What Wakestream Ventures does

Wakestream Ventures LLC is a privately held, early-stage generalist venture capital fund domiciled in Michigan, USA, operating as the DeVos family office out of Ada (Grand Rapids metropolitan area). The firm was founded by Rick DeVos, with Kim Pasquino serving as Investment Director, and targets seed and early-Series-A companies across the Michigan and broader Midwest region. Wakestream deploys initial checks of $150,000 to $500,000 per company and reserves follow-on capital for second and third rounds up to a cumulative $1.5 million per portfolio company. The fund's stated thesis is generalist — it backs "fascinating founders" rather than concentrating on a single sector — and its portfolio of 40+ companies spans medtech, fintech, proptech, esports infrastructure, consumer packaged goods, biotech, and SaaS.

The firm does not develop, license, or sell technology products; its core "product" is investment capital paired with regional ecosystem connectivity. Documented lead investments include a $1.7M seed round in CertifID (wire-fraud prevention for real estate) in May 2018, a $1M round in Urbaneer (movable-wall proptech) in May 2018, and follow-on participation in rounds such as PlayVS's $15M Series A and Shoulder Innovations' $1.5M Series A. Wakestream co-invests systematically with a regional syndicate including Start Garden, Grand Angels, Michigan Angel Fund, eLab Ventures, Lewis & Clark Ventures, and Invest Michigan, suggesting its competitive identity is anchored in Midwest deal-flow aggregation rather than a proprietary investment methodology or technology platform.

The business model follows standard venture fund economics: capital is sourced from the DeVos family, deployed as equity into portfolio companies, and returns are expected via exits (acquisitions, IPOs, secondaries) generating carried interest, supplemented by management fees. The firm does not publicly disclose AUM, fund vintage, or revenue, and there is no evidence of external institutional LPs. Marketing is limited to a Squarespace-hosted website (wakestreamventures.com) that functions as a portfolio showcase and news feed rather than an active origination or fundraising channel.

Name

Wakestream Ventures

Legal name

Wakestream Ventures LLC

Website

https://wakestreamventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wakestream Ventures is the DeVos family's early-stage generalist venture fund based in Ada, Michigan, backing Midwest founders with $150K–$500K initial checks and follow-on capacity up to $1.5M across a 40+ company portfolio spanning medtech, fintech, esports, and consumer brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Early-stage investments
• Seed stage capital
• Family office investing
• Startup equity funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns: Wakestream generates returns through equity ownership in early-stage portfolio companies. The fund makes investments in promising startups with the expectation of realizing returns through exits via acquisitions, IPOs, or secondary transactions. Revenue is derived from carried interest and management fees typical of VC funds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Wakestream Ventures is a family office venture capital fund that provides early-stage equity capital to startups, with typical initial investments ranging from $150,000 to $500,000 and follow-on funding up to $1.5 million cumulative. The firm is focused primarily on the Michigan and broader Midwest region as part of the DeVos family's investment activities.

Product overview

Wakestream Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund that operates as a generalist investor. The firm focuses on early-stage companies with initial investment sizes ranging from $150,000 to $500,000 and provides follow-on commitments for 2nd and 3rd rounds up to $1.5 million cumulative. Wakestream does not offer a software product or platform; it is a financial investment firm that backs portfolio companies across various sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early-stage venture capital investment
• Follow-on venture capital investment

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlayVS partnered with NFHS to build esports infrastructure at the high school level. NFHS writes rules, hires referees, schedules seasons, and determines playoff formats - bringing this same infrastructure to high school esports.
• NFHS NetworkflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlayVS partnered with NFHS Network to broadcast high school esports events. Provides access to 14.5 million high school students for esports competitions.
• Rockford ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrand Rapids-based construction company where Urbaneer was initially a proof-of-concept unit. Co-founded Urbaneer with Rockford CEO Mike VanGessel in 2013. Has incorporated Urbaneer designs in redevelopment projects.
• Atomic ObjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrand Rapids-based web and software development company where Blue Medora was initially incubated. CEO Carl Erickson co-founded Blue Medora with Nathan Owen and provided capital and software engineers.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Drive Capital: Columbus, Ohio-based venture capital firm with a Midwest-focused thesis investing across multiple stages. Comparable regional peer but typically writing larger checks than Wakestream and operating at later stages as well.
• Baird Capital: Midwest-anchored private equity and venture capital arm of Robert W. Baird. Comparable as a Midwest-based institutional investor, though operating at larger check sizes and broader stage range than Wakestream.

Direct peers

• gener8tor: Midwest-based accelerator and early-stage investment platform operating across multiple US cities. Comparable as a regional early-stage capital provider with accelerator-adjacent programs in the Midwest.
• Detroit Venture Partners: Michigan-based early-stage VC firm backing technology and consumer companies in Detroit and the broader Midwest. Directly comparable as a Michigan-focused seed/Series A investor.
• eLab Ventures: Ann Arbor-based early-stage VC firm that co-invested with Wakestream in Blue Medora's Series A. Directly comparable as a Michigan-anchored early-stage investor with similar check sizes and stage focus.
• Grand Angels: Grand Rapids-based angel network that has co-invested with Wakestream in portfolio companies like Blue Medora. Directly comparable as a Michigan/Midwest early-stage investor at similar check sizes.
• MATH Venture Partners: Chicago-based early-stage VC firm investing in Midwest technology startups. Comparable as a regional early-stage investor with similar stage focus and generalist sector mandate.
• Start Garden: Grand Rapids-based seed-stage venture capital fund and business incubator also founded by Rick DeVos. Wakestream has invested alongside Start Garden in portfolio companies, making it a closely affiliated peer with overlapping investment activity in the Michigan ecosystem.
• Michigan Angel Fund: Michigan-based angel fund that has co-led rounds with Wakestream in companies such as Shoulder Innovations. Directly comparable as a regional Michigan early-stage investor at the seed/Series A stage.
• Hyde Park Venture Partners: Chicago-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in seed and Series A startups across the Midwest. Highly comparable to Wakestream in stage focus, check size, and regional Midwest orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wakestreamv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments75 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Wakestream Ventures