Updated:
Character
Character is a boutique venture fund supporting founders with capital and sprints. We invest in frontier applications of software and use our proven sprint...
Character
Character is a boutique venture fund supporting founders with capital and sprints. We invest in frontier applications of software and use our proven sprint methods — including the Design Sprint and Foundation Sprint — to help technical founders find product-market fit fast.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2021
AUM
$52 million
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Milwaukee
Corporate office
Milwaukee, United States
Principals
John Zeratsky
Co-Founder & General Partner
Jake Knapp
Co-Founder & General Partner
Eli Blee-Goldman
Co-Founder & General Partner
Kristen Brillantes
Head of Programs & Community
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Character?
Investment decisions are made by general partners Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Eli Blee-Goldman, all co-founders. Kristen Brillantes heads programs and community. The firm does not disclose a formal investment committee (per firm website, 2026).
What investment stages does Character typically target?
Character targets pre-seed and seed rounds, investing up to $2 million in core investments for 6–10% ownership. It also runs an accelerator, Character Labs, investing $150,000 for 5% ownership (per firm website, 2026).
Does Character participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Character only makes direct investments into startups as a lead or co-lead in pre-seed and seed rounds. It does not commit to external funds or participate in secondaries (per firm website, 2026).
What is Character's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Character does not have a published co-investment policy. Its model is to lead rounds directly, though past portfolio companies include co-investors such as Google Ventures (per firm website, 2026).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on private equity firms?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: