Catenary Partners is an early-stage venture capital and management consulting firm that evaluates, invests, and helps guide technology driven businesses with idea generation, start-up funding, organizational management, and tactical technology planning.  

 

We look to partner with passionate founders to help bring to life their disruptive ideas by actively fueling their innovative ideas into successful companies.  Our team has extensive experience collaborating with companies in Enterprise Software, Electronic Fund Settlement, Digital and Social Media, Mobile, Robotics, and the Consumer Internet.  Our operational expertise and focused network enable us to be bridge-builders, connecting entrepreneurs with the right partners to drive success.

 

Catenary Partners specializes in leading Seed and Series A rounds in syndication with angels, venture capital firms, and strategic investors.  We are active investors, management and engineering consultants, and board members – operating as an extension of the entrepreneurs’ network.  Our typical investments range from $50,000 to $500,000 with additional amounts reserved for follow-on investments.

 

Catenary Partners investment strategy provides focus and clarity within stage, sector, and geography.

 

Stage

Catenary Partners has a focused approach towards funding early stage companies.  Our goal is to be early, have conviction, write a meaningful check and partner with entrepreneurs to build exceptional companies.  In addition to seed rounds, we also will invest in later rounds for the right team and opportunity.  We typically invest initial amounts from $50,000 to $500,000 and reserve additional amounts for follow-on investments.

 

Sector

We are focused around capital efficient, information technology companies and the disruption and reinvigoration of the service economy.  Within technology we look at five key sectors: Mobile, Enterprise and SaaS, Social, Robotics, and New Service Models.  We define New Service Models as technologies that are replacing business models with large amounts of human capital, agencies or brokerages and are able to deliver their services in a more efficient manner.

 

Geography

A key part of our strategy and focused approach is geographical differentiation. In contrast to most other early stage venture capital firms, we invest in companies outside of Silicon Valley within the United States and internationally.

We look to invest both human and financial capital in startups or high growth technology companies engaged in disrupting inefficient consumer-focused markets.  The typical process we undertake in identifying our partnerships is as follows:

 

Submit a Business Plan

We review a submitted entrepreneur’s business plan, and then speak with the business’s founders, if the founders and their vision meet our investment criteria we will move together through to the next stage.

 

Due Diligence

Upon the mutual acceptance of the founder’s vision and business plan, we will perform due diligence on the business, including looking at the company’s management team, market, products and services, operating history, corporate governance documents, and financial statements.  Depending upon the business we may also develop a deal term sheet describing the terms and conditions under which we would make an investment.

 

Investment

If at the completion of due diligence, we believe there to be mutual interest in moving forward, an investment is made in the business in exchange for some of its equity and/or debt.  The terms of an investment are usually based on company performance, which help provide benefits to the small business while minimizing our risks.  We normally make our investments in a series of “rounds” based upon previously agreed to milestones.  Typically further rounds of financing are made available, with adjustments in price as the company executes its plan.

 

Execution

Once we invest in a business we will offer the founders our guidance and support based upon the founders’ requests.  We believe in partnering with strong visionary driven individuals who require minimal guidance in their core areas of competencies (ie we get out of your way to do the thing you do best and assist you in areas of weakness) to help you build a great company.

 

Exit

Catenary Partners has an investment horizon of typically between two to five years after which we look to “exit” our deals via mergers, acquisitions, IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) or buyout.  We believe in exiting our deals once a sustainable and scalable business model is being driven forward by their visionary founders.