Firebrand Ventures
Firebrand Ventures is a Kansas City-based seed-stage VC firm investing $500k–$1M in exceptional software founders across underserved U.S. and Canadian startup ecosystems, with offices in Kansas City, Boulder, and Austin, and $57.7M AUM across two funds.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersKansas City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Firebrand Ventures does
Firebrand Ventures is a Kansas City-based seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2016 by John Fein, focused on investing in exceptional software founders building in underserved and emerging startup ecosystems across the United States and Canada. The firm explicitly avoids coastal VC hubs, instead concentrating its thesis on the "Greater Midwest" — spanning Austin to Minneapolis and Boulder to Columbus — and has extended into Seattle and Toronto. Firebrand invests $500,000 to $1,000,000 per seed round, averaging around $200,000 per deal with reserved follow-on capital, and takes board seats selectively.
The firm was formed through the January 2020 merger of John Fein's Firebrand Ventures and Chris Marks's Blue Note Ventures (Boulder), with the combined entity now operating as Firebrand Management LLC. It is led by Managing Partners John Fein (former Techstars Kansas City MD) and Chris Marks (former Blue Note Ventures founder), alongside Partner Claire Hansen (ex-Army Futures Command Corporate Ventures, Central Texas Angel Network) who leads the Austin office opened in 2021. Firebrand has offices in Kansas City, Boulder, and Austin, supported by an advisory board that includes David Cohen (Techstars co-founder), Tom Ball (Next Coast Ventures), Keith Harrington (Novel Growth Partners), Scott Kriens (Juniper Networks chairman), Leo Morton (DeBruce Companies), Scott Beck (Gloo), Brad Woloson (JMI Equity), and Wendy Lea (Cintrifuse).
Firebrand's revenue model follows standard venture fund economics: 2% annual management fees on committed capital, plus 20% carried interest on portfolio company exits. Fund I closed at $17.7 million in April 2018 (oversubscribed approximately 250% from a $7 million target) and deployed into 27 companies. Fund II closed at a $40 million target in August 2021, with at least 8 investments already made pre-close in Detroit, Seattle, and Toronto. The firm co-invests alongside top-tier funds including Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, Techstars Ventures, and 7GC, and its portfolio spans RegTech (HData), urban planning (Replica), EdTech (Edlink), micromobility (Drop Mobility), e-commerce logistics (Sway/Returnmates), fintech (Dwolla, Realto, 8base), and AI-enabled applications (Handraise, Videate).
Firebrand Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Firebrand Ventures
- Legal name
- Firebrand Management LLC
- Website
- https://firebrandvc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Firebrand Ventures is a Kansas City-based seed-stage VC firm investing $500k–$1M in exceptional software founders across underserved U.S. and Canadian startup ecosystems, with offices in Kansas City, Boulder, and Austin, and $57.7M AUM across two funds.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Firebrand Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
Keywords
Where Firebrand Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kansas City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Firebrand Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Management Fees: VC firms typically charge management fees (2% of committed capital) to cover operational expenses.
- Carried Interest: VC firms earn carried interest (typically 20%) on profits from successful portfolio company exits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Seed Investment |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Firebrand Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Firebrand Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in startups located in underserved U.S. startup ecosystems, particularly in the Midwest and regions such as Kansas City, Boulder, and Austin. The firm raises dedicated funds—Fund I closed at $17.7M and Fund II closed at $40M—and writes initial equity checks of $500,000 to $1,000,000 per portfolio company, supplemented by follow-on capital, mentorship, and network access.
Product overview
Firebrand Ventures is a venture capital firm that provides seed-stage investment services to exceptional founders. The firm manages investment funds (Firebrand Ventures Fund I at $17.7 million and Firebrand Ventures II at $40 million) and deploys capital into early-stage companies across underserved and emerging startup ecosystems in the US and Canada. The firm does not offer a single unified product but rather provides investment capital, mentorship, and strategic support to portfolio companies. Firebrand's services include: investing between $500k and $1M into seed stage rounds, leading or co-investing in funding rounds, taking board seats when appropriate, and providing access to a network of investors, mentors, and potential partners and customers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Firebrand Ventures Fund I The firm's debut seed-stage venture capital fund, closed at $17.7M, that invests $500,000 to $1,000,000 initial checks into early-stage startups in underserved U.S. startup ecosystems. Available to institutional limited partners, family offices, and qualified investors.
- Firebrand Ventures Fund II The firm's second seed-stage venture capital fund, closed at $40M, deploying $500,000 to $1,000,000 initial checks into seed-stage startups in underserved U.S. startup ecosystems, with follow-on capital reserved. Available to institutional limited partners, family offices, and qualified investors.
- Seed-stage equity investments
Quantifiable outcome
- 250% oversubscribed Fund I
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Firebrand Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Firebrand Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Firebrand Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Firebrand Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Foundry Group: Boulder-based VC firm that has co-invested alongside Firebrand. Larger and more established across multiple funds, but shares the Boulder/Mountain West geographic anchor and early-stage software orientation.
- Techstars Ventures: Global accelerator and VC platform where Firebrand founder John Fein previously served as Managing Director. Techstars is a co-investor alongside Firebrand and shares seed-stage orientation, though at materially larger scale and with the accelerator model.
Direct peers
- S3 Ventures: Austin-based early-stage VC firm that co-invested with Firebrand in Videate. Both firms share the Austin/Texas geographic thesis and invest in seed-stage software companies.
- Hyde Park Venture Partners: Chicago-based early-stage VC firm that co-led Firebrand's investment in HData. Both firms focus on seed/early-stage software investing in Midwest geographies, making them directly comparable peers.
- Access Ventures: Early-stage VC firm that participated in Firebrand-led seed round for Nivati. Both firms invest at seed stage in software companies and share comparable check sizes and portfolio support models.
- Next Coast Ventures: Austin-based early-stage VC firm led by Tom Ball, who is also an advisor to Firebrand Ventures. Both firms share a Texas/Midwest geographic thesis and co-investment orientation, making them highly comparable direct peers.
- Dundee Venture Capital: Midwest-focused early-stage VC firm based in Omaha that led the seed round for The Minte alongside Firebrand. Both firms share a similar Midwest geographic thesis and seed-stage check size.
- 645 Ventures: Early-stage VC firm that co-invested with Firebrand in AaDya Security. Both firms invest at the seed stage in software startups, with comparable check sizes and operator-focused support models.
- Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund: Steve Case's fund explicitly focused on startups outside of SF, Boston, and NYC. Co-invested with Firebrand in The Minte and Replica. The two firms share an almost identical thesis on geographic diversification of venture investing.
- Novel Growth Partners: Kansas City-based early-stage VC firm founded by Keith Harrington, who is also an advisor to Firebrand Ventures. Both firms share the Kansas City geographic base and Midwest seed-stage thesis.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Firebrand Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceFirebrand Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Firebrand Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Firebrand Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Firebrand Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments57 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Firebrand Ventures
What does Firebrand Ventures do?
Firebrand Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in startups located in underserved U.S. startup ecosystems, particularly in the Midwest and regions such as Kansas City, Boulder, and Austin. The firm raises dedicated funds—Fund I closed at $17.7M and Fund II closed at $40M—and writes initial equity checks of $500,000 to $1,000,000 per portfolio company, supplemented by follow-on capital, mentorship, and network access.
Is Firebrand Ventures a public or private company?
Firebrand Ventures is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Firebrand Ventures founded?
Firebrand Ventures was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Firebrand Ventures based?
Firebrand Ventures is headquartered in Kansas City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Firebrand Ventures make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest.
Who are Firebrand Ventures's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Foundry Group and Techstars Ventures. Direct peers are S3 Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Access Ventures, Next Coast Ventures, Dundee Venture Capital, 645 Ventures, Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and Novel Growth Partners.
Does Firebrand Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Firebrand Ventures.
What industry is Firebrand Ventures in?
Firebrand Ventures's product category is Venture Capital Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed). Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.