Version One Ventures
Version One Ventures is a Vancouver-based early-stage venture capital firm that leads and co-leads pre-seed and seed rounds ($500K–$1.5M) into mission-driven founders building across AI infrastructure, robotics, deep tech, biology, and emerging markets globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Version One Ventures does
Version One Ventures is a Vancouver-based, early-stage venture capital firm founded by Boris Wertz that backs mission-driven founders at the pre-seed and seed stages, typically leading or co-leading rounds of $500K–$1.5M and often following on through subsequent financings. The firm's investment focus spans AI infrastructure, robotics and physical AI, deep tech, biology, climate/energy, and crypto/web3, with an explicitly global footprint across North America, India, and (as of April 2026) Africa. Its portfolio of 100+ companies includes category-defining outcomes such as Coinbase, Uniswap, Ada (reached $1.2B valuation in February 2026), Headout, Jobber, Shippo, Ether.fi, and Moment Energy.
The firm operates a conventional early-stage VC business model. It raises successive fund vintages from limited partners — most recently closing Version One Fund V at $78M USD and Opportunities Fund III at $30M USD in June 2026 (combined $108M) — alongside prior closings of Fund IV ($79M) and Opportunities Fund II ($30M) in 2021. Revenue derives from management fees on committed capital plus carried interest from successful portfolio exits; the firm distributed over $25M back to LPs across Funds II and III during 2025. The team is intentionally lean — 4 named principals (Founding Partner Boris Wertz, GP Angela Tran, CFO Leah Gosbee, Venture Partner Josh Nussbaum) — with two operating bases in Vancouver and San Francisco.
Beyond fund management, Version One distributes long-form thought leadership through its blog and three proprietary free ebooks (The Startup Handbook, Understanding Social Platforms, Our Guide to Marketplaces) and runs recurring founder dinners in San Francisco, NYC, and Toronto. Distribution of capital and sourcing of deals relies on these content channels, the partner network, and warm introductions from existing portfolio founders.
Version One Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Version One Ventures
- Legal name
- Version One Ventures
- Website
- https://versionone.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Version One Ventures is a Vancouver-based early-stage venture capital firm that leads and co-leads pre-seed and seed rounds ($500K–$1.5M) into mission-driven founders building across AI infrastructure, robotics, deep tech, biology, and emerging markets globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Version One Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early-Stage Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where Version One Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Version One Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Venture fund management and returns: Version One generates revenue through conventional early-stage venture fund economics: management fees on committed capital across its series of Funds (most recently Fund V at $78M USD and Opportunities Fund III at $30M USD) plus carried interest from successful portfolio exits. They have distributed over $25M back to LPs across Funds II and III in 2025.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Typical seed investment size: $500K - $1.5M (lead or co-lead) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Version One Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Version One Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in mission-driven pre-seed and seed stage founders building category-defining companies. Through its main fund (Fund V, $78M USD) and follow-on Opportunities Fund III ($30M USD), the firm typically leads or co-leads rounds of $500K–$1.5M into startups across AI infrastructure, robotics and physical AI, deep tech, biology, climate/energy, and crypto/web3 in North America, India, and Africa. The firm also publishes free educational ebooks (The Startup Handbook, Understanding Social Platforms, Our Guide to Marketplaces) that distill its investment philosophy for founders.
Product overview
Version One Ventures is a Vancouver-based early-stage venture capital firm (not a software product company) whose "products" fall into two categories: (1) investment funds — primarily Version One Fund V ($78M USD, pre-seed/seed) and Opportunities Fund III ($30M USD, follow-on) which the firm uses to typically lead or co-lead rounds of $500K–$1.5M; and (2) a library of free educational eBooks built on the firm's 10+ years of investing experience, including The Startup Handbook, Understanding Social Platforms, and Our Guide to Marketplaces (ed. 3). The funds are deployed globally into mission-driven founders across AI infrastructure, robotics and physical AI, deep tech, biology, and emerging ecosystems including India and Africa, while the eBooks serve as thought-leadership content reinforcing the firm's network-effects investment thesis.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Version One Fund V Pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital fund of $78M USD closed in June 2026. The fund invests globally in mission-driven founders building in AI infrastructure and applications, robotics and physical AI, deep tech, biology, and emerging ecosystems such as India and Africa. Version One typically leads or co-leads rounds of $500K–$1.5M.
- Opportunities Fund III Follow-on opportunities fund of $30M USD closed in June 2026, designed to back existing portfolio companies through multiple rounds of financing.
- The Startup Handbook Free eBook covering startup best practices from post-Seed to pre-Series B, organized into three sections: Building your team (hiring, culture, compensation), Building your organization (leveling up, running), and Building your investor base (fundraising, investor communication, advisors). Based on Version One's experience investing in close to 100 startups.
- Understanding Social Platforms Free eBook on social platform business models, network effects, and dynamics across messaging, private networks, public networks, enterprise networks, and communities, including metrics, exits, and valuations. Later summarized in slide deck form.
- Our Guide to Marketplaces (ed. 3) Free eBook on marketplace business models, central to Version One's investment thesis centered on network effects. Offered as the third edition of the marketplace handbook.
Companies that use Version One Ventures
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Version One Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Version One Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Canadian Robotics Council (CRC)coreVersion One Ventures is a founding member of the Canadian Robotics Council's Capital Committee, alongside BDC, Garage Capital, Inovia Capital, RBC, and Two Small Fish. The committee will provide expertise to support the council's hundreds of member companies, and the founding members have collectively deployed over $150 million into Canadian robotics companies. The CRC argues Canada lacks a national robotics strategy and advocates for one.
- AlthraminorVersion One Ventures GP Boris Wertz is listed as a notable backer of Althra, a Vancouver-based 'bottoms-up' incubator that supports early-stage startups with $12,500 initial funding, up to $50,000 follow-on support, dedicated workspace, and access to established entrepreneurs across its cohort programs.
- BDC, Garage Capital, Inovia Capital, RBC, Two Small Fish (CRC Capital Committee co-founders)coreCo-founding members of the Canadian Robotics Council Capital Committee alongside Version One. The six founding members have collectively deployed over $150 million into Canadian robotics companies.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Version One Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Inovia Capital: Canadian VC firm and fellow co-founding member of the Canadian Robotics Council Capital Committee alongside Version One. Larger and more generalist across stages, but overlapping in seed/early-stage North American investments.
- BDC Capital: Canadian development bank venture arm and fellow co-founding member of the Canadian Robotics Council Capital Committee. Much larger and more generalist than Version One, but overlaps in early-stage Canadian tech investing.
Direct peers
- Lerer Hippeau: Early-stage seed venture capital firm based in New York City. Invests at seed and pre-seed with comparable thesis-led approach and community-focused founder support model.
- Precursor Ventures: Early-stage seed fund focused on pre-seed and seed investments, often leading rounds at sub-$1M check sizes. Closely matches Version One's pre-seed/seed-centric investment posture.
- Freestyle Capital: Early-stage seed VC firm investing in pre-seed and seed rounds with comparable check sizes and a community-driven, founder-first approach. Operates in a similar size and stage band as Version One.
- Uncork Capital: US-based seed-stage venture capital fund with similar check sizes ($500K-$1.5M typical) and pre-seed/seed focus. Operates a similar thesis-driven, founder-friendly approach serving mission-driven early-stage teams.
- Founder Collective: Early-stage seed venture fund investing at the seed stage with comparable check sizes. Operates a similar model of small fund sizes and concentrated conviction bets on category-defining founders.
- StandUp Ventures: Canadian seed-stage venture fund that co-led GridBank's $6M seed round with Version One participation. Similar stage and check size, with a thematic focus on under-represented founders in the Canadian ecosystem.
- Garage Capital: Canadian seed-stage venture capital fund that frequently co-invests alongside Version One (e.g., TRIC Robotics, Loon). Operates at similar check sizes and stage focus, making it the most directly comparable peer.
- Two Small Fish Ventures: Canadian seed-stage VC firm and fellow co-founding member of the Canadian Robotics Council Capital Committee alongside Version One. Operates at similar early-stage, similar check sizes, focused on Canadian and US founders.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Version One Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceVersion One Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Version One Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Version One Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Version One Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments166 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Version One Ventures
What does Version One Ventures do?
Version One Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in mission-driven pre-seed and seed stage founders building category-defining companies. Through its main fund (Fund V, $78M USD) and follow-on Opportunities Fund III ($30M USD), the firm typically leads or co-leads rounds of $500K–$1.5M into startups across AI infrastructure, robotics and physical AI, deep tech, biology, climate/energy, and crypto/web3 in North America, India, and Africa. The firm also publishes free educational ebooks (The Startup Handbook, Understanding Social Platforms, Our Guide to Marketplaces) that distill its investment philosophy for founders.
Is Version One Ventures a public or private company?
Version One Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Version One Ventures founded?
Version One Ventures was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Version One Ventures based?
Version One Ventures is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Version One Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture fund management and returns.
Who are Version One Ventures's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Inovia Capital and BDC Capital. Direct peers are Lerer Hippeau, Precursor Ventures, Freestyle Capital, Uncork Capital, Founder Collective, StandUp Ventures, Garage Capital and Two Small Fish Ventures.
Does Version One Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Version One Ventures.
What industry is Version One Ventures in?
Version One Ventures's product category is Early-Stage Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.