Half Moon Bay, California – Lifeboat Ventures, a venture fund and studio for disaster impact mitigation software startups, announced first closing for its LV Disaster Impact Fund I LLC.
Lifeboat Ventures was part of the first cohort of venture funds launched as part of VC lab program at Founder Institute, world’s largest accelerator. FI VC Lab saw a need for early-stage venture funds for startups that can impact the world beneficially. Multiple cohorts of VC funds have been completed so far.
In the last 20 years, the planet has had three global emergencies – the 9/11 terrorism, the 2008 financial crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, local disasters such as earthquakes, fires, storms, floods, tsunami, and droughts continue to happen in increasing frequency and intensity. Currently, California and the western states of the USA are going through three concurrent disasters – COVID-19, drought, and fires. These disasters have caused and continue to cause severe impacts to people in all societies. Most problems, such as the ones mentioned above, are well-known. Many solutions have been proposed, but very few have been successfully executed. This is the unique thesis that the Lifeboat Venture fund is focused on – Disaster Impact Mitigation.
“As you can see from the headlines of newspapers from around the world these days, we have a great number of disaster-related problems to solve,” said Fred Durham, CEO of CafePress, a company he founded and took public. “I am an investor because I see that Lifeboat Ventures has the right model for these solutions and I believe in Gopi Mattel’s vision and capability.”
Lifeboat Venture was founded by Gopi Mattel, a serial entrepreneur whose first startup was acquired by Oracle. His second firm currently serves companies in 50 countries and has a staff of over 100. He has 30 years of deep software technology and operational experience. Gopi is a mentor and is the Director of a Founder Institute chapter. He has invested in startups and startup funds. His network includes Founder Institute, customers of 20 years, and various partners.
The majority of startups in the venture capital ecosystem fail to achieve their objectives. The fund uses a venture studio model to reduce the risk of startups failing. The fund identifies problems and inevitable ideas, market-validates them, recruits qualified entrepreneurs from accelerators, provides the first round of funding, provides partners and advisors, provides technology, provides KPIs, provides a project and cashflow plans, and guides the startups to the next round of funding. With careful and engaged guidance, the fund plans to have more exits of its startups than is typical.
This is also what Gopi Mattel, CEO of Lifeboat Ventures, had to share, “Venture Capital has a significant role to play in solving the impact of disasters on people. It is important that investors focus their attention on these types of problems using their resources.”
About Lifeboat Ventures:
Lifeboat Ventures is a $12M Startup Studio that is creating disaster impact mitigation software startups. Startups that reduce the impact of continuous disasters such as storms, floods, fire, and pandemics have compelling demand in society. The objective is to market-validate inevitable solutions, recruit qualified entrepreneurs, and take them to exit.
For more information, visit www.lifeboat.ventures
Contact