FAQ

• What is H/L Ventures?

  H/L Ventures manages a family of companies and funds that together comprise a holistic company-building ecosystem. At the heart of this system is H/L Studio, which was among the first venture studios to include social impact in its investment thesis. That venture studio is now supported by our opportunity fund, CityRock Ventures, and our managed services group, H/L Strategies, among other entities.

• How much investment do you provide?

  In the case of pre-Seed companies, H/L Studio takes equity in exchange for partnership: we build first and view our commitment of time, expertise, team, network, and experience as an investment in non-financial capital. As part of the H/L Studio model, our CityRock funds commit to $100,000 investments in the formal Seed Rounds of our studio companies.  CityRock reserves the right to invest earlier, at the CityRock Investment Committee’s discretion, and may also elect not to invest in Seed Rounds that (1) materially deviate from NVCA standard terms and/or (2) exceed a cap or post-money valuation of $10M. This does not mean that we would not elect to invest in such rounds, but we are not obligated to do so if the rounds are outside the parameters. CityRock Ventures invests capital at Series A (and occasionally Series B) in both H/L Studio companies and companies coming to us from outside of the studio pipeline. In the case of CityRock investing in a Series A or later round which is not from our studio, CityRock Ventures will also require options/warrants in consideration of the full support of our team for every CityRock portfolio company, regardless of origin. CityRock Ventures invests capital at Series A (and occasionally Series B) in both H/L Studio companies and companies coming to us from outside of the studio pipeline. In the case of CityRock investing in a Series A or later round which is not from our studio, CityRock Ventures will also require options/warrants in consideration of the full support of our team for every CityRock portfolio company, regardless of origin.

• If I’m fundraising now, should I still talk to you or should I wait?

  That is completely up to you. Our process does not depend on the timing of your fundraise (in fact, we often prefer to start with companies that are not in an active raise). However, if we are able to form an equity partnership before your round closes, we are able to help fundraise and potentially invest. It is important to note that we are neither professional fundraisers, nor a broker/dealer. When we work alongside our portfolio companies to raise money, it is as owners in those companies and working with, not for, the leadership team. This is a crucial distinction and one we take very seriously.