deepening its Gospel-ecosystem amid AI-driven efficiencies and global faith-tech demand.[2][4][8] Trends like purpose-led funding, remote acceleration, and cultural reactionism will shape it, amplifying influence as it bridges capital gaps and disciples through high-growth software plays.[4][8] Its hybrid approach could evolve into a blueprint for faith-aligned VC, multiplying kingdom impact via ventures that glorify through innovation—just as its capital overview promises.
