Clocktower Technology Ventures

Clocktower Technology Ventures operates as the venture capital arm of Clocktower Group, the Santa Monica-based alternative investment platform founded by Steve Drobny. Clocktower Group is primarily a global macro hedge fund allocator and manager, running strategies for institutional investors including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and endowments. CTVP was launched in 2015 as a distinct practice within that platform, sharing research infrastructure and limited partner relationships while maintaining a separate investment team and portfolio.

Steve Drobny, the founder and managing partner of Clocktower Group, oversees CTVP's investment strategy. The venture team is led day-to-day by Partners Ben Savage and Adriana Pierelli, who manage deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio construction. The firm also engages Senior Fellow Michael Wara for policy and regulatory analysis on ClimateTech and energy transition investments, reflecting a structure where investment decisions blend fintech domain expertise with macroeconomic intelligence from the parent platform.

CTVP operates a stage-agnostic strategy across seed, Series A, Series B, and growth rounds. The firm writes initial checks ranging from several hundred thousand dollars to larger follow-on investments in later-stage portfolio companies. By 2022, the firm had deployed over $300 million into more than 100 fintech companies, spanning early-stage backing of startups through growth-stage positions in more mature platforms.

Yes. CTVP invests across North America, Latin America, and Europe. The firm has confirmed portfolio positions in the UK and Brazil, and its limited partner relationships with sovereign wealth funds and global institutional investors provide on-ramps to fintech ecosystems beyond the US. Latin American fintech has been a particular area of activity, reflecting the parent platform's macro research focus on emerging market financial infrastructure.

CTVP specializes in financial technology, investing across banking infrastructure and core systems, lending platforms, insurance technology, payments, digital assets and blockchain infrastructure, real estate technology, and climate finance technology. The firm's ClimateTech focus is distinct from many fintech investors, driven by Policy Advisor Michael Wara's expertise in carbon markets, energy regulation, and climate risk. CTVP does not invest in general enterprise SaaS, biotechnology, or consumer internet companies outside financial services.

CTVP sources investments through multiple channels: the Clocktower Group's relationships with global macro hedge fund managers who identify technology-driven market structure shifts, the firm's limited partner base of institutional allocators who encounter fintech tools as early adopters, and direct networks cultivated by Partners Ben Savage and Adriana Pierelli across fintech founder communities. The parent platform's daily engagement with central bank policy and sovereign debt markets provides a thematic sourcing lens not available to traditional venture firms.

CTVP's board participation varies by stage, check size, and syndicate composition. The firm has taken board observer and director roles in select portfolio companies, particularly where its macroeconomic perspective adds strategic value to financial infrastructure startups. As a specialist fintech investor with the backing of a global macro platform, CTVP positions itself to contribute to regulatory strategy, market expansion, and institutional customer development rather than generic operational support.