A Partner to Swashbuckler Capital (SBC) can be either someone whose firm takes a parallel interest in a startup with Swashbuckler, or can be a startup founder whom Swashbuckler funds.

Swashbuckler brings years of system development, vertical ownership and integration of support services (e.g. accounting, legal, marketing, etc.). Our in-house capabilities and disciplined systemization make us unmatched teammates.

We are adventurous and gallant in our ventures and choose and imbue the companies in which we invest with a sense of bravado in the spirit of our leadership and character. Moreover, such courage is born of confidence in the unrivaled support and personal development we invest in founders and startups that goes well beyond capital infusions.

Our capital and especially our talent resources give our partners security. The capabilities we possess are a scourge to those who oppose us, but there your nerve is boosted knowing that we are on your side.

We are talented, loyal, fun (dare we say “sexy”), and we deliver. It is wise to put your chip stack with Swashbuckler Capital. We always tilt the field in favor of our partners with our unique strategic advantages. 

Where there’s a Swashbuckler, there’s a win!

You may feel free to submit your pitch (and can do so here), BUT we make no warranty of non-compete nor non-disclosure, due to the fact that we may already have active or planned involvement in that business space. We have honor and have built a reputation by protecting trade secrets and IP, so we can be trusted; we just can’t guarantee that we don’t have a pre-existing conflict of interest.

We don’t accept outside investment.  We are entirely privately and family-funded. You can partner with us on a deal, but we don’t take direct outside investments, as it distorts the relationship between LPs and firms; we only eat what we kill, rather than hedging our bet on an outside investor’s back with some 2 and 10 scheme. That may work for others… we’re just all-in on ourselves and ensuring that every dollar is precious and multiplies for us and the businesses in which we invest.

Swashbuckler is uniquely positioned as a we-do-it-all firm with in-house services ranging from clerical help to accounting and marketing assistance. We have spent years building systems to ensure the companies in which we invest have a radically unfair competitive advantage. While no one can guarantee the success of your venture, working with Swashbuckler is like being at the poker table with a savant, who also has an ace up his/her sleeve.

Swashbuckler Capital prides itself on funding and bolstering companies and founders that are too often overlooked. We love finding undiscovered gems and evaluate the founder more than the founder’s resume. We love people who have or are overcoming obstacles, as the same fight in their spirit to tackle those challenges day-by-day is the same fight that will help them win in the entrepreneurial theater. 

For women founders (who are too frequently underestimated and don’t traditionally receive proportional representation in VC funding), you can rest assured that we have an almost disproportionate number (particularly by VC standards) of talented women in leadership and various other roles in our firm. While we don’t take immutable characteristics, such as gender and race into account when making investments, we also know that overlooked and underrepresented people are frequently unpolished diamonds! 

It is short-sided for other VCs to not mine where there are unpicked gems (as it is just as short-sided to give undue credit based on class, religion, etc). We enjoy discovering and putting a shine on previously hidden jewels!

We are a firm primarily an early-stage (Seed through Series A) companies. We excel in supporting and accelerating young businesses. Our industry purview extends from education technology to business support services to modern eco-living developments. Our canon involves taking governed and nervy risks, providing the ultimate in systems and support, in order to profit wildly in ventures that make us smile.  If we can get an unmatched return in an area in which we can balance daredevil risks and managed structure with a cheeky angle, we’re in!

While Swashbuckler Capital primarily invests in Seed-to-A-Round early ventures, we do have a Private Equity (PE) arm that participates in acquisitions and roll-ups of businesses small and semi-large, but those investments are usually in fairly mature industries in which we can use our support team, knowledge, and innovations to bring about unique competitive advantages.

Pirates are engines of controlled chaos. They are disrupters. They accomplish their mission and have fun doing so. They realize the treasure is more valuable with a good story to tell about its acquisition.

People LOVE a pirate. People love scofflaws, bandits, rakes, and rascals.  They love swashbuckling. They love derring-do. They REALLY love sticking it to the Man.

Pirates were renegades, rebels, and rogues. At Swashbuckler, we like to think of ourselves as “Refined Rogues.” We take the best of traditions of the pirates of yore…democracy, diversity of personnel, unity of purpose, bravado, and toughness… and update them to an audacious theme binding smart people together who love to take chances and have fun helping our partners.

We are NOT your typical boring VC!

Everything in Silicon Valley is overpriced and overhyped. We like to find the undiscovered gems (from teammates, partners, and opportunities) and live large on a budget that ensures positive ROI. Nobody knows how to get more from less expenditure than Swashbuckler Capital. Being away from Silicon Valley allows us to be free, unique, and see things through the lens of more-typical Americans. Stationing ourselves in Silicon Valley would eliminate many of our distinct competitive advantages.

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