# Little Engine Ventures

Little Engine Ventures is a Venture Capital based in Lafayette, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Venture Capital
- **Headquarters:** Lafayette, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Lafayette, IN, United States
- **Founded:** 2016
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** www.lev.vc
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/little-engine-ventures

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Little Engine Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in startups, controlling companies, and public companies. The firm has made three investments, including a Series C investment in Tibit Communications on February 15, 2022. Little Engine Ventures has one portfolio exit, Tibit Communications, which occurred on November 22, 2022.

## Sectors

- Enterprise Software
- Industrial Tech
- Business Services

## People

- Daryl Starr — Managing Partner

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Little Engine Ventures?

Daryl Starr, the firm's founder and Managing Partner, serves as the sole investment-committee member and primary deal lead. He originates, underwrites, and structures every acquisition. Starr is supported by a small group of sector-specialist operating partners who step into portfolio companies as interim executives or board-level advisors post-close.

### Does Little Engine invest outside the United States?

The firm's investment footprint is concentrated almost entirely in the American Midwest. Its core markets are Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan. There is no public evidence of international direct investments, and the firm's operating-partner network is drawn from the same regional talent pool.

### Does Little Engine use debt to finance its acquisitions?

Yes, but the firm is known to use conservative leverage levels and often works with regional Midwestern banks rather than large money-center lenders. The permanent-hold model means Little Engine structures debt to be serviced entirely from free cash flow and paid down over time, rather than layered on for short-term return enhancement ahead of a planned exit.

## Related profiles

- [Littlebanc](https://altss.com/profile/littlebanc)
- [Little Fish Capital](https://altss.com/profile/little-fish-capital)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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