OUTCAST VENTURES

Founding Partner John Frankel leads the firm's investment strategy and decision-making. Frankel previously spent 21 years at Goldman Sachs, where he became a partner and held roles across technology investment banking and proprietary trading. He sits on the boards of multiple portfolio companies and remains the central figure in the firm's partnership.

The firm operates from two offices: New York for US deal flow and Warsaw for Central and Eastern Europe. The Warsaw presence provides access to a dense pool of technical talent at lower capital costs, while the New York office taps traditional US venture networks. This transatlantic structure allows the firm to source engineering-heavy startups in both markets and occasionally introduce portfolio companies across regions.

Outcast Ventures focuses on seed and early-stage rounds, with initial checks typically ranging from $250,000 to $1.5 million. The firm often leads or co-leads rounds but will also follow trusted co-investors. It reserves significant capital for follow-on investments in companies that demonstrate early product-market fit.

The firm was founded in 1999 as ff Venture Capital. In 2023, it officially adopted the Outcast Ventures name, aligning its brand with broader media and incubation initiatives that had developed over time. The underlying fund structure and partnership remained consistent through the rebrand.

Notable portfolio companies include stock-trading platform Public.com, enterprise AI company ASAPP, drone data and analytics firm PrecisionHawk, and numerous other enterprise and fintech startups. The firm's volume-based approach — over 900 portfolio companies — has produced multiple exits, though the firm does not publicly disclose a detailed track record.

The firm actively reserves capital for follow-on investments in breakout portfolio companies. While initial checks are seed-stage, the strategy accounts for pro-rata participation in subsequent financing rounds when a company demonstrates strong traction and the fund's ownership position warrants continued support.

Outcast Ventures routinely co-invests alongside other seed and early-stage venture funds. The firm will lead, co-lead, or follow based on the round dynamics and relationship with the syndicate. Its volume-based model means it participates in a high number of syndicated seed rounds annually.