Updated:
Pure Ventures
Pure Ventures is a California based venture capital firm led by seasoned GPs and experienced operators. They invest in early stage companies and the personal...
Pure Ventures
Pure Ventures is a California based venture capital firm led by seasoned GPs and experienced operators. They invest in early stage companies and the personal development of their founders. In addition to investing in companies, they support founder wellness and leadership development through their sister program, Heartwood Collective. Their portfolio combines frontier tech / deep tech investments alongside consumer and CPG investments.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
2021
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Oakland
Corporate office
Oakland, CA, United States
Principals
Howie Diamond
Managing Director / General Partner
Douglas Abrams
General Partner
Jake Chapman
Venture Partner
Alicia Zeng
Director of Operations
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Pure Ventures?
Howie Diamond serves as Managing Director and General Partner, marking his third fund management role after Alpha Bridge Ventures and Ranch Ventures. Douglas Abrams operates as General Partner with a CPG and food-and-beverage focus, while Venture Partner Jake Chapman contributes deal flow from a decade-plus VC and legal background. Alicia Zeng, Director of Operations, rounds out the leadership team listed on the firm's website.
Is Pure Ventures a venture capital firm or does it operate more like a venture studio?
Pure Ventures functions primarily as an early-stage venture capital firm, making core investments at the post-seed and Series A stages. It also runs a venture studio and fellowship program for pre-seed and seed deals, but that activity feeds into the fund as a pipeline rather than representing the firm’s primary business model. The investment arm is distinct from Heartwood Collective, the firm’s founder wellness initiative.
How is Heartwood Collective related to Pure Ventures?
Heartwood Collective operates as a sister program to the fund, not a portfolio company or a revenue-generating service line. Founded by Kari Sulenes in 2018, it provides leadership development and mental health coaching to founders within and beyond the Pure Ventures portfolio. The firm’s thesis — that founder health drives company performance — is operationalized through this dual structure.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on venture capital firms?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: