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Emerging Ventures
David Mandel built Emerging Ventures from a 500+ angel portfolio into a curated seed-stage fund backing B2B tech across the US and Canada.
Emerging Ventures
Emerging Ventures formalized the sprawling angel investment activity of its Managing Partner, David Mandel. After building and exiting four insurance and finance businesses over 28 years, Mandel began writing personal checks into technology startups in 2014, amassing a portfolio of more than 500 early-stage positions. The firm now pools that sourcing network into an SEC-registered fund structure, opening the portfolio to accredited individuals, family offices, and institutional investors who gain diversified exposure through a single commitment. The firm writes initial checks of $100,000 to $500,000 into capital-efficient, B2B technology companies at the seed stage. It targets an 80/20 split between startups applying current technology to existing industry problems and those inventing next-generation deep tech. Confirmed positions span autonomous vehicle curb management (Automotus, which raised a large funding round in December 2025), AI-powered firmware security (Binarly), agricultural robotics and AI (Tensorfield Agriculture, Adaviv), video analysis for physical spaces (C2RO), and creator tools and gaming content (Allstar, co-invested alongside Mark Cuban). Geographic coverage extends from Southern California to Toronto, Vancouver, Boston, Pittsburgh, New York, Austin, and Israel, with over half of Fund 1’s portfolio residing outside California. Mandel and Partner Benett Cole anchor the firm. Cole brought 30 years of investment banking and capital markets experience from leadership roles at CSG Investments, Raymond James, Wells Fargo Securities, and Bank of America Securities. In October 2025, the firm highlighted portfolio company YBVR’s expansion into the music vertical as it scales immersive live-streaming technology, signaling active participation in virtual event infrastructure. The firm participates in priced rounds led by credible external investors, occasionally leading rounds itself, and operates without a disclosed AUM figure, keeping its deployment scale private. Emerging Ventures functions as an outsourced seed-stage allocation for investors who lack the deal flow or time to vet hundreds of individual startup opportunities directly. Its structural differentiator is the sheer breadth of Mandel’s personal angel network — cultivated across prominent angel groups and pitch panels — which feeds a highly diversified portfolio of software, AI, robotics, space, and digital health positions that LPs access through a quarterly fund close rather than individual company commitments.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Los Angeles
Corporate office
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Principals
David Mandel
Managing Partner
Benett Cole
Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Emerging Ventures?
Managing Partner David Mandel leads the investment process. He built his track record through four exits in insurance and finance and has personally angel-invested in over 500 early-stage companies since 2014. Partner Benett Cole, a 30-year financial services veteran with investment banking leadership roles at Wells Fargo Securities and Bank of America Securities, supports due diligence and portfolio construction.
How does Emerging Ventures source proprietary deal flow?
Deal flow derives primarily from Mandel’s extensive personal angel network. He is an active member of several prominent angel groups and a frequent judge at startup pitch events. This network funnels seed-stage, B2B technology opportunities — many in Southern California but extending across North America and Israel — into the firm’s pipeline.
Does Emerging Ventures lead rounds or primarily co-invest?
The firm is willing to lead rounds but primarily participates in priced seed rounds led by other credible institutional investors (per the firm, emerging.vc). It occasionally leads when doing so benefits both the company and the fund, suggesting a flexible posture that prioritizes alignment with existing lead investors.
What investment stages and check sizes does Emerging Ventures target?
Emerging Ventures writes initial checks of $100,000 to $500,000 into seed-stage, capital-efficient B2B technology companies. The firm focuses on startups it believes can raise a large institutional venture round within 12 to 24 months at a significantly higher valuation.
Which sectors does Emerging Ventures explicitly avoid?
The firm publicly states a focus on B2B technology companies using emerging technologies to solve business challenges. Its website and portfolio disclosures do not list any direct-to-consumer (D2C) holdings or companies outside the technology sector, suggesting a deliberate exclusion of consumer-facing and non-tech business models.
Does Emerging Ventures operate as a single family office or a traditional venture fund?
Emerging Ventures is structured as an SEC-registered private equity fund open to external limited partners, including accredited individuals, family offices, and institutional investors. It is not a single family office, though its origination story stems from David Mandel’s personal angel investment activity.
Where does Emerging Ventures invest geographically?
While the firm concentrates its sourcing in Southern California, its portfolio companies span the United States, Canada, and Israel. In its initial fund, over 50% of the portfolio was based outside of California, with confirmed portfolio companies located in New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Austin, among other markets.
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