What Core Ventures does

Core Ventures Group is a privately held, founder-led seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2012 by Shinya Akamine, with Joanna Drake joining shortly afterward as Co-Founding General Partner. The firm manages two seed-stage investment funds (Fund I and Fund II) that deploy capital into a concentrated portfolio of early-stage companies with proven business models and advanced technologies. Shinya Akamine, who previously founded and sold Postini to Google and served as GM at Cygnus Solutions (sold to Red Hat), is now listed 'in memoriam' on the firm's website, with Joanna Drake continuing as the sole active General Partner. The firm is recorded as headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland in firmographic data, though its operating footprint and GP networks are anchored in Silicon Valley.

The firm's two seed-stage funds constitute its core offering, with capital deployed across approximately 20 portfolio companies spanning AI/ML, fintech, IoT, retail technology, security, marketing technology, and edtech. Notable active portfolio companies include Kueski (Mexico's leading online lending platform), Concentric (AI-driven enterprise data security), Zippin (checkout-free retail technology), Ockam (trusted data exchange), Ascend (data pipeline automation), Bench (intelligent bookkeeping), Feed.fm (music licensing), Air (live human-AI collaboration), and TrueAnthem (ML-driven social marketing). The firm has realized exits from Liftoff, Prevoty (acquired by Imperva), Sourcery/Cheetah, Vidora, Compaas, Create+Learn, and Wizeline, with two portfolio companies (HumbleDot and Omnee) closed.

Revenue is generated through traditional venture fund mechanics: management fees on committed capital and carried interest from realized exits. The firm operates with an extremely lean team of two General Partners (1-10 employees per firmographic records) and sources deals through direct, relationship-based outreach by the partners, rather than running an institutional or open-application process. Joanna Drake's affiliations with C200 and Broadway Angels extend deal flow and follow-on capital access. Note: An unrelated entity also named 'Core Ventures' was identified in McKesson Corporation's Q1 FY2026 acquisition disclosures; the firm's own materials confirm this is a distinct healthcare/industry business and not the same Core Ventures Group.

Name

Core Ventures

Legal name

Core Venture Partners

Website

https://coreventuresgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Core Ventures Group is a privately held seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2012, managing two funds that invest in early-stage companies with proven business models and advanced technology capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seed-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAAAJ)

Keywords

• Seed-stage venture capital
• Early-stage technology investing
• Startup seed funding
• Founder mentorship
• Venture fund management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Venture fund returns (Fund I and Fund II): Core Ventures Group operates two seed-stage venture funds (Fund I and Fund II). As a fund manager, revenue is generated through management fees on committed capital and carried interest / returns realized on exits from a concentrated portfolio of seed-stage investments. The portfolio already shows multiple realized exits (e.g., Liftoff, Prevoty, Sourcery/Cheetah, Vidora, Compaas, Create+Learn, Wizeline) supporting this return-driven model.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Core Ventures Group manages two seed-stage venture funds (Fund I and Fund II) that invest primarily at the seed stage in companies with proven business models and advanced technologies. The firm supplements capital with operator mentorship drawn from the General Partners' entrepreneurial experience and leverages diverse human capital networks to help portfolio companies overcome early market challenges and build category-leading businesses.

Product overview

Core Ventures Group is a seed-stage venture capital firm — not a software product company — founded in 2012 by Shinya Akamine with Joanna Drake as Co-Founding General Partner. Its offering consists of two seed-stage investment funds (Core Ventures Fund I and Core Ventures Fund II) that primarily invest in seed-stage companies with proven business models and advanced technologies. The firm's named portfolio, featured on its homepage, spans the following companies: Air (live human-AI collaboration), Ascend (data pipeline automation), Bench (intelligent outsourced bookkeeping), Compaas (compensation intelligence, exited), Concentric (AI-driven data security), Create and Learn (K-12 technology learning, exited), Feed.fm (music licensing for digital platforms), HumbleDot (remote team management, closed), Kueski (online lending in Mexico), Liftoff (mobile app performance marketing, exited), Ockam (trusted data exchange), Omnee (predictive analytics for outdoor audiences, closed), Prevoty (web app security, exited and acquired by Imperva), Remot3.it (industrial IoT connectivity), Sourcery/Cheetah (food supply chain, exited), TrueAnthem (ML-driven social marketing), Vidora (AI-personalized digital content, exited), Wizeline (product development services, exited), and Zippin (checkout-free retail technology). The two funds form the firm's core capital-deployment products, while the listed companies represent the underlying portfolio of investees backed by those funds. In 2025 Core Ventures was acquired by McKesson Corporation as part of McKesson's broader acquisition program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Ventures Fund I
• Core Ventures Fund II

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple realized exits from Fund I/II portfolio (Liftoff, Prevoty/acquired by Imperva, Sourcery/Cheetah, Vidora, Compaas, Create+Learn, Wizeline) demonstrating capital recycling and return generation.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Khosla Ventures: Established multi-stage venture firm that deploys significant capital into seed and early-stage technology companies, including AI bets. Broader incumbent competing for the same seed-stage deal flow as Core Ventures.
• Y Combinator: The dominant seed-stage accelerator, deploying capital at scale into thousands of early-stage companies per batch. Comparable as a seed-stage capital provider, though much larger and broader than Core Ventures' concentrated portfolio approach.

Direct peers

• SV Angel: Silicon Valley-based seed-stage investment firm backing early-stage technology founders with operator involvement. Directly comparable geography and stage focus to Core Ventures.
• First Round Capital: Seed-stage venture firm focused on early-stage technology companies, known for deep founder support and concentrated portfolio construction. Highly comparable to Core Ventures' model of close, hands-on seed investing.
• Lerer Hippeau: Seed-stage venture firm investing in early-stage technology and consumer companies with hands-on founder support. Comparable stage focus and portfolio construction to Core Ventures.
• Floodgate Fund: Bay Area seed-stage VC investing in early-stage technology companies with operator-style partnership. Comparable in stage, geography, and concentrated portfolio philosophy.
• Baseline Ventures: Seed-stage investor focused on early-stage technology and consumer companies, with a track record of concentrated seed bets. Comparable in stage and Bay Area footprint.
• Maven Ventures: Silicon Valley seed-stage firm investing in early-stage consumer and enterprise technology companies. Comparable in stage, geography, and concentrated seed portfolio construction.
• Founder Collective: Seed-stage venture fund founded by former operators, investing in early-stage technology companies. Highly comparable on founder-led underwriting and seed-stage concentration.
• 500 Global: Global seed-stage accelerator/VC investing in early-stage technology founders with concentrated portfolio support. Highly comparable to Core Ventures' operator-led, seed-stage thesis and global footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/6397929

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments32 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Core Ventures