First Row Partners

Investment decisions are made by founding partners Minda Brusse and Yoko Okano. The firm is structured as a compact partnership, with no other named investment professionals disclosed publicly. Both partners are involved in sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio support for the firm's pre-seed investments.

The firm applies what it describes as arts-based approaches to investing. This methodology shapes how it identifies founders who blend expertise with imagination, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. First Row targets emerging brand builders and storytellers, relying on its founding partners' networks across creative and technology communities rather than a traditional funnel-driven sourcing model.

First Row Partners operates as an asset manager running a pre-seed venture strategy. It is not a family office. The firm manages outside capital through a dedicated fund vehicle and deploys it into external startups, consistent with a traditional venture firm structure.

First Row invests directly in pre-seed startups. There is no public indication of fund-of-funds commitments or secondary LP stakes. The firm’s model is built entirely around writing first checks into early-stage technology companies.

The firm does not publish a list of excluded sectors, but its investment themes — Tech Elevating Human Expression and Tech Merging Media & Commerce — signal a deliberate focus on consumer platforms, creator tools, and media infrastructure. Deep tech, biotech, and traditional enterprise SaaS fall outside the core thesis.