Hawke Ventures
Hawke Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund based in Los Angeles that invests in Commerce Tech, MarTech, and AdTech startups, leveraging its affiliation with Hawke Media to source deals and introduce portfolio companies to over 4,000 brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hawke Ventures does
Hawke Ventures is a Los Angeles-based, privately-held early-stage venture capital fund that deploys equity into Commerce Tech, MarTech, AdTech, and emerging marketing channel startups. Founded in 2021 with a team of 11–50, the fund backs approximately 30 portfolio companies across sub-sectors including commerce infrastructure, advertising technology, first-party data management, and AI-powered marketing automation. Portfolio names include Tie, PostScript, Sway, Telly, ShipInsure, Firmly, Heatmap, Intelligems, Chord Commerce, and Instreamatic, with check sizes and stages skewed toward seed and Series A.
The fund's core differentiator is an embedded strategic partnership with Hawke Media, a digital marketing agency valued above $150M that has helped grow over 4,000 brands worldwide. This affiliation provides three operational advantages: (1) deal-flow generation through Hawke Media's $1M annual marketing budget and inbound channels, (2) deep diligence enabled by stress-testing portfolio company technology against real brand clients and producing proprietary case studies and data sets, and (3) post-investment go-to-market support via introductions to hundreds of Hawke Media brand customers. General Partner Erik Huberman is also Co-founder and CEO of Hawke Media; the investment team additionally includes Principal Mara Chaben and Partner/Head of Investor Relations Avery Ersztein.
Hawke Ventures generates returns through equity realizations and standard venture fund economics; the firm does not disclose management fee or carry terms. Distribution is direct (deal-by-deal equity investment), with syndicate partners including Innovating Capital and Stage 2 Capital in recent rounds. The firm has no disclosed product, API, or technology platform of its own and does not publish fund size or LP composition.
Hawke Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hawke Ventures
- Legal name
- Hawke Ventures
- Website
- https://hawkeventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hawke Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund based in Los Angeles that invests in Commerce Tech, MarTech, and AdTech startups, leveraging its affiliation with Hawke Media to source deals and introduce portfolio companies to over 4,000 brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hawke Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD), Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
Keywords
Where Hawke Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Hawke Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: Hawke Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage startups. The fund benefits from Hawke Media's ability to drive sales for portfolio companies and facilitate direct introductions to hundreds of brand customers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Hawke Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hawke Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund that invests equity capital in startups operating in Commerce Tech, MarTech (Marketing Technology), and AdTech (Advertising Technology). The fund pairs capital with value-add support, including introductions to hundreds of brand customers through its affiliate Hawke Media, deep sector diligence using real client deployments, and go-to-market assistance to help portfolio companies acquire customers.
Product overview
Hawke Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund, not a product company. It operates as a single investment offering—a venture fund—that provides capital and strategic value-add services to early-stage companies in the Commerce Tech, MarTech (Marketing Technology), and AdTech (Advertising Technology) sectors. The fund does not offer distinct products, modules, or platform services. Its investment strategy is differentiated by its relationship with Hawke Media, a digital marketing agency with over 4,000 brand clients, which enables portfolio companies to gain customer introductions and real-world product validation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hawke Ventures Fund
Quantifiable outcome
- Helped grow over 4,000 brands worldwide
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Hawke Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Hawke Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hawke Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Hawke MediacoreHawke Media is the affiliated digital marketing agency known as 'Your Outsourced CMO.' It provides Hawke Ventures with a substantial competitive advantage by enabling deep due diligence using real brand clients, generating proprietary case studies and data sets, and facilitating direct introductions to hundreds of brand customers. Hawke Media helps grow over 4,000 brands worldwide and is valued at more than $150 million.
- Portfolio Companies (Ecosystem)coreHawke Ventures portfolio companies including Tie, PostScript, Sway, Telly, ShipInsure, and 25+ others form an ecosystem that drives cross-promotion and partnerships. The fund supports portfolio company marketing through webinars, industry events, social media campaigns, PR opportunities, and hiring strategies. Partnerships with other agencies, tech platforms, and existing portfolio companies amplify reach and impact.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Hawke Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lerer Hippeau: Lerer Hippeau is an early-stage New York-based venture fund investing across consumer, media, and commerce — directly comparable to Hawke Ventures' sector focus and check size. Both funds emphasize media- and brand-driven theses.
- Betaworks: Betaworks is an early-stage startup studio and fund focused on consumer internet, media, and marketing-tech — comparable in stage and category to Hawke Ventures. Both back unconventional bets at the intersection of media and technology.
- Forerunner: Forerunner is an early-stage venture firm focused on commerce, consumer, and retail technology — closely overlapping with Hawke Ventures' Commerce Tech / MarTech thesis. Both funds write checks at the early stage and back founders building infrastructure for brands.
- Greycroft: Greycroft is an early-stage venture firm with deep exposure to consumer internet, commerce, and media technology. Like Hawke Ventures, it backs founders at the seed and Series A stages in marketing- and commerce-adjacent sectors.
- M13: M13 is an early-stage venture fund investing in consumer, commerce, and proptech, with a comparable fund size and stage focus to Hawke Ventures. Both deploy capital into founder-led commerce and consumer-tech businesses.
- Primary Venture Partners: Primary is an early-stage NYC-based VC investing in commerce, fintech, and B2B software — overlapping with Hawke Ventures' Commerce Tech and AdTech mandate at the seed/Series A stage.
- ff Venture Capital: ff Venture Capital (ffVC) is an early-stage venture firm — the prior employer of Hawke Ventures Partner Avery Ersztein — investing across enterprise, consumer, and frontier tech at the seed stage. Directly comparable in stage and firm-size profile.
Broad incumbents
- Andreessen Horowitz: Andreessen Horowitz is a large multi-stage venture firm with explicit theses in commerce and consumer technology (a16z consumer). It competes for the same founder pool as Hawke Ventures but at materially larger check sizes and later stages.
- Accel: Accel is a global multi-stage venture firm with significant exposure to consumer, SaaS, and commerce infrastructure. It competes with Hawke Ventures for early-stage deals in MarTech and Commerce Tech but operates much larger funds and a broader portfolio.
Emerging players
- Stage 2 Capital: Stage 2 Capital is a go-to-market-focused growth fund that has co-invested with Hawke Ventures (e.g., Tie's $10M Series A). Comparable exposure to B2B commerce and MarTech founders, though typically writing later-stage checks.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Hawke Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceHawke Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hawke Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Hawke Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hawke Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments38 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hawke Ventures
What does Hawke Ventures do?
Hawke Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund that invests equity capital in startups operating in Commerce Tech, MarTech (Marketing Technology), and AdTech (Advertising Technology). The fund pairs capital with value-add support, including introductions to hundreds of brand customers through its affiliate Hawke Media, deep sector diligence using real client deployments, and go-to-market assistance to help portfolio companies acquire customers.
Is Hawke Ventures a public or private company?
Hawke Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hawke Ventures founded?
Hawke Ventures was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hawke Ventures based?
Hawke Ventures is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hawke Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Returns.
Who are Hawke Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lerer Hippeau, Betaworks, Forerunner, Greycroft, M13, Primary Venture Partners and ff Venture Capital. Broad incumbents are Andreessen Horowitz and Accel. Stage 2 Capital is listed as an emerging player.
Does Hawke Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hawke Ventures.
What industry is Hawke Ventures in?
Hawke Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B), with a secondary code of FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.