EP 21: The New Way to Invest in the Next Great Startup
Lynn-Ann Gries | Managing Partner of First Check Fund
Lynn-Ann Gries, Managing Partner of the First Check Fund, invested in Ohio’s first “unicorn.” Learn what that means and how she intends to find more incredible seed startups with enormous promise.
Disclaimer: This is not a solicitation to sell securities, which is only done through appropriate disclosure documents and only to appropriately qualified investors.
Episode Summary
Have you ever wanted to be an investor in the next great startup, but didn’t know anyone building a company worth writing a check for? Listen to this podcast with Lynn-Ann Gries, Managing Partner of the First Check Fund.
The First Check Fund is a new investment vehicle that focuses on seed and pre-seed deals, meaning Lynn-Ann and her team of angels are tapping accelerators, incubators, coffee shops, garages, and anywhere innovation happens to find great talent and big ideas. And they’re doing so in the country’s hottest entrepreneurial markets — New York, Boston, Chicago, Silicon Valley, and North Carolina’s Research Triangle, to name a few. FCF is open to all accredited investors.
Digging for early-stage investment opportunities is nothing new to Lynn-Ann. In her hometown of Cleveland, she was hired to find deals for a $2M seed fund and, over the next ten years, Lynn-Ann raised and invested $30M in 80 startups, including Ohio’s first “unicorn.” For those new to VC, a unicorn is a privately held startup that’s valued at more than $1 billion dollars. These types of investments are extremely rare — hence the name — but this example serves as proof that Lynn-Ann knows promise when she sees it.
Listen to this episode to learn more about where Lynn-Ann looks for deals, the types of companies she wants to invest in, and why she never tires of talking to new entrepreneurs.
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