STARTING LINE
STARTING LINE is a Pre-seed, Seed and Series A fund in the US writing $250K–$3M checks into Fintech, Marketplaces, consumer-products, e-commerce, food-and-grocery, health-and-wellness, creator-platforms, content-platforms, pet-services, professional-services and recruiting.
- Stages
- Pre-seed, Seed, Series A
- Sectors
- Fintech, Marketplaces, consumer-products, e-commerce, food-and-grocery, health-and-wellness, creator-platforms, content-platforms, pet-services, professional-services, recruiting
- Check size
- $250K–$3M
- Invests in
- US-wide
- Round role
- Leads rounds
- Actively investing
- Yes
- Founded
- 2018
- Assets under management
- $77M
Thesis
Starting Line is a Chicago-based VC firm founded in 2018, with $77M AUM across three funds. They focus on seed-stage investments in consumer innovation, particularly in the '99% economy,' aiming to democratize access to goods and services. Their strategy involves partnering with founders reshaping categories, often leading rounds with "insane conviction" in areas like D2C, marketplaces, fintech, and consumer subscriptions. They emphasize a founder-centric approach, offering transparency and support. Investments typically range from $250K-$3M, with a focus on leading seed rounds. While based in Chicago and the Midwest, they invest across the US.
Common questions
Does STARTING LINE invest at the Pre-seed stage?
Yes. STARTING LINE lists Pre-seed, Seed and Series A among the stages it invests in.
What check size does STARTING LINE write?
STARTING LINE writes $250K–$3M checks.
Where does STARTING LINE invest?
STARTING LINE invests in the US.