Vast Ventures

Carter and Courtney Reum, the co-founders, jointly lead investment decisions. The brothers are former Goldman Sachs bankers who exited their spirits brand VEEV before founding Vast in 2014. The firm operates with a lean internal team, with the Reums maintaining direct involvement in every investment committee decision.

Vast's primary sourcing advantage comes from the Reum brothers' dual identity as seasoned operators and public figures. Their book 'Shortcut Your Startup,' their media appearances, and their personal networks across the Los Angeles and New York entrepreneurial scenes funnel founder referrals. The firm also benefits from its reputation as a celebrity-founder-friendly investor, which attracts consumer and media-tech founders who seek operators who understand brand-building.

Vast writes initial checks from seed to Series B, acting as a generalist across Enterprise Software, Consumer, FinTech, Digital Health, and Mobility. The firm prefers to lead or co-lead rounds where the Reums can offer strategic brand and scaling advice drawn from their own operating experience. Follow-on investments are selectively made through special-purpose vehicles when portfolio companies hit growth milestones.

Vast Ventures manages capital from the Reum brothers alongside a curated network of high-net-worth individuals and family offices that have co-invested with the Reums over their venture career. The firm has not publicly raised a blind-pool institutional fund, and its structure more closely resembles a hybrid family office venture practice than a traditional multi-LP venture firm, although the 2022 launch of Vast Ventures Opportunity Fund I signaled a move toward more formalized pooled vehicles.

Publicly confirmed portfolio companies include SpaceX, the aerospace manufacturer; Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange that went public in 2021; Bird, the micromobility operator; Acorns, the savings and investing app; and Ro, the digital health platform. These positions span aerospace, fintech, consumer mobility, and health, reflecting the firm's broad sector mandate.

Carter Reum's marriage to Paris Hilton and their joint media appearances have amplified the firm's brand, particularly within consumer-facing sectors. The Reum brothers have consistently stated that Vast operates independently of any entertainment or publicity activities, but the elevated profile does attract inbound founder interest from celebrity-backed consumer and lifestyle startups that might not otherwise reach a traditional VC firm.

The firm operates from dual headquarters in New York City and Ft. Lauderdale, with investment activity concentrated in major US innovation hubs including New York, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. While the firm will review opportunities from emerging tech ecosystems, the majority of its portfolio companies are headquartered in coastal cities where the Reums' networks are deepest.