Gutter Capital

What Gutter Capital does

Gutter Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2021 by Dan Teran and James Gettinger, headquartered in New York City. The firm invests at the pre-seed and seed stages in software and AI-enabled businesses that address affordability, economic mobility, and sustainability, deploying $3-5M per core investment and exclusively leading rounds. It maintains an active partnership model, taking board seats, mandating quarterly board meetings, and providing dedicated in-house recruiting resources alongside co-development of mission, vision, values, strategy, hiring plans, financial plans, and product roadmaps. Portfolio companies are reported to be twice as likely to progress from Seed to Series A and from Series A to Series B relative to baselines, per Carta data, and both prior funds rank in the top quartile of their vintages per Cambridge Associates benchmarks.

The firm operates three sequential investment funds (Fund I, Fund II, and Fund III closed at $75M in June 2026, tripling the prior fund size) and an accelerator program called Elbow Grease, launched in 2025 with sponsorship from Mercury and Orrick, providing $300,000 investments and a 10-week NYC residency to cohorts of up to 15 startups. The portfolio spans approximately 22 disclosed companies across Funds I and II, spanning consumer, climate, housing, fintech, AI infrastructure, and consumer brands. Business model revenue is derived from standard VC economics: management fees on committed capital plus carried interest on successful exits, with no direct charges to portfolio companies beyond equity dilution. Distribution is driven by thought leadership (podcasts, Medium essays, press), industry rankings (Business Insider Seed 100, Entrepreneur, Fast Company), and direct founder outreach via [email protected].

Name

Gutter Capital

Legal name

Gutter Capital

Website

https://gutter.cc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gutter Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2021 in New York City that invests $3-5M at pre-seed and seed in software and AI-enabled businesses, while also operating the Elbow Grease accelerator program for mission-driven founders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investment

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSANAAAM

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated)

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Venture Capital Firms

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Early stage funding
• Seed stage capital
• Pre-seed investments
• Startup accelerator programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Management Fees and Carried Interest: VC fund revenue model consisting of management fees (typically 2% on committed capital) and carried interest (typically 20% of fund profits above the hurdle rate). Returns generated through successful portfolio company exits via acquisition or IPO.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gutter Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests $3-5M per core investment at pre-seed and seed stages, exclusively leading rounds and taking board seats in portfolio companies. The firm focuses on software and AI-enabled businesses founded by exceptional founders tackling affordability, economic mobility, and sustainability challenges. In addition to its three investment funds, Gutter Capital operates the Elbow Grease accelerator, providing $300,000 investments and a 10-week NYC residency to early-stage startup teams.

Product overview

Gutter Capital is a venture capital firm operating as a single-platform investment firm with three distinct investment funds (Fund I, Fund II, and Fund III) and one accelerator program (Elbow Grease). The funds deploy $3-5M per core investment at pre-seed and seed stages, exclusively leading rounds with board participation. The accelerator program provides $300,000 initial investments to early-stage startups. Gutter Capital focuses on software and AI-enabled businesses addressing affordability, economic mobility, and sustainability, with a track record where backed companies are twice as likely to progress from Seed to Series A and Series A to Series B.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Elbow Grease: Startup accelerator program operated by Gutter Capital, providing up to $300,000 investment and 10-week residency at NYC headquarters for early-stage companies. Second cohort accepting up to 15 companies in fall 2026.

Products and services

• Fund I Gutter Capital Fund I is the firm's first venture capital fund focused on pre-seed and seed stage investments in software and AI-enabled businesses, deploying $3-5M per core investment and exclusively leading rounds with board participation.
• Fund II Gutter Capital Fund II is the firm's second venture capital fund investing in pre-seed and seed stage software and AI-enabled companies, with portfolio companies including Allera, Besample, Dewey, Faraday, FarmEvo, Parcell, Rebuild, Recharged, RetailPath, Roble, Soundtrace, and Upkid.
• Fund III Gutter Capital Fund III is a $75 million venture capital fund representing tripled fund size since the firm's inception, focused on pre-seed and seed stage investments in software and AI-enabled businesses.
• Elbow Grease Accelerator Elbow Grease is a startup accelerator program operated by Gutter Capital based in New York City, providing $300,000 investment and a 10-week residency at Gutter Capital headquarters with mentorship and hands-on guidance. The second cohort accepts up to 15 companies, sponsored by Mercury and Orrick.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gutter-backed companies are twice as likely to progress from Seed to Series A and from Series A to Series B
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lerer Hippeau: NYC-based early-stage venture capital firm investing at seed and pre-seed stages in software and consumer businesses. Highly comparable to Gutter on stage, geography, check size, and active-investment approach.
• BoxGroup: NYC-based pre-seed and seed venture firm known for leading rounds and an active, founder-friendly investment approach. Directly comparable on stage focus, geography, and round-leadership style.
• Founder Collective: Early-stage venture firm investing at seed with checks typically in the multi-million range across software and AI-enabled businesses. Comparable stage, check size, and generalist thesis to Gutter.
• Eniac Ventures: NYC-based seed-stage VC investing in software and AI companies with lead-investor posture. Directly comparable on geography, stage, and lead-round strategy.
• Precursor Ventures: Pre-seed and seed-stage VC investing in software and consumer businesses with small check sizes. Closely comparable on early-stage thesis and founder-first approach.
• Contrary Capital: Early-stage venture firm investing in student and first-time founders with active support. Comparable on stage and focus on earliest-stage software opportunities.

Broad incumbents

• First Round Capital: Established seed-stage VC with a national footprint and extensive platform resources for portfolio companies. Comparable on stage focus and founder-support model but at significantly greater scale and AUM.
• Antler: Global pre-seed investor and accelerator with structured residency programs. Comparable on combining accelerator operations with seed investing and supporting founders at the earliest stages.
• SV Angel: Established seed-stage investment firm with broad portfolio support. Comparable on consistent seed-stage software investing, though operating at meaningfully larger scale.

Emerging players

• Harlem Capital: Early-stage VC with a mission-driven thesis focused on diverse founders and underrepresented markets. Comparable on thematic, mission-driven investing and seed-stage focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments56 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Gutter Capital