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StartFast
Nasir Ali and Chuck Stormon's StartFast invests in B2B SaaS founders outside Silicon Valley, from Charlotte to Phoenix to Buffalo.
StartFast
StartFast launched in 2011 as a venture accelerator in Syracuse, co-founded by Nasir Ali and Chuck Stormon. Ali had spent the prior decade building Upstate New York's entrepreneurial ecosystem, launching the region's first angel fund in 2007. Stormon brought a serial entrepreneur's track record, having co-founded and sold multiple technology companies, including an early hybrid AI business acquired by Osmose Corp. The firm runs a concentrated seed-stage strategy focused exclusively on B2B SaaS companies outside traditional venture hubs. Its investments span geographies from Charlotte to Phoenix to Buffalo, deliberately avoiding Silicon Valley concentration. StartFast structures its deployment through direct equity investments, having backed over 60 companies since inception. The firm's website lists a current portfolio of unnamed companies, while the principals' backgrounds indicate reach into sectors including digital health, cybersecurity, and AI-driven enterprise platforms. StartFast operates from Syracuse with a lean partnership. Managing Partners Nasir Ali and Chuck Stormon set strategy alongside General Partner Olivia Goldstein, an exited B2B SaaS founder. Venture Partners Mark Zitter and Sanjeev Chawla extend the firm's network into the Bay Area, while Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology at Nazareth University, Dr. Jeffrey Allan, provides AI expertise. The firm has not publicly disclosed total assets under management or fund sizes. StartFast's architecture as an accelerator-turned-fund gives it an atypical pipeline: it identifies founder talent years before coastal seed funds see it. The firm evolved from a program that graduated companies into a committed capital vehicle by 2021, a transition that separates it from the standard Y Combinator model. Its explicit mandate for non-coastal B2B SaaS founders remains rare among US venture firms.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2011
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Syracuse
Corporate office
Syracuse, NY, United States
Principals
Nasir Ali
Managing Partner
Chuck Stormon
Managing Partner
Olivia Goldstein
General Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at StartFast?
Managing Partners Nasir Ali and Chuck Stormon lead investment decisions. Ali built Upstate New York's entrepreneurial ecosystem over two decades and launched the region's first angel fund in 2007. Stormon is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded StartFast's accelerator in 2011. General Partner Olivia Goldstein joined the team after exiting her own B2B marketing software startup in 2019.
How does StartFast source deal flow?
StartFast sources through its roots as a venture accelerator that operated in Upstate New York for a decade before transitioning to a fund model in 2021. Managing Partner Nasir Ali's non-profit, Upstate Venture Connect, built a network across the region. The firm explicitly targets overlooked B2B SaaS founders in cities like Charlotte, Phoenix, and Buffalo — geographies most coastal seed funds ignore.
Is StartFast structured as a venture accelerator or a fund?
Both. StartFast began in 2011 as a venture accelerator co-founded by Nasir Ali and Chuck Stormon. By 2021, the accelerator's successes led to the formation of StartFast Fund II, marking its transition into a committed capital vehicle. The firm now operates primarily as an early-stage venture fund investing in B2B SaaS companies while retaining its accelerator program's geographic focus.
What investment stages does StartFast target?
StartFast targets early-stage companies, specifically at the seed and startup phases. Its accelerator origins mean the firm often enters at the very first institutional round. The firm's website confirms a focus on early-stage B2B SaaS founders.
Which sectors does StartFast explicitly avoid?
StartFast invests exclusively in B2B SaaS companies. It does not invest in consumer technology, hardware, life sciences, or non-software businesses. The firm's stated mandate is geographically constrained to founders outside major US venture hubs, which excludes the Bay Area, New York City, and Boston by implication.
What is StartFast's known posture on co-investments?
StartFast has not publicly detailed its co-investment policies. Managing Partner Nasir Ali's board and advisory roles with funds including NYS Innovation Venture Capital Fund and Next Gen Venture Partners suggest the firm maintains institutional LP and GP relationships, though no specific co-investment deals are disclosed.
Does StartFast maintain philanthropic structures?
No philanthropic foundation is disclosed. Venture Partner Mark Zitter chairs the board of Reel Medicine Media and serves on the governance committee of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, but these are personal affiliations separate from StartFast. The firm's sole operating entity appears to be its venture fund.
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.
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