What EPIC Ventures does

EPIC Ventures is a Salt Lake City-based venture capital firm founded in 1994 that invests in early-stage and growth-stage technology companies. The firm targets a horizontal set of technology verticals with primary emphasis on SaaS, healthcare technology, and cybersecurity, and secondary exposure to future-of-work, fintech, cleantech, and deep tech. The firm does not sell a product or operate a platform; its core offering is capital combined with hands-on portfolio support, sector-specific advisory access, and strategic introductions through its network.

Its business model follows the standard venture capital construct: raising funds from limited partners, deploying capital across stages from seed through Series B, and generating returns through management fees plus carried interest on successful exits (e.g., the 2021 Volta Industries SPAC exit). The firm has participated in rounds ranging from a $5.2M seed (GetWhys, April 2026, led by EPIC) through Series B rounds of $25-37M (Uptiq, POSH), with co-investors including General Catalyst, FirstMark, Curql, Hitachi Ventures, and Bowery Capital. Its go-to-market is anchored by two core strategic partnerships — University of Utah Ventures (announced 2024-09-09) and ARUP Laboratories — which provide privileged deal flow in life sciences, healthcare, and university-spinout technology across the Wasatch Front and Intermountain West.

EPIC is led by Managing Partners Jack Boren and Nick Efstratis (Co-founder), with Kent Madsen serving as Founding Managing Partner Emeritus and Venture Partner, supported by a CFO, Principals, Senior Associates, Venture Partners, and sector-specialist advisors. The firm employs 11-50 people and is privately held with no parent company or institutional owner disclosed. It is identified as one of Utah's key venture capital investors in a regional 2025 market that rebounded to $1.86B in deal value across 169 transactions.

Name

EPIC Ventures

Legal name

EPIC Ventures

Website

https://epicvc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPIC Ventures is a Salt Lake City-based venture capital firm founded in 1994 that invests seed through Series B in SaaS, healthcare, cybersecurity, and AI-driven technology companies across the Intermountain West, anchored by partnerships with University of Utah Ventures and ARUP Laboratories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Private Equity

NAICS

Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Early-stage investing
• Growth equity
• Technology investments
• Startup funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Core offering

EPIC Ventures is a Utah-based venture capital firm that provides growth-stage and early-stage capital investment to technology companies. The firm invests across sectors including SaaS, healthcare technology, cybersecurity, fintech, future of work, cleantech, and deep tech, participating in funding rounds from seed to Series B. Beyond capital, EPIC provides portfolio companies with strategic guidance, access to partnerships, and operational expertise, often co-investing alongside other venture firms.

Product overview

EPIC Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Utah that invests in technology companies across sectors including SaaS, healthcare, fintech, security, and deep tech. The firm does not offer a product or service in the traditional sense; its investment activities include providing capital and expertise to early-stage and growth-stage startups. The company's portfolio spans numerous technology companies, but EPIC Ventures itself does not develop or sell products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• University of Utah Ventures: A strategic initiative in partnership with EPIC Ventures dedicated to fueling innovation by investing in businesses within and around the University of Utah community, focusing on life sciences, healthcare, technology, and beyond across the Wasatch Front and Intermountain West.

Products and services

• Venture Capital Investment Services
• University of Utah Ventures

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of Utah VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2024University of Utah Ventures is dedicated to fueling innovation by investing in businesses both within and around the University community. In partnership with EPIC Ventures, the fund provides capital and expertise to accelerate companies across life sciences, healthcare, technology, and beyond. It strengthens the innovation ecosystem across the Wasatch Front and the broader Intermountain West.
• ARUP LaboratoriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARUP Laboratories, a foundational institution in the Utah Healthcare Ecosystem, brings unmatched expertise in laboratory science and a proven track record of advancing diagnostics from research to patient care. In partnership, EPIC Ventures and ARUP are committed to identifying and scaling life-improving innovations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Peterson Ventures: Salt Lake City-based early-stage VC investing across SaaS, healthcare, fintech, and consumer—nearly identical sector mandate and regional focus as EPIC, often co-investing in the same Utah ecosystem deals.
• Signal Peak Ventures: Utah-based venture capital firm investing in early-to-growth-stage technology companies with strong ties to the University of Utah and Intermountain West—directly comparable geography and institutional partnership model to EPIC.
• Kickstart Seed Fund: Utah-focused seed and early-stage investor covering SaaS, healthcare, fintech, and consumer—overlapping sector mandate and serving the same founder ecosystem as EPIC at the seed stage.
• Sorenson Ventures: Lehi, Utah-based venture capital firm investing in B2B software, cybersecurity, and enterprise technology—comparable regional focus with overlapping sector coverage, especially in security where EPIC is active.
• Mercato Partners: Salt Lake City-based growth equity and venture investor with similar Intermountain West focus and comparable sector breadth across technology and consumer—directly comparable regional VC peer.
• Pelion Venture Partners: Utah-based venture capital firm investing across software, healthcare, and clean technology—same regional concentration and overlapping sector mandate, making it a comparable peer for sourcing and exit dynamics.

Broad incumbents

• Crosslink Capital: Established multi-stage VC that has co-invested alongside EPIC (notably in Knapsack's Series A)—a broader incumbent investor that overlaps in early-stage technology and provides a reference point for EPIC's tier of participation.
• Builders VC: San Francisco-based early-stage VC focused on construction, infrastructure, and enterprise software—co-led Knapsack's Series A with EPIC participation, representing a larger counterpart in EPIC's deal syndicate network.
• General Catalyst: Global multi-stage venture firm that led Pantomath's Series B with EPIC participation—represents the tier of institutional investor EPIC frequently co-invests behind, illustrating competitive dynamic for lead positions.

Regional players

• Stalwart Ventures: Early-stage VC focused on the Mountain West and Intermountain regions with sector overlap in software and healthcare—a regional peer referenced alongside EPIC in the Utah VC ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/41516
• Xx.com/epic_ventures
• Facebookfacebook.com/186932461342591

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments217 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EPIC Ventures