What Good Trouble Ventures does

Good Trouble Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2024 and based in Palo Alto, California. The firm invests at the intersection of technology, creativity, and culture, backing creative technologists building the next generation of entertainment, gaming, esports, and creator-economy companies from seed through growth stages. Good Trouble Ventures is led by three co-founders — AJ Thomas (Founder & General Partner), Monica Pool Knox (CEO & General Partner), and Kat Steinmetz (Co-Founder & General Partner) — and is supported by a bench of operating partners, venture partners, fund advisors, and coalition advisors drawn from Google X, T-Mobile, Pepsi, CBS, SONY, Twitter, Microsoft, LindenLabs/SecondLife, Burning Man, Primary VC, Initialized Capital, and other technology and entertainment organizations.

The firm does not sell a product or platform; its core offering is equity capital paired with strategic and operating support. Portfolio companies receive hands-on guidance from the team's operating and venture partners, supplemented by access to an extensive cross-industry network spanning technology, entertainment, media, and sports. Revenue is generated through the conventional venture capital model — management fees on committed fund capital and carried interest on equity appreciation from portfolio exits — rather than from licensing, subscriptions, or transaction fees. The firm's first publicly disclosed investment was leading a $5.35 million seed round for gaming and esports company Evil Genius Games in Q1 2026. The website, basic team pages, and a structured pitch submission form constitute the firm's primary operating infrastructure.

Name

Good Trouble Ventures

Legal name

Good Trouble Ventures

Website

https://goodtrouble.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Good Trouble Ventures is a Palo Alto-based venture capital firm founded in 2024 that invests at the intersection of technology, creativity, and culture, backing early-stage entertainment, gaming, and creative technology companies with equity capital and operating expertise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Early-stage investments
• Entertainment technology
• Seed stage funding
• Creative technology ventures

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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 a venture capital firm, Good Trouble Ventures generates returns through carried interest and equity appreciation from portfolio company exits. They invest in early-stage entertainment and gaming companies with the goal of achieving extraordinary returns for their fund investors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Good Trouble Ventures is a venture capital firm that provides equity funding and strategic support to early-stage entertainment and creative technology companies. The firm invests at the intersection of technology, creativity, and culture, backing founders building the next generation of entertainment companies from seed through growth stages. Portfolio companies also gain access to strategic advisory and an industry network spanning Google, Sony, Pepsi, CBS, Microsoft, Twitter, and other major brands.

Product overview

Good Trouble Ventures is a venture capital firm operating as a single, unified investment platform. The core offering is venture capital funding combined with strategic advisory services, targeting early-stage creative technology and entertainment companies. The firm provides equity investment to portfolio companies while leveraging its team's deep expertise from Google, Sony, Pepsi, CBS, Microsoft, Twitter, and other major entertainment and technology brands to drive operational support and strategic guidance. The firm operates under the ethos of 'good and necessary trouble,' inspired by Sen. John Lewis, and focuses on the intersection of technology, creativity, and culture where IP, content, and data unlock new value for creators, investors, and audiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venture Capital Investment Services Equity funding provided to early-stage entertainment and creative technology companies at the intersection of technology, creativity, and culture. The firm invests from seed through growth stages, backing founders building the next generation of entertainment companies, gaming and esports platforms, and creator economy tools.
• Portfolio Support & Strategic Advisory Operational expertise and strategic guidance provided to portfolio companies by Good Trouble Ventures' team of industry professionals with backgrounds at major entertainment, technology, and media companies including Google, Sony, Pepsi, CBS, Microsoft, and Twitter. Includes networking access and digital transformation support for portfolio companies.

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

• Galaxy Interactive: Early- and growth-stage investor in interactive entertainment, gaming, and Web3. Directly comparable in thematic focus on gaming and creator-driven entertainment, with a similar model of providing capital plus operating support from seasoned entertainment executives.
• Bitkraft Ventures: Specialized early-stage VC focused on gaming, interactive media, and the metaverse. The most direct analog to Good Trouble's entertainment/creative-tech mandate and an established benchmark for sector-focused entertainment investing.
• Play Ventures: Gaming-only venture fund with multiple vehicles spanning seed to growth. Direct peer in theme (gaming-first investing), stage range, and lead-investor orientation.
• Konvoy Ventures: Venture fund dedicated to gaming, esports, and the infrastructure enabling interactive entertainment. Directly comparable given its pure-play focus on the same gaming and entertainment thesis Good Trouble pursues.
• London Venture Partners (LVP): Specialist gaming and interactive entertainment VC. Comparable as a sector-focused, founder-led fund that combines capital with deep industry expertise and LP relationships tailored to games.
• Hiro Capital: Early- and growth-stage investor in gaming, the metaverse, and creator-driven entertainment. Directly comparable thematic overlap, especially around immersive and creator-economy bets.
• UTA.VC: Venture arm of United Talent Agency, investing in entertainment, media, and creator-economy startups. Comparable as an entertainment-native investor leveraging operating-partner networks from major talent and media companies.
• Lerer Hippeau: New York-based seed-stage VC with a long-standing focus on media, content, and consumer-internet companies. Comparable in stage (seed), sector overlap (media/entertainment), and emphasis on founder support from operating partners.
• Crosscut Ventures: LA-based early-stage fund investing in consumer, media, and entertainment technology. Comparable as a sector-oriented seed/Series A investor with strong entertainment and creator-economy deal flow.
• Makers Fund: Global, gaming-focused venture capital firm investing across early and growth stages. Comparable as a sector specialist with strong operating-partner networks drawn from the games industry.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Good Trouble Ventures