Mentors Fund
Mentors Fund is a privately held seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2017 in Redwood City that invests in and mentors capital-efficient technology startups transforming traditional industries, distributing its Rolling Fund and SPV/Syndicates via AngelList.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersRedwood City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Mentors Fund does
Mentors Fund is a privately held, seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2017 and headquartered in Redwood City, California. The firm invests capital into and mentors capital-efficient technology startups that are applying disruptive digital technologies to traditional industries. Investment focus areas include Data Science & Analytics, IoT, AI & Machine Learning, Drones, Sharing Economy, Health, Retail, Media & Telecom, Agriculture, and Finance.
The firm was founded by four entrepreneurs with prior exit track records: Jahanzeb Sherwani (Co-founder of Screen Hero, acquired by Slack), Ahmed Khaishgi (Co-founder of Squaretrade, acquired by Allstate), Charles Huang (Co-creator of Guitar Hero, acquired by Activision), and Aamir Sheikh (former President of Barra Inc., acquired by Morgan Stanley). The founding partner group has since expanded to include Adnan Lawai, Umair Khan, Mobeen Khan, Omar Haque, and Shuja Keen.
Mentors Fund distributes investment opportunities through two vehicles: a Rolling Fund — an index approach to early-stage investing with capital called quarterly over 16 quarters — and SPV/Syndicate deal-by-deal participation. Both vehicles are administered and distributed via AngelList. The firm generates revenue through standard VC management fees and carried interest on deployed capital, and offers portfolio companies an integrated support ecosystem spanning customer introductions, co-founder sourcing, follow-on capital from VC/PE connections, M&A advisory, legal counsel, and manufacturing partnerships. Its only publicly disclosed portfolio investment is Poltio, a Turkey-based AI-powered e-commerce startup in which the fund participated in a $1 million round.
Mentors Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mentors Fund
- Legal name
- Mentors Fund
- Website
- https://mentors.fund
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mentors Fund is a privately held seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2017 in Redwood City that invests in and mentors capital-efficient technology startups transforming traditional industries, distributing its Rolling Fund and SPV/Syndicates via AngelList.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mentors Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Venture Capital Fundraising Placement (FSAEALAC)
Keywords
Where Mentors Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Redwood City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Mentors Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Mentors Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mentors Fund is a seed stage venture capital fund that invests in and mentors capital-efficient startups transforming traditional industries through technology. The fund offers two investment vehicles: a Rolling Fund that provides indexed exposure to all portfolio investments with capital called quarterly over 16 quarters, and SPV/Syndicates that allow partners to invest deal-by-deal at the same terms as the Rolling Fund.
Product overview
Mentors Fund is a seed stage venture capital fund that invests in capital-efficient startups transforming traditional industries through technology. The fund does not offer a product or service in the traditional sense; it provides investment capital, mentorship, and strategic guidance to early-stage entrepreneurs. Investment focus areas include Data Science & Analytics, IoT, AI & Machine Learning, Drones, Sharing Economy, Health, Retail, Media & Telecom, Agriculture, and Finance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Rolling Fund
- SPV/Syndicates
Companies that use Mentors Fund
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Mentors Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Mentors Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mentors Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Right Side Capital Management: Rolling Fund-style seed-stage VC that invests in a large volume of small checks across many companies using an index-style programmatic model. Closely matches Mentors Fund's Rolling Fund approach and quarterly capital-call mechanics.
- Pioneer Fund: YC alumni-led rolling fund VC deploying quarterly capital calls across a diversified portfolio of early-stage startups. Direct structural and operational parallel to Mentors Fund's Rolling Fund vehicle.
- Hustle Fund: Pre-seed and seed VC explicitly focused on capital-efficient founders and product-market fit, similar to Mentors Fund's stated philosophy. Both funds emphasize capital efficiency over mega-rounds and target tech-enabled disruption of traditional industries.
- Antler: Global early-stage VC and accelerator that funds founders from idea stage through capital-efficient paths to PMF. Comparable founder mentorship model and global geographic reach.
- FundersClub: Online venture capital platform offering rolling fund and SPV structures for accredited LPs, with a focus on early-stage tech investing. Comparable platform-based fundraising model and SPV offering.
- Republic: Investment platform offering rolling funds, SPVs, and syndicate-style participation for retail and accredited investors in early-stage startups. Direct competitor in the programmatic/rolling fund LP acquisition space.
Broad incumbents
- 500 Global: Large global seed/early-stage accelerator and VC firm with programs across 80+ countries and thousands of portfolio companies. Overlap in seed-stage investing, capital efficiency, and global geographic reach — but at vastly larger scale.
- Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): Premier multi-stage VC that also writes seed checks with strong founder mentorship programs. Overlaps with Mentors Fund in tech seed investing and founder support, but operates with much larger fund sizes and broader stage coverage.
- Y Combinator: Largest startup accelerator offering seed funding in exchange for equity plus intensive mentorship. Comparable focus on early-stage capital efficiency and founder coaching, but at vastly larger scale and via an accelerator cohort model.
Others
- Carta: Carta has launched venture capital-as-a-service and rolling fund products that compete with AngelList's offerings. Comparable as adjacent infrastructure provider rather than direct investor, but increasingly a substitute for Mentors Fund's chosen LP acquisition channel.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mentors Fund social profiles
Digital presenceMentors Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mentors Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Mentors Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mentors Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments60 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mentors Fund
What does Mentors Fund do?
Mentors Fund is a seed stage venture capital fund that invests in and mentors capital-efficient startups transforming traditional industries through technology. The fund offers two investment vehicles: a Rolling Fund that provides indexed exposure to all portfolio investments with capital called quarterly over 16 quarters, and SPV/Syndicates that allow partners to invest deal-by-deal at the same terms as the Rolling Fund.
Is Mentors Fund a public or private company?
Mentors Fund is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Mentors Fund founded?
Mentors Fund was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mentors Fund based?
Mentors Fund is headquartered in Redwood City, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Mentors Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Right Side Capital Management, Pioneer Fund, Hustle Fund, Antler, FundersClub and Republic. Broad incumbents are 500 Global, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Y Combinator. Carta is listed as an others.
Does Mentors Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mentors Fund.
What industry is Mentors Fund in?
Mentors Fund's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of FSAEALAC, Venture Capital Fundraising Placement. Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.