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FactoryMade Ventures
FactoryMade Ventures creates and incubates businesses. It draws on relationships with talent in Hollywood to develop venture-building opportunities.
FactoryMade Ventures
FactoryMade Ventures creates and incubates businesses. It draws on relationships with talent in Hollywood to develop venture-building opportunities. John Fogelman is CEO and previously served as an agent and board member at William Morris Endeavor. The leadership team includes Co-CEO Cristina Magno Patwa, Venture Partner Michael Francis, CFO Doug Gardner, and Controller Houman Hasid.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
2011
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Santa Monica
Corporate office
Santa Monica, CA, United States
Principals
John Fogelman
CEO
Cristina Magno Patwa
Co-CEO
Michael Francis
Venture Partner
Doug Gardner
CFO
Houman Hasid
Controller
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at FactoryMade Ventures?
CEO John Fogelman and Co-CEO Cristina Magno Patwa lead the firm. Fogelman's background as a top agent at William Morris Endeavor — where he oversaw the worldwide Motion Picture and Strategic Planning departments — shapes the firm's approach to identifying ventures. The firm does not publish a formal investment committee roster.
Is FactoryMade structured as a venture capital fund or something else?
It operates as a venture studio rather than a traditional venture capital fund. FactoryMade originates business concepts, recruits celebrity and industry partners, and takes an ownership stake in the resulting companies. Unlike a fund, it does not appear to raise discrete blind-pool investment vehicles; it instead builds and operates portfolio companies directly.
How does FactoryMade source its deals?
Deal flow is generated primarily through the principals' Hollywood networks. John Fogelman spent his prior career representing film directors, actors, and corporate clients such as Hasbro. The firm leverages those relationships to co-create ventures — for example, partnering with Robert Rodriguez to launch El Rey Rebel and with Brad Pitt on the non-alcoholic brand Enroot.
What investment stages does FactoryMade typically target?
FactoryMade focuses on early-stage venture creation. It builds businesses from the ground up — like El Rey Rebel, a streaming channel, and Enroot, a beverage brand — rather than acquiring mature companies. The Gate 52 venue-acquisition arm is an exception, targeting existing independent promoters for consolidation.
Which sectors does FactoryMade explicitly avoid?
The firm has not published an exclusion list. Its confirmed portfolio clusters in media and entertainment, luxury consumer experiences, real estate services, and food & beverage. There is no disclosed activity in enterprise software, life sciences, fintech, or heavy industry.
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