Better Ventures
Better Ventures is a B-Corp-certified, Oakland-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2011 that invests $500k–$1M checks at pre-seed and seed in mission-driven founders across climate, health, and workforce themes, managing ~$108M AUM across four funds and 87 portfolio companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Better Ventures does
Better Ventures is a privately held, B-Corp-certified venture capital firm founded in 2011 and headquartered in Oakland, California. The firm backs mission-driven founders at the pre-seed and seed stages, typically leading or co-leading rounds with initial investments of $500,000 to $1,000,000 per company. According to its website, Better Ventures manages approximately $108 million in assets under management across four funds and has backed 87 portfolio companies to date. Investment activity is organized around three named themes: Build Sustainable Industry (Electrification, Food & Ag, Bioeconomy, Circular Economy), Improve Human Health (Behavioral Health, Personalized Health, Food as Medicine, Longevity), and Equip Tomorrow's Workforce (Personalized Learning, Reskilling, Workforce Augmentation, AI for SMBs).
Better Ventures has no proprietary product technology; its operating technology consists of a Webflow-hosted website and a proprietary annual impact-measurement framework that tracks five metrics across the portfolio: CO2 emissions avoided, waste reduction, water saved, people served, and quality jobs facilitated. Recent disclosed investments (2024–2026) span an AI-driven nutrition platform (RxDiet), a behavioral health OS (Oasys), an AI risk-intelligence platform for physical assets (ScyAI), modular microgrids (Critical Loop), heat-pump installation (nuuEnergy), and space-based solar (TerraSpark), demonstrating thematic breadth across climate and health verticals and an emerging cross-border footprint in Europe.
The firm's revenue model is standard venture fund economics: management fees on committed/managed capital across its four funds, plus carried interest on realized gains. Fund terms, fee schedules, and LP identities are not publicly disclosed. The senior team comprises two Founding Partners (Wes Selke and Rick Moss) and one Partner (Lyndsey Boucherle), with no parent company, subsidiaries, or controlling entity disclosed. Customer (LP) composition, fund economics, and carry realizations are not in the public record, representing the principal data gaps in this profile.
Better Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Better Ventures
- Legal name
- Better Ventures
- Website
- https://better.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Better Ventures is a B-Corp-certified, Oakland-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2011 that invests $500k–$1M checks at pre-seed and seed in mission-driven founders across climate, health, and workforce themes, managing ~$108M AUM across four funds and 87 portfolio companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Better Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investment
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Better Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Better 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
- Fund Management / Venture Capital Returns: Better Ventures generates revenue through management fees and carried interest from four venture funds with approximately $108M in assets under management (AUM). Capital is deployed across pre-seed and seed rounds with initial investments of $500k to $1M per company, typically leading or co-leading rounds.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Pre-seed/Seed equity investments of $500k to $1M per portfolio company |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Better Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Better Ventures is a mission-driven venture capital firm that invests in early-stage (pre-seed and seed) technology companies through four funds totaling approximately $108 million in assets under management. The firm deploys initial checks of $500,000 to $1,000,000 per company, typically leading or co-leading rounds, and organizes its investments around three thematic areas: Build Sustainable Industry, Improve Human Health, and Equip Tomorrow's Workforce.
Product overview
Better Ventures is a mission-driven venture capital firm founded in 2011 that backs early-stage technology companies building a better world. The firm operates a thematic investment platform organized around three core areas — Build Sustainable Industry, Improve Human Health, and Equip Tomorrow's Workforce — each with sub-themes (e.g., Electrification, Behavioral Health, Reskilling). Its primary product is strategic early-stage capital, leading and co-leading pre-seed and seed rounds with initial investments of $500k to $1M, deployed across four funds totaling $108M in AUM and supporting 87 portfolio companies. The investment themes function as the firm's named product offerings that categorize where it deploys capital, while the four funds are the vehicles through which the themes are financed. Better Ventures is a certified B-Corp that holds itself to measurable impact metrics including CO2 emissions avoided, people served, and quality jobs facilitated.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Better Ventures Early-Stage Capital Funds
- Build Sustainable Industry
- Improve Human Health
- Equip Tomorrow's Workforce
Companies that use Better Ventures
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Better Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Better Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Better Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Clean Energy Ventures: Seed-stage VC focused on decarbonization and clean energy startups. Comparable fund size and direct overlap with the Sustainable Industry thesis.
- Prime Movers Lab: Early-stage VC backing breakthrough scientific and technological discoveries in climate, health, and infrastructure. Comparable seed-stage check sizes and frontier-tech orientation.
- Acumen: Pioneering impact investing organization backing early-stage companies solving poverty and sustainability challenges globally. Similar mission-driven early-stage deployment model.
- Congruent Ventures: Early-stage VC focused exclusively on climate-tech and sustainability solutions, with similar fund size and seed/Series A focus. Direct overlap on the 'Build Sustainable Industry' theme.
- Kapor Capital: Oakland-based impact-focused seed VC backing startups closing gaps of access for underserved communities. Same geographic base, similar early-stage thesis and impact orientation.
- Elemental Excelerator: Climate-tech investor and accelerator deploying early-stage capital into decarbonization and infrastructure startups. Closely comparable on climate/sustainability theme.
- Obvious Ventures: Mission-driven early-stage VC founded in 2014 with similar impact/thematic focus across sustainability, health, and future-of-work. Comparable fund size and sector overlap make it the closest analog.
- Spring Valley Ventures: Impact-focused VC backing early-stage startups at the intersection of sustainability, health, and economic opportunity. Similar thematic breadth and mission orientation.
Broad incumbents
- DBL Partners: Long-established impact-focused VC investing across sustainability, health, and economic inclusion with broader stage coverage. Larger and more mature but overlapping thesis.
Emerging players
- Unreasonable Group: Impact-focused investor and accelerator backing entrepreneurs tackling major social and environmental challenges. Overlapping mission with partial overlap in stage and structure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Better Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceBetter Ventures compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Better Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Better Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Better Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Better Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments97 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Better Ventures
What does Better Ventures do?
Better Ventures is a mission-driven venture capital firm that invests in early-stage (pre-seed and seed) technology companies through four funds totaling approximately $108 million in assets under management. The firm deploys initial checks of $500,000 to $1,000,000 per company, typically leading or co-leading rounds, and organizes its investments around three thematic areas: Build Sustainable Industry, Improve Human Health, and Equip Tomorrow's Workforce.
Is Better Ventures a public or private company?
Better Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Better Ventures founded?
Better Ventures was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Better Ventures based?
Better Ventures is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Better Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: fund Management / Venture Capital Returns.
Who are Better Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Clean Energy Ventures, Prime Movers Lab, Acumen, Congruent Ventures, Kapor Capital, Elemental Excelerator, Obvious Ventures and Spring Valley Ventures. DBL Partners is listed as a broad incumbent. Unreasonable Group is listed as an emerging player.
Does Better Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Better Ventures.
What industry is Better Ventures in?
Better Ventures's product category is Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.