Our Team
We are a team of experienced
investors, operators, founders,
designers, marketers and talent
specialists.
We believe in
student founders
We started Rough Draft Ventures because we have faith in student founders. We bet on them early and commit to them long-term. We take pride in helping them iterate on rough drafts to build enduring, impactful companies.
We invest checks through founder-friendly SAFEs via our network of student fellows, supplying the brightest student founders across the US with meaningful resources, access to education, and one of their earliest support systems.
Rough Draft 101
Stage
We focus on Pre-Seed and Seed
investments, with checks between
$100-$150k. Have an idea? It’s never too
early to pitch us!
Industry
We’re industry-agnostic, and we all have different interests and specialties. Don’t hesitate to apply.
Location
For now, we focus on US-based companies (incorporated as a C-Corp in Delaware).
Strategy
We strive to be students’ first checks and
are committed to being partners in their entrepreneurial journeys. We back
ambitious, bold, curious, and energetic
teams with a strong bias to action and
ability to follow through.
Inclusion
We are committed to sourcing and working with diverse founders and funders. No
matter where you come from, what you
study, or how you identify, we want to hear
from you. Cold applications are welcome
and, in fact, encouraged!
Why Choose RDV
We are committed to sourcing and working with diverse founders and funders. No
matter where you come from, what you
study, or how you identify.
To all the founders wondering
what makes us different—-
Browse around a few VC websites these
days and you’ll notice that they all start to
sound the same.
from the very start. But that hasn’t always been the case. When we
started First Round over 15 year ago, seed-stage investing wasn’t
yet a thing and most doubted it would stick around. Founders-
turned-investors were odd balls. And a “Platform Team” that
provided services beyond the check was a new idea. These days, a
Platform Team is table stakes. Every VC out there promises access
to individuals and networks that set founders up for success. Even
multi-stage and mega growth firms now dabble in seed-stage
WE HELP WITH
PEOPLE ADVISORY
SUITE OF SERVICES
operational challenges. Our seasoned team can
assist you with as-needed, customizable services to
help you tackle what’s next. Think of us as an à la
carte menu of services. All of what you need and
none of what you don’t.
TIPS FOR
ENTREPRENEURS
BUILDING RECURRING
REVENUE BUSINESSES
We focus on investments that help cultivate impactful early to
growth stage companies in Indonesia’s growing market.
Total companies invested
*data as of May 2022.
Total companies’ value
*data as of May 2022.
Our Community
The RDV community is comprised of world-class founders, operators, and investors
who have all been in your shoes. Our passion is unlocking your entrepreneurial
journey, and we’re here to give you everything you need to grow.
Driving innovation in 18+ industries
Agtech
Animal Health
Brand & Retail
Energy
Enterprise Tech
Fintech
An elite ecosystem
of entrepreneurs.
Our goal is to help startups
grow and succeed.
We believe that technology has the power to make the world a better place and we invest our time and resources into entrepreneurs that are making an impact.
Since 2006, we’ve been accelerating startups, matchmaking them with corporate clients, and investing in them.
1450
$9b
250
400
300
Why should you apply to Plug and Play?
No equity
required
to accelerators.
We do not ask
participating
startups to give up
any ownership. We
would much
rather invest in
your next round of
funding fairly.
Stage
agnostic
to accelerators.
We do not ask
participating
startups to give up
any ownership. We
would much
rather invest in
your next round of
funding fairly.
An in-house
VC
invest in over 260
Build your
traction
partnered with
over 500 of the
world’s largest
corporations to
help them
discover startups.
Our startups pitch
in private sessions
to land pilots and
grow faster.
Go
international
locations across
The Americas,
Europe, Middle
East, and Asia, we
can help you scale
to new markets
faster.
Room to
grow
square foot
building in the
heart of Silicon
Valley makes it
easy for teams to
grow hassle free.
World-class
mentors
our ecosystem are
experts and
leaders in their
industry, have built
successful
businesses, and
want to help you
build yours.
Daily
networking
events
over 1,000 global
events. As part of
this ecosystem,
you will network
daily and meet
like-minded
people.
VC network
on tap
An accelerator program perfectly suited to
the industry you’re disrupting.
Fintech
Insurtech
Internet of Things
Brand & Retail
Mobility
Health
We help you build your
client pipeline.
With over 400 major corporate partners in our ecosystem looking for different things, our programs are suitable for companies of all sizes.
Our innovation platform is the single best place to find your next big customer. When you join our ecosystem, we put you into private dealflow sessions with corporate decision makers and let you pitch.
We want to invest in you.
We don’t believe that our entrepreneurs should give up their hard-earned equity to join an accelerator. Instead, if we find your company a good fit for our portfolio, we invest between $25,000 to $500,000 to become a stakeholder in your future.
We also open the doors to the most respected VCs in the world to ensure that you source funding from the right people, at the right time.
Explore our innovation platforms.
Agtech
Animal Health
Brand & Retail
Energy
Enterprise Tech