Cascade Seed Fund Launches $10 Million Fund to Invest in Early Stage Companies
The New Fund Will Invest in Technology and Consumer Products Startups in the Pacific Northwest
Bend, Oregon, October 18, 2021 – Cascade Seed Fund today announced it completed an $8 million first close of Cascade Seed Fund II targeted at $10 million in total size to invest in technology and consumer products companies in the Pacific Northwest.
Cascade Seed Fund plays an important role in the regional ecosystem for pre-seed and seed stage companies by initially investing up to $250,000, reserving capital for future financing rounds, and bringing an institutional investor perspective to the earliest financing stages of a startup.
“While many venture funds continue to get larger and larger making it harder to invest smaller amounts at earlier stages, we are staying focused on being rightsized for our region both in terms of fund size and initial investment amounts,” said Robert Pease, Managing Director, Cascade Seed Fund. “We’ve seen our investment amount, process, and approach truly accelerate companies at the early stage.”
Building upon a legacy dating to 2013 as an angel fund and a track record of success with notable recent exits including Topbox acquired by Khoros, Hubb acquired by Intrado, Cairn acquired by Outside, and Stabilitas acquired by OnSolve, Cascade Seed Fund focuses on building a diverse regional portfolio of early-stage companies with each fund. The prior fund includes 30% female founders and 30% founders who are persons of color in technology and consumer products companies across Oregon, Washington, and California. Notable prior investments include A Kids Company About, Rock Paper Coin, ZipCan, Solace, and GoalFive.
“We believe the best returns will come from the most diverse portfolio,” said Julie Harrelson, Managing Director, Cascade Seed Fund. “Overlooked entrepreneurs are all around us and we strive to meet them by doing hundreds of calls per year, having an open and transparent application process, and doing our best to demystify fundraising.”
Cascade Seed Fund has a unique operating model that utilizes an Investment Committee to provide input on investment decisions while offering better connections between entrepreneurs and investors who can leverage their networks and expertise to help. Investors in the new fund include individual and returning institutional investors Oregon Community Foundation and the State of Oregon via the Oregon Growth Account.
About Cascade Seed Fund
Founded in 2013 and investing as Cascade Angels Fund across five funds, we became Cascade Seed Fund in 2019 building on more than six years of early stage investing experience. Today we continue to seek out opportunities to work with amazing entrepreneurs in Oregon and throughout the Pacific Northwest with over $20 million in assets under management invested in over 60 early stage companies.
For more information, visit https://cascadeseedfund.com
Participation in the Cascade Seed Fund is by referral and invitation only. Angel and venture investments involve a high degree of risk. Participation is limited to “accredited investors,” as defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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