Atento Capital
Atento Capital is a Tulsa-based venture capital firm that invests $250K–$3M in early-stage tech startups led by overlooked founders, deploying capital through direct investments, fund-of-funds, and the GridX to Tulsa LATAM deep-tech relocation program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersTulsa, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Atento Capital does
Atento Capital is a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based venture capital firm founded in 2018 by Michael Basch in partnership with the George Kaiser Family Foundation. The firm invests in early-stage technology startups through checks ranging from $250,000 to $3,000,000, deploying capital via three vectors: lead investments in individual companies, fund-of-funds commitments to other venture funds (35 funds to date, including climate-focused Third Sphere and Closed Loop Partners), and venture studio co-creation. Atento targets overlooked founders — women, people of color, heartland-based entrepreneurs, and international founders — and reports that 48% of its $128M in cumulative capital since 2020 has gone to underinvested founders and GPs.
The firm's flagship initiative is GridX to Tulsa, a 3.5-week program for Latin American deep-tech founders that provides flights, housing, office space, visa support through inTulsa's Visa Network, and introductions to US investors; 8 of 11 startups in Cohort 1 committed to opening Tulsa offices, and Cohort 2 (April 2025) expanded to 21 biotech startups on a multi-city US roadshow with AWS and SynBioBeta. Atento does not charge portfolio companies for investment; revenue comes from standard VC economics — approximately 2% management fees on committed capital (~$2M annually on the $100M core fund launched April 2023) and 20% carried interest on exits. The firm sits at the center of an ecosystem of nine affiliated organizations (Build in Tulsa, Tulsa Remote, Tulsa Innovation Labs, 412 Angels, Atlas School, inTulsa, Tulsa Responds, Tulsa Service Year, GridX to Tulsa) that have collectively facilitated movement of over 5,000 people to Tulsa.
Atento Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Atento Capital
- Legal name
- Atento Capital
- Website
- https://www.atentocapital.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Atento Capital is a Tulsa-based venture capital firm that invests $250K–$3M in early-stage tech startups led by overlooked founders, deploying capital through direct investments, fund-of-funds, and the GridX to Tulsa LATAM deep-tech relocation program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Atento Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Emerging Manager / Seeding Platforms (Multi-Manager) (FSANAGAF)
Keywords
Where Atento Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tulsa
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Atento Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Management Fees: VC firms typically charge 2% management fee on committed capital under management. Atento's $100 million fund would generate approximately $2 million annually in management fees.
- Carried Interest (Carry): Standard VC carried interest structure where fund managers receive typically 20% of profits above the hurdle rate. This is the primary economic incentive for VC fund managers.
- Portfolio Company Returns: Returns from successful exits of portfolio companies including IPOs, acquisitions (e.g., Exit to Wiz for Fabric, Exit to Walmart for OnePay), and secondary sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Pre-seed investments |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Seed and early-stage investments |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Fund-of-funds investments |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Atento Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Atento Capital is a venture capital investment firm that deploys capital into early-stage technology startups through direct investments ($250K–$3M checks), fund-of-funds LP commitments, and venture studio co-creation. The firm manages a $100 million core fund backed by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, focusing on overlooked founders in the U.S. Heartland and international deep-tech founders from Latin America, with high-touch portfolio support including follow-on investor introductions, business development, visa assistance, and ecosystem connections in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Product overview
Atento Capital is a venture capital investment firm that provides access to financial, human, and social capital for early-stage tech entrepreneurs. The firm operates its flagship program 'GridX to Tulsa' — a 3.5-week accelerator initiative for Latin American deep-tech startups — alongside a $100 million investment fund targeting overlooked founders in America's heartland. Atento Capital connects portfolio companies with investors, talent, and ecosystem resources while facilitating international startups' relocation to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- GridX to Tulsa: Flagship initiative bridging international talent from Latin America with the US market, supporting founders to establish US headquarters in Tulsa.
Products and services
- Atento Capital Core Fund A $100 million venture capital fund that deploys checks ranging from $250,000 to $3,000,000 into early-stage technology startups, with allocations to pre-seed, seed, and fund-of-funds investments. Targets overlooked founders including women, founders of color, and those based outside traditional tech hubs in the U.S. Heartland.
- GridX to Tulsa A 3.5-week initiative supporting exceptional founders of science-based startups from Latin America to refine their US and global go-to-market strategies, immerse in Tulsa's entrepreneurial ecosystem, and showcase innovations at Demo Day to venture capitalists. Includes flights, housing, office space, visa support through inTulsa's Visa Network, and VC introductions.
- Direct Startup Investments Lead investments of $250,000 to $3,000,000 in early-stage technology startups across industries including edtech, healthtech, fintech, biotech, SaaS, and sustainability. Atento has led 18 investments across its portfolio of 66 companies.
- Fund-of-Funds Investment Program LP commitments to 35 other venture funds including emerging general partners, diverse fund managers, and climate-focused funds such as Third Sphere and Closed Loop Partners. Atento's fund deploys $80 million to early-stage and fund-of-fund investments.
- Portfolio Company Support Services High-touch support for portfolio companies including introductions to follow-on investors, business development support, access to regional organizations (inTulsa), co-working space introductions (36 Degrees North, WOMPA), and connections to universities (OSU, OU, University of Tulsa) and economic development organizations.
Quantifiable outcome
- 48% of $128M in total capital committed since 2020 invested in underinvested founders and GPs
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Atento Capital
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Atento Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Atento Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.
- GridXflagshipLatin America's largest biotechnology investment fund and company builder. GridX to Tulsa program is a flagship initiative bringing 21 innovative Latin American biotech startups to connect with North American investors. GridX has built a portfolio of 81 biotechnology startups from seven countries across Latin America.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)minorIndustry leader supporting the GridX international roadshow across U.S. cities (Tulsa, New York, San Francisco) featuring 21 Latin American biotech startups.
- SynBioBetaminorIndustry leader supporting the GridX international roadshow as part of the U.S. biotech investor connection initiative.
- Build in TulsacoreMajor initiative in Tulsa's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Atento and Michael Basch were involved in its creation. Supports diverse founders in Tulsa tech ecosystem.
- Tulsa RemotecoreTalent attraction initiative that has brought hundreds of remote workers and tech entrepreneurs to Tulsa. Part of Atento-initiated ecosystem supporting founder relocation.
- Tulsa Innovation LabscoreInnovation hub supported by Atento as part of Tulsa's growing tech ecosystem. Focus on cybersecurity, autonomous systems, and advanced manufacturing.
- inTulsacoreProvides ready access to diverse pool of local talent. Operates Visa Network that helps international founders navigate visa process for relocation to Tulsa. Critical partner for GridX to Tulsa program.
- 36 Degrees NorthminorTulsa's state-certified entrepreneurial incubator where many portfolio companies operate including Boddle Learning and Remble. Atento connects founders to this co-working space.
- Atlas SchoolcoreCoding bootcamp and educational initiative in Tulsa. Atento and Michael Basch were involved in its creation. Hosts GridX to Tulsa Demo Day events.
- 412 AngelscoreAngel investment network aimed at educating new investors and supporting early-stage startups in the corridor connecting Tulsa and Northwest Arkansas. Atento-initiated organization.
- BlueHouse MediaminorTulsa-based media company partnered with Remble to help therapists produce on-platform content.
- Cartwheel Startup StudiominorStartup studio administered by Winrock International and funded by Walton Family Foundation. Created PushKin as B2B SaaS company focused on essential workers and distributed teams.
- PartnerTulsaminorEconomic development organization in Tulsa. Met with GridX to Tulsa visiting companies as part of ecosystem introduction sessions.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Atento Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lightship Capital: Cincinnati-based early-stage VC investing in unexpected founders across demographics and geographies typically underfunded by majority firms. Directly co-invests with Atento (Arbit, Boddle Learning) and shares the inclusive, heartland-anchored thesis with overlapping target founders.
- Mercury: Houston-based early-stage VC with $500M+ AUM investing across Middle America. Co-led the Respond Flow $2.5M seed round with Atento and shares the heartland-focused thesis targeting founders outside coastal hubs.
- Harlem Capital: Early-stage VC focused on investing in underrepresented founders and helping them build billion-dollar companies. Shares Atento's inclusion thesis and emerging-manager positioning, though with a coastal geographic footprint rather than heartland.
- Rose Rock Bridge: Oklahoma-based venture capital firm. Part of Atento's curated network of state-level VCs that meet with GridX to Tulsa visiting companies, sharing the same geographic focus on Oklahoma and the broader heartland.
- Closed Loop Partners: Sustainability- and circular-economy-focused investment firm and fund-of-funds partner in Atento's portfolio. Comparable as a FoF peer in Atento's fund-of-funds strategy, with overlapping climate/sustainability exposure.
- Cortado Ventures: Oklahoma-based early-stage VC investing in regional sectors and Heartland founders. Co-invests with Atento across multiple portfolio companies (PatchRx, Boddle Learning, Respond Flow) and is part of the same Oklahoma investor ecosystem Atento mobilizes for GridX to Tulsa.
- Fen Ventures: Early-stage VC focused on Latin American Spanish-speaking startups. Co-led the Bioeutectics $2.1M round with Atento and represents the most directly comparable peer on Atento's LATAM founder strategy and portfolio overlap.
- gener8tor: Midwest-based accelerator and venture fund running cohort-based programs (comparable to GridX to Tulsa) across multiple US cities. Operates a similar hybrid accelerator/fund model with strong geographic-inclusion positioning in heartland markets.
- Plains Ventures: Oklahoma-based venture capital firm investing across regional sectors. Part of Atento's network for VC introductions to GridX to Tulsa visiting founders, providing overlapping coverage of Oklahoma-based deal flow.
Broad incumbents
- Revolution's Rise of the Rest: Steve Case's nationwide seed fund investing in startups outside coastal hubs. Shares Atento's geographic-inclusion thesis at a much larger scale and broader national footprint, representing a comparable but better-capitalized model for heartland-focused venture investing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Atento Capital social profiles
Digital presenceAtento Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Atento Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Atento Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Atento Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments35 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Atento Capital
What does Atento Capital do?
Atento Capital is a venture capital investment firm that deploys capital into early-stage technology startups through direct investments ($250K–$3M checks), fund-of-funds LP commitments, and venture studio co-creation. The firm manages a $100 million core fund backed by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, focusing on overlooked founders in the U.S. Heartland and international deep-tech founders from Latin America, with high-touch portfolio support including follow-on investor introductions, business development, visa assistance, and ecosystem connections in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Is Atento Capital a public or private company?
Atento Capital is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Atento Capital founded?
Atento Capital was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Atento Capital based?
Atento Capital is headquartered in Tulsa, United States, in the North America region.
How does Atento Capital make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest (Carry) and portfolio Company Returns.
Who are Atento Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lightship Capital, Mercury, Harlem Capital, Rose Rock Bridge, Closed Loop Partners, Cortado Ventures, Fen Ventures, gener8tor and Plains Ventures. Revolution's Rise of the Rest is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Atento Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Atento Capital.
What industry is Atento Capital in?
Atento Capital's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of FSANAGAF, Emerging Manager / Seeding Platforms (Multi-Manager). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.