1885 Capital

What 1885 Capital does

1885 Capital (legal entity: Superior Frontier Capital LP) is an early-stage venture capital firm that officially launched in July 2026, headquartered in Houghton, Michigan, with additional presence in Marquette and Southeast Michigan. The firm is the first rural-based, early-stage VC established in the United States since 2018 and positions itself around a reindustrialization thesis targeting industrial tech, advanced materials, enterprise software, and sustainability technologies across the Great Lakes region.

The firm differentiates on capital structure flexibility rather than investment stage, deploying both traditional VC instruments (Preferred Equity, Convertible Notes, SAFEs) and alternative vehicles (revenue-share agreements, venture debt, redeemable equity). It invests at a "Seed+ / Seed-Strapping" stage into companies approximately twelve months from a Series A or profitability, with typical first checks of $100,000–$500,000 against target signals of $250K–$1M ARR growing 15%+ month-over-month. For equity rounds, the firm typically participates as a syndicate follower rather than a lead; for alternative vehicles, it typically leads and sets terms.

The business model is a fund-management fee + carried-interest structure over a private LP vehicle (Superior Frontier Capital LP). Distribution is direct-to-founder via website application review (with a one-week response SLA) and ecosystem sourcing through the firm's institutional relationships with Michigan Technological University, the MTEC and Innovate Marquette SmartZones, VentureNext, and regional angel networks. The three General Partners—Jim Baker (Michigan Tech SVP for Research & Innovation), Jim Tenzillo (13-year Great Lakes early-stage investor), and Vince Nystrom (formerly Renaissance Venture Capital, $2.3B into Michigan)—collectively bring deep regional and institutional ties that anchor the firm's deal-sourcing moat.

Name

1885 Capital

Legal name

Superior Frontier Capital LP d/b/a 1885 Capital

Website

https://1885.capital

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

1885 Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm deploying flexible capital structures—including preferred equity, revenue-share, venture debt, and redeemable equity—into industrial tech, advanced materials, enterprise software, and sustainability startups across the Great Lakes region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Early-stage venture capital
• Industrial tech investing
• Advanced materials funding
• Great Lakes startups
• Reindustrialization investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Houghton

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Management Fees: 1885 Capital generates returns through traditional venture capital vehicles including Preferred Equity, Convertible Notes, SAFE agreements, revenue-share agreements, venture debt, and redeemable equity instruments. Returns are realized through portfolio company exits and follow-on investments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

1885 Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that deploys flexible capital (first checks of $100,000-$500,000) into Seed+ and Seed-Strapping stage companies across the Great Lakes region. The firm invests through traditional venture vehicles (Preferred Equity, Convertible Notes, SAFEs) and alternative investment vehicles (Revenue-Share Agreements, Venture Debt, Redeemable Equity), targeting industrial tech, advanced materials, enterprise software, and sustainability technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preferred Equity Investment

Quantifiable outcome

• $4.5 billion in enterprise value generated by 80+ backed companies

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Michigan Technological UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded as result of US Economic Development Administration Grant received by Michigan Tech. Delivers close coordination on emerging university IP, STEM talent pipeline access, and collaborative lab opportunities. Michigan Tech is an R1 research institution with $124M+ annual R&D across advanced materials, energy, computational engineering, and autonomous systems.
• Innovate Marquette SmartZonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVince Nystrom serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence. The SmartZone is part of Michigan's technology-based economic development program supporting startup incubation.
• MTEC SmartZonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavid Rowe serves as CEO of MTEC SmartZone in Houghton, which incubates high-technology startups and helps innovators commercialize emerging technology. Has helped clients secure $145 million DOE awards.
• VentureNextminorStrategic or Co-development Partner501(c) organization co-founded by Jim Tenzillo that helps expand capital access and collaboration across the Midwest.
• Freshbank PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerese Hunwick is Co-founder and Managing Partner of Freshbank Partners, a strategic advisory firm focused on founder- and family-led businesses in industrial, transportation, and business services sectors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Hyde Park Venture Partners: Chicago-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in Midwest technology companies. Comparable as a regional seed/Series A investor operating in the same broader Midwest venture corridor as 1885 Capital.
• Dundee Venture Capital: Omaha-based early-stage venture fund focused on Midwest technology startups. Comparable as a regional, geography-focused seed-stage investor targeting founders outside the coastal hubs.
• gener8tor: Midwest-based accelerator and early-stage investment platform operating across multiple US geographies with strong Great Lakes/Michigan presence. Comparable as a regional early-stage capital provider targeting the same founder pool.
• Chrysalis Ventures: Midwest-focused (Kentucky-based) early-stage venture capital firm with a long history of investing in non-coastal US companies. Comparable as a regional early-stage investor with a similarly industrial/Rust Belt orientation.
• M25: Chicago-based early-stage venture fund focused exclusively on startups founded in or near the Midwest. Directly comparable as a regional seed-stage VC serving the broader Great Lakes/Midwest ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Detroit Venture Partners: Michigan-headquartered early-stage venture firm investing primarily in Midwest technology companies. Directly comparable as a Great Lakes-focused seed-stage investor with overlapping founder ecosystem.
• Augment Ventures: Early-stage Midwest venture fund where 1885 Capital advisor Terese Hunwick serves as an active early-stage investor. Comparable as a regional early-stage VC with similar geography and stage focus.
• Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund: $5M Upper Peninsula-based early-stage fund co-launched by 1885 Capital GP Jim Tenzillo in 2024. Highly comparable as a sister fund sharing personnel, geography (Michigan UP), and alternative-investment-vehicle approach.
• Renaissance Venture Capital: Michigan-focused venture capital fund where 1885 Capital GP Vince Nystrom was previously a partner and helped drive over $2.3 billion into Michigan companies. Directly comparable as a Great Lakes region venture investor with sector-agnostic but Michigan-centric thesis.

Others

• Invest Michigan: Michigan-focused economic development and investment initiative where 1885 Capital GP Jim Baker serves as a board member. Adjacent ecosystem participant—related rather than directly competing—as a state-aligned capital deployment vehicle operating in the same regional ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1885capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about 1885 Capital