Red Sea Ventures
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Red Sea Ventures does
Red Sea Ventures is a New York City-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2015 that makes Pre-Seed and Seed investments into startups building next-generation experiences for consumers and workers. The firm operates from a small team (5–10) led by Founding Partner Scott Birnbaum, supported by Venture Partner Nicolas Jammet (Sweetgreen co-founder), Investor Ken Lau, and Chief of Staff Caroline Goudy, with operating-advisor support from Dan Reich and Ben Curtis. Its portfolio spans more than 50 companies across AI, consumer products and commerce, fintech, future of work, health and wellness, and media and entertainment, and includes several marquee outcomes: Allbirds and Sweetgreen both reached IPO (Sweetgreen at a $3B valuation in 2021), while Nest, Fly, and Electric Objects were acquired by Google and Giphy respectively. The firm's underlying platform is not a technology product but rather an operating layer comprising a Monday.com-powered portfolio job board (47 companies), an Expert Network, founder events, and content distribution via Medium and newsletters.
The firm earns revenue through the standard venture fund model: management fees (typically ~2% of committed capital) charged to Limited Partners, plus carried interest (typically ~20%) on fund profits above the hurdle rate. Neither AUM, fee rates, nor carry terms are publicly disclosed. Distribution of capital is sales-led — deal sourcing relies on the NYC founder network, ecosystem participation, university speaking engagements (Columbia, Princeton, UPenn, Georgetown), and warm introductions from the existing portfolio. Customer segments are bifurcated: primary "customers" are startup founders seeking Pre-Seed/Seed capital and operating support, while secondary customers are institutional and individual LPs seeking exposure to curated NYC early-stage deal flow. The most recent publicly disclosed investment was participation in VoyceMe's $10M seed round in August 2024 alongside Redpoint Ventures (lead), Torch Capital, and Clara Vista Partners.
Red Sea Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Red Sea Ventures
- Legal name
- Red Sea Ventures
- Website
- http://www.redseaventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Red Sea Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Early-Stage Private Equity
- NAICS
- Other Financial Vehicles (525990), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where Red Sea Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Red Sea Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Management Fees: VC firms typically charge management fees on committed capital (typically 2% of AUM), paid by Limited Partners (LPs) to cover fund operations and team compensation.
- Carried Interest (Carry): VC firms earn carried interest (typically 20%) on profits above the hurdle rate, aligned GP/LP interests. This is the primary upside for the fund's General Partners.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Red Sea Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Red Sea Ventures is a New York City-based early-stage venture capital fund that makes Pre-Seed and Seed investments in technology-enabled startups building next-generation experiences for consumers and workers. The firm deploys capital, provides strategic guidance from former founders and operators, and supports portfolio companies through an Expert Network, community events, and a portfolio-wide job board.
Product overview
Red Sea Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in New York City that invests in startups building next generation experiences for consumers and workers. The firm makes Pre-Seed and Seed investments and focuses on the New York ecosystem. As a VC firm, Red Sea Ventures does not operate a product business; instead, it maintains a portfolio job board (jobs.redseaventures.com) to support its portfolio companies in hiring talent.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple successful exits including Allbirds IPO, Sweetgreen IPO ($3B valuation), Nest acquisition by Google
Companies that use Red Sea Ventures
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Red Sea Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Red Sea Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Venture Partners and AdvisorscoreAdvisors including Nicolas Jammet (Sweetgreen Co-Founder), Dan Reich (serial entrepreneur), and Ben Curtis (media executive) provide strategic guidance, operating expertise, and network access to portfolio companies.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Red Sea Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Forerunner Ventures: Forerunner is a consumer-focused early-stage VC with a portfolio including Sweetgreen and others overlapping Red Sea Ventures. Comparable on consumer thesis, though it operates with larger and more concentrated consumer mandates.
- Union Square Ventures: USV is a long-established NYC venture firm with a broader portfolio and larger fund sizes than Red Sea Ventures. Comparable as a NYC-focused early-stage investor, though it operates at a larger and more mature scale.
Direct peers
- BBG Ventures: BBG Ventures is a NYC-based seed-stage venture firm. Comparable to Red Sea Ventures on NYC base, seed-stage check sizes, and consumer/enterprise breadth, though with a distinct diversity-focused thesis.
- Torch Capital: Torch Capital is a NYC-based consumer-focused seed and Series A investor that has co-invested with Red Sea Ventures (e.g., VoyceMe). Directly comparable on geography, stage, and consumer-leaning thesis.
- Lerer Hippeau: Lerer Hippeau is a NYC-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in Seed and Series A consumer and enterprise startups. It is the most direct peer to Red Sea Ventures given overlapping NYC focus, Pre-Seed/Seed check sizes, and consumer-leaning thesis.
- First Round Capital: First Round is a leading seed-stage venture firm with a strong NYC presence and a community-driven platform (First Round Review, founder events). It is directly comparable to Red Sea Ventures on stage, geography, and emphasis on founder community.
- Primary Venture Partners: Primary is a NYC-based early-stage venture firm investing in seed and Series A across consumer, fintech, and enterprise. Directly comparable to Red Sea Ventures on geography, stage, and sector breadth.
- Eniac Ventures: Eniac is a NYC-based seed-stage venture firm focused on enterprise, consumer, and emerging tech. It overlaps directly with Red Sea Ventures on NYC ecosystem focus and Pre-Seed/Seed check sizes.
- Collaborative Fund: Collaborative Fund is an NYC-based early-stage venture firm investing in consumer, food, and climate-thesis startups. Comparable to Red Sea Ventures on stage, NYC base, and emphasis on consumer/future-of-work themes.
Emerging players
- Betaworks Studios: Betaworks is a NYC-based startup studio and seed investor across consumer, media, and AI. Comparable to Red Sea Ventures on NYC seed-stage activity and consumer/tech thesis, with a hybrid studio/venture model.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Red Sea Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceRed Sea Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Red Sea Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Red Sea Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Red Sea Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments130 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Red Sea Ventures
What does Red Sea Ventures do?
Red Sea Ventures is a New York City-based early-stage venture capital fund that makes Pre-Seed and Seed investments in technology-enabled startups building next-generation experiences for consumers and workers. The firm deploys capital, provides strategic guidance from former founders and operators, and supports portfolio companies through an Expert Network, community events, and a portfolio-wide job board.
Is Red Sea Ventures a public or private company?
Red Sea Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Red Sea Ventures founded?
Red Sea Ventures was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Red Sea Ventures based?
Red Sea Ventures is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Red Sea Ventures make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest (Carry).
Who are Red Sea Ventures's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Forerunner Ventures and Union Square Ventures. Direct peers are BBG Ventures, Torch Capital, Lerer Hippeau, First Round Capital, Primary Venture Partners, Eniac Ventures and Collaborative Fund. Betaworks Studios is listed as an emerging player.
Does Red Sea Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Red Sea Ventures.
What industry is Red Sea Ventures in?
Red Sea Ventures's product category is Venture Capital / Early-Stage Private Equity. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 525990 and its SIC code is 6282.