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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).
How does Character source proprietary deal flow?
Character does not publicly detail its sourcing model, but its sprint methods and the founders' network from Google Ventures likely provide inbound interest. The firm accepts applications via an online form and does not require warm introductions (per firm website, 2026).
Is Character structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
Character operates as a registered venture capital firm, not a family office. It has no disclosed affiliation with any single family's capital; instead, it runs a standard fund structure with external limited partners, though those LPs are not named (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).
Which sectors does Character explicitly avoid?
Character does not openly disclose avoid sectors, but states it invests only in U.S.-incorporated companies in the software-addressable economy. It avoids competitive core investments and typically avoids international or non-software companies (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).
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