Unusual Ventures

Unusual Ventures is a prominent seed-stage venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California, renowned for its distinctive "unusual" approach to early-stage investing. Founded by a team of seasoned operators including John Vrionis, Lars Nilsson, Scott Sage, and Andy Johns, the firm positions itself as more than just a capital provider. Unusual Ventures focuses on empowering founders by offering deep, hands-on operational support across critical areas such as go-to-market strategy, recruiting, product development, and subsequent fundraising, primarily targeting companies in enterprise software, artificial intelligence, developer tools, and infrastructure.

The firm's philosophy centers on helping founders navigate the challenging journey from "zero to one," providing practical playbooks and direct assistance to accelerate growth and mitigate common startup pitfalls. This commitment to value-add support is exemplified through initiatives like the Unusual Academy, which offers structured programs and mentorship, and a Scout Program designed to identify promising early-stage opportunities. Their operational expertise is a key differentiator in a crowded seed investment landscape, aiming to build long-term partnerships with visionary entrepreneurs.

Unusual Ventures has demonstrated significant fundraising success, reflecting strong limited partner confidence in its strategy. The firm closed its third fund, Fund III, at $400 million in 2021, followed by an even larger fourth fund, Fund IV, which secured $500 million in 2023. This substantial capital base enables them to make meaningful initial investments and provide follow-on funding as their portfolio companies scale. For first checks, Unusual Ventures typically invests between $1 million and $5 million, often leading seed rounds and actively participating in subsequent financing stages to support their portfolio's continued development and expansion.