ff Venture Capital

Venture Capitalffvc.com

ff Venture Capital is a seed and early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2008, investing in AI, robotics, drones, security, and manufacturing across the US, Central Europe, and Japan. It serves technology founders with $300K–$700K initial checks and Limited Partners through multiple fund vehicles.

Company typePrivate
Founded2008
HeadquartersNew York, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What ff Venture Capital does

ff Venture Capital (ffVC) is a seed and early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2008 in New York City by John Frankel. The firm invests across AI, Manufacturing, Energy, Robotics, and Security, with an active portfolio of 65+ companies and 160+ cumulative investments since inception. ffVC differentiates through an unusually engaged platform model: 100+ annual roundtables across 18 functional areas, a 35,000+ founder/investor community, a biweekly newsletter reaching 30,000+ subscribers, and relationships with 700+ VC firms for follow-on capital. Portfolio companies graduate to Series B at roughly a 5x rate versus the ~10% industry baseline, and the firm has produced 26 exits and 6+ unicorns (including Socure, Burro, Manna) representing over $15 billion in cumulative enterprise value.

ffVC operates a triangulated US–Central Europe–Japan fund structure. US activities run from its Empire State Building headquarters in New York. European operations are anchored by a Warsaw, Poland office (the firm's first European presence, opened in 2020) and a €60M Central European fund (ff Red & White, launched June 2023 with JBIC IG Partners and Japanese corporate LPs). A dedicated Polish ff Tech & Gaming fund targets Polish and Central European tech and gaming with co-investment from Totalizator Sportowy, PFR Ventures, and NCBR. ffVC opened a third US office in Syracuse (Upstate NY) in September 2023 as the in-residence investor at the GENIUS NY drone accelerator, adding a dedicated robotics/UAS deal-sourcing channel.

Revenue is generated through two standard VC streams: management fees on committed capital across its multiple fund vehicles, and carried interest on successful exits. Initial check sizes of $300K–$700K for 8–10% equity in seed/Series A rounds; follow-on participation through pre-money valuations of approximately $50M. ffVC leads rounds with active board participation, reviews roughly 3,000 deals annually, and invests in approximately 5%. The partner bench is internationally distributed across the US (Frankel, Katz, Weiss, Woods), Poland (Skarul, Adamski), and Japan (Ohta, Hizume), with senior backgrounds spanning Goldman Sachs, Rothschild, JBIC, and Santander Bank Polska.

ff Venture Capital firmographics

Firmographics

Name: ff Venture Capital
Legal name: ff Venture Capital, LLC
Website: https://ffvc.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2008
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: ff Venture Capital is a seed and early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2008, investing in AI, robotics, drones, security, and manufacturing across the US, Central Europe, and Japan. It serves technology founders with $300K–$700K initial checks and Limited Partners through multiple fund vehicles.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

ff Venture Capital industry classification

Industry

Product category: Venture Capital
NAICS: Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)
SIC: Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282)
akta.pro primary industry: Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
akta.pro secondary industry: Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

Keywords

Seed venture capital
Early-stage technology investing
Cybersecurity venture capital
AI startup investments
Robotics venture funding

Where ff Venture Capital is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: New York
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

ff Venture Capital business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Management Fees: Standard VC fund management fees charged to Limited Partners on committed capital.
Carried Interest: Performance fees earned on successful portfolio exits, typically 20% of profits above the hurdle rate.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Seed to Series A investments in early-stage technology companies

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

ff Venture Capital product offering

Product offering

Core offering

ff Venture Capital is a seed and early-stage venture capital firm that invests $300,000–$700,000 for 8–10% equity in technology startups at pre-money valuations under $10M, with follow-on at pre-money valuations of ~$50M. The firm manages US, Central European (ff Red & White, €60M), and Polish (ff Tech & Gaming) funds, and supplements capital with an active platform of roundtables, hiring support, and access to 700+ follow-on VC firms.

Product overview

ff Venture Capital is a seed and early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2008, with offices in New York and Warsaw. The firm invests across emerging industries with a strong focus on AI, Manufacturing, Energy, Robotics, and Security. The firm manages multiple funds including its main US fund, ff Tech & Gaming (Poland), and ff Red & White (€60M Central European fund). ffVC offers a platform providing founders with access to a 35,000+ founder and investor ecosystem, over 700 VC firm connections, and support including fundraise assistance, hiring resources, and operational workshops. The firm does not offer a standalone software product but rather investment services and platform support for portfolio companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

ffVC US Seed and Early-Stage Fund
ff Red & White Fund
ff Tech & Gaming Fund (Poland)

Quantifiable outcome

Portfolio companies 5x more likely to raise Series B than industry average (50% vs ~10%)
+4 more outcomes

Companies that use ff Venture Capital

Customer profile

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

ff Venture Capital technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

ff Venture Capital partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

GENIUS NY AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2023World's largest business accelerator for uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). ffVC is in-resident investor with office at The Tech Garden in Syracuse. Partnership provides deal flow access to drone and robotics startups. ffVC has invested in two GENIUS NY companies (CivRobotics and CarScanner).
CenterState CEOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates The Tech Garden where ffVC opened its Upstate NY office. Home to GENIUS NY accelerator program.
European Startups (Portfolio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearly 20 European companies in ffVC portfolio, particularly focused on Central European startups (Germany, Austria, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary) seeking to commercialize globally and in US markets.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

ff Venture Capital competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Initialized Capital: Early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology companies from seed to Series A, with a comparable founder-led platform approach and similar stage focus.
Lerer Hippeau: NYC-based seed and early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology companies with similar check sizes and stage focus as ffVC, sharing the same NYC seed ecosystem and competing for the same founder pool.
Betaworks: New York-based startup studio and seed-stage venture fund that incubates and invests in early-stage technology companies, comparable in stage focus, geography, and portfolio construction approach.
SV Angel: Seed-stage venture capital firm making early investments in technology companies with similar check sizes and high-volume sourcing approach, comparable in stage and portfolio breadth.
Costanoa Ventures: Early-stage venture capital firm focused on seed investments in enterprise and infrastructure software, comparable in stage focus and portfolio construction methodology.

Broad incumbents

Techstars: Global accelerator and early-stage venture investor operating a much larger network of programs; comparable as a seed-stage investor with broader portfolio and platform resources than ffVC.
500 Global: Global venture firm and accelerator investing in early-stage technology companies worldwide, comparable as a multi-region early-stage investor with similar geographic diversification strategy.
Bain Capital Ventures: Multi-stage venture capital firm with broader stage range and significantly larger fund sizes; comparable as a tech-focused investor with potential overlap at Series A and follow-on rounds.

Regional players

Seedcamp: Leading European seed-stage venture capital firm with similar early-stage focus and pan-European coverage; comparable to ffVC's Central European franchise but with deeper European roots.
Hoxton Ventures: London-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in European technology companies, comparable as a transatlantic-oriented seed investor competing for similar Central European deal flow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

ff Venture Capital compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance3 records

ff Venture Capital financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

ff Venture Capital leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

ff Venture Capital funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

ff Venture Capital M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments378 records

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

Frequently asked questions about ff Venture Capital

What does ff Venture Capital do?

Is ff Venture Capital a public or private company?

ff Venture Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was ff Venture Capital founded?

ff Venture Capital was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is ff Venture Capital based?

ff Venture Capital is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.

How does ff Venture Capital make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest.

Who are ff Venture Capital's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Initialized Capital, Lerer Hippeau, Betaworks, SV Angel and Costanoa Ventures. Broad incumbents are Techstars, 500 Global and Bain Capital Ventures. Regional players are Seedcamp and Hoxton Ventures.

Does ff Venture Capital have an API?

No public API is recorded for ff Venture Capital.

What industry is ff Venture Capital in?

ff Venture Capital'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 5259 and its SIC code is 6211.