RS Ventures

What RS Ventures does

RS Ventures, operating legally as Root and Shoot Ventures LLC, is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm was created to invest in digital technologies that 'create new markets and level the playing field,' with deployment concentrated at the seed and early stages. RS Ventures is backed by Unity Investments, which serves as the parent/financial sponsor and provides institutional support to fund operations. The firm is led by three General Partners — Jonathan Lam, Gordon Tsui, and Michael Chen — and acquires deal flow through direct founder engagement, professional networks (LinkedIn), and an online Founders Questionnaire on its website.

The firm does not sell products or services; instead, it deploys capital into portfolio companies and realizes returns through equity outcomes (exits, IPOs, secondaries). Its disclosed portfolio spans 26 early-stage companies across AI (Gravity AI, Phaidra, Compose.ai, Iona Mind), cybersecurity (Jericho Security), fintech (Wally, Stonks, Nitra), healthtech (Legion Health, Kiira), developer tools (Blaze.tech, Eqtble, Forecastr, Sendspark), talent (Outfit), XR/metaverse (TribeXR), and other digital verticals (AirWorks, Amber, Bump, Canopy, MyMarkit, Peach Score, Skylink, Swifteam, Tellus, Wendi).

The business model is that of a conventional early-stage venture fund: capital is raised from a sponsor (here, Unity Investments) and deployed into portfolio companies in exchange for equity, with revenue ultimately derived from exits and carry rather than recurring product sales. The firm has disclosed no AUM, fund close size, revenue, or headcount beyond the three named GPs, and the website explicitly lists operating geographies as the United States. (Note: the firmographic short_description field refers to 'real estate development, property management, and private investment services,' which is inconsistent with all other sources and is treated here as not supported by the underlying data.)

Name

RS Ventures

Legal name

Root and Shoot Ventures LLC

Website

https://rs.ventures

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RS Ventures (Root and Shoot Ventures LLC) is a Los Angeles-based early-stage venture capital firm, backed by Unity Investments, that invests in digital-technology startups creating new markets, with a disclosed 26-company portfolio spanning AI, fintech, healthtech, and other digital verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Early-stage startups
• Digital economy funds
• Technology equity investments
• Seed stage capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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. Venture Capital Returns: As an early-stage venture firm, RS Ventures generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies. Revenue is realized through exits, IPOs, or secondary sales of portfolio company shares. The firm invests in digital technologies that will create new markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

RS Ventures (Root and Shoot Ventures) is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests equity capital in digital technology startups positioned to create new markets and democratize access in the digital economy. The firm deploys capital at seed and Series A stages and provides strategic guidance and network access to portfolio founders, with a portfolio of 26 companies across AI, fintech, healthtech, developer tools, cybersecurity, and other digital technology verticals.

Product overview

RS Ventures (Root and Shoot Ventures) is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Los Angeles, California, that invests in digital technologies. The company is not a product company; it is an investment fund that deploys capital into portfolio companies. The firm does not offer its own products or services, but rather provides funding and support to early-stage startups in the digital economy transformation space. Its portfolio includes 26 companies spanning various sectors including AI (Gravity AI, Phaidra), fintech (Wally, Stonks), healthtech (Legion Health, Kiira), developer tools (Compose.ai, Blaze.tech), and other digital technology verticals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early-Stage Venture Capital Investment Fund

Named customers26 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 1517 Fund: Early-stage VC backing young founders building technology companies. Comparable seed-stage focus and digital-economy orientation.
• Corazon Capital: Early-stage VC focused on digital and technology-enabled businesses. Overlaps in stage, sector, and digital-economy thesis.
• Mucker Capital: Los Angeles-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in seed and Series A digital technology startups. Directly comparable in geography, stage focus, and digital-first thesis.
• Crosscut Ventures: LA-based seed-stage VC focused on technology and consumer companies. Mirrors RS Ventures' early-stage, digitally focused investment approach and Southern California base.
• TenOneTen Ventures: LA-based early-stage VC investing in technology-enabled startups. Comparable in stage, geography, and digital-first portfolio construction.
• Hustle Fund: Seed-stage VC investing in early-stage software and digital economy companies. Highly comparable in stage and thematic focus on creating new digital markets.
• Wavemaker Partners: Early-stage venture firm investing in enterprise and consumer digital technology startups. Comparable stage and digital thesis, with partial US presence.
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Early-stage technology investor and accelerator backing digital startups across multiple verticals. Comparable in stage and cross-vertical digital portfolio approach.

Broad incumbents

• Founders Fund: Large, established US venture capital firm with broad technology mandates including early-stage digital investments. Overlaps thematically but operates at far greater scale and brand.
• Sequoia Capital: Tier-one global venture firm investing across stages in technology companies. Competes with RS Ventures for the same digital-technology seed/Series A opportunities, but with vastly deeper capital and network resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/root-and-shoot-ventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments37 records

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

Frequently asked questions about RS Ventures