Bullpen Capital

Post-seed money for overlooked founders

Bullpen Capital describes itself as a venture fund that invests post-seed capital in early-stage companies. It says it has funded more than one hundred companies over the past decade, and that it does one thing well: it finances people and companies that have found product-market fit but have been overlooked for no good reason. The firm says the next generation of strong businesses will be built this way.

Consumer and health companies in the portfolio

Examples include Carbon, a primary care network whose doctors are reachable online through a mobile app and in person at a clinic. Rainway lets people launch their PC games from one place or through a browser. Hemster has built a platform that turns off-the-rack inventory into a tailored size for shoppers. BentoBox provides restaurants with websites, a hospitality-focused management system and hosting. IPSY, a beauty subscription company, says it exists to help people express their unique beauty, and Grove Collaborative supplies natural home care and personal care products for busy families.

Software for operations and customers

The fund also lists Ocrolus, which says it helps financial services companies make high-quality decisions with trusted data and automates back-office work through human-in-the-loop infrastructure. Braze runs a customer engagement platform that powers relevant experiences between consumers and the brands they love. CruxOCM, an energy company's software, is described as reducing the complexity of standard operations control rooms.

Teams that do not fit the usual mold

Bullpen says it is open to founders whose team, location, revenue or category does not match the usual venture pattern. It describes its aim as backing those the market has overlooked.