Frequently Asked Questions.
Boost VC invests in startups. We invest at the moment when a big idea goes from “possible” to “inevitable”, through a technical breakthrough or social movement .
Boost VC is a $400M AUM VC based in the heart of Silicon Valley. We have been around since 2012. We invest into emerging and frontier categories where change has been driven by a Technical achievement or social pressure .
Some movements we are seeing include using technology to mimic nature’s solutions , nuclear fission opportunities due to changing tailwinds , and global financial changes sparked by peer-to-peer money like Bitcoin .
Some BIG idea examples include K2Space, Prospera, Radiant Nuclear, Colossal Bio Sciences, and New Limit.
We invest $500k to lead or co-lead pre-seed rounds! We are okay being the first check and the only check. We are also okay following on to rounds, and our checks are flexible between $100k-$1M.
Additionally, we write $50k Fellowship checks for founders who just need a bit of capital to get started, but are too early to raise a full pre-seed round! Note though that Boost VC is not an accelerator.
While >90% of our deals are either pre-seed or Fellowship checks, we stay flexible for exceptional outliers. For example, Boost VC led Radiant Nuclear’s $300M Series D round, a company that we’ve been invested in since its pre-seed!
Since the founding of Boost VC in 2012, our mission has been to make sci-fi a reality by investing in startups! We invest into emerging and frontier categories, such as robotics, AI, bio, health, materials, space tech, computing, crypto, ocean tech, AR/VR, climate, energy, and more.
While the types of deep tech startups we back have evolved over the years, our core thesis remains unchanged: we invest early in the founders building the highest-magnitude futures. These are the bold, non-consensus startups with the potential to unlock something big for billions of people.
We believe that the hardest challenges attract the best people. So we focus on spending our time where people are attempting the impossible.
The simplest way of putting this is “Great people doing important things.” There is nuance, but we want to invest in people who have unique perspective on the world, they have the confidence to build what they say they will build, and they constantly default to movement: Energy, Authenticity, and Intelligence.
Our biggest wins have been when founders focus on magnitude of impact, and believe work is a gift and responsibility - not a grind.
We invest in cockroaches, “resourceful founders who survive no matter what”! These are the founders who are scrappy, adaptable, and when the conditions are right know how to exponentially grow. We know cockroaches come in many forms, and it’s Boost VC’s goal to find and invest in the best cockroaches from all over the world (yes, we invest globally)!
A startup’s technology and market will evolve over time, so teams need to consistently move forward together toward their mission. This is why we focus on investing in great people.
We prioritize speed and transparency throughout our investment process .
- Initial Step: After our initial call, we aim to provide next steps within the week .
- Follow-up: If we move forward, founders will have one or two follow-up calls with additional investment team members over the next week or two before we make a final decision .
- Decision: If an investment offer is made and accepted, founders work with our operations team to complete onboarding.
Startups are our customers, so our goal is to be their best possible partner. We strive to do this by being helpful wherever we can (see below) and staying out of the way when we aren’t needed.
Our support ecosystem includes:
- Internal Network - access to hundreds of other active portfolio companies
- Guidance - comprehensive strategic and sales support
- Fundraising help - in addition to helping our founders with their decks and storytelling, we make 1,000+ intro for our startups every year to high quality VCs, and our portfolio has raised over $5B in follow on capital so far
- Resource discounts - 50+ internal discounts across cloud, finance, marketing, HR, and hardware providers
- Social amplification - promotion of key announcements on LinkedIn and X
- Accommodation - free housing at Draper University, conveniently located across the street from our office, for founders visiting from out of town
We love bringing our newest founders to our San Mateo office (which is a short drive or Caltrain ride from San Francisco or Palo Alto) for our weeklong semi-annual Founder Summit! We also look forward to reconnecting with founders and friends old and new during our annual Summer Party.
If you’re raising a full pre-seed round ($2M or less), please get in touch with us via intro from someone in our network or email us at info@boost.vc.
If you’re a founder just getting started, please apply for our $50k Fellowship check here.