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About

Screendoor is an investment platform designed to support new managers raising early institutional funds to build an enduring firm. We believe venture capitalists who bring new ideas, new networks, and new perspectives have the potential to outperform. Their unique approaches lead to innovation and problem-solving that extend beyond what has traditionally been accepted in the broader tech community.

We focus on the 'Partner' in Limited Partner by serving as an LP of GPs who have built their own firms and who are committed to the success of our managers. Screendoor starts with a meaningful capital commitment to help you get your fund closed, but continues beyond the wire transfer to provide community and individualized mentorship from experienced venture investors.

Our origin

As early-stage investors having all built their own venture firms, our GP Advisors are often approached by newer practitioners for advice on raising their first funds. Together with our team, we’ve also each worked to increase diversity within our respective portfolios and realms of influence. Now, as Screendoor, we intend to combine these two elements - mentorship and meaningful capital - to accelerate the introduction of new perspectives to venture capital.

We believe a venture community that more closely resembles the diverse perspectives of our society has the potential to bring better economic returns and opportunities. We've assembled a group of prestigious institutional LPs that agree.

Our strategy

We play a leading role in helping new funds to potentially become the next iconic firms by providing meaningful capital, practical mentorship, and critical relationships.

We aim to be anchor LPs in the funds that we support, helping to catalyze first closes or drive to final closes. In addition, we leverage our network to influence and bring other LPs into your funds.

Every Screendoor manager has access to two dedicated GP Advisors and a broader community of GP Advisors. Advisors are experienced venture capitalists who provide one-on-one tactical counsel to aid in all aspects of firm-building. We also offer curated educational content, networking events, and ongoing peer support.

We empower Screendoor managers to build early relationships with our institutional LPs. We facilitate intentional connections with LPs so our managers understand what is required to attract institutional capital.

Our process

Screendoor actively invests in new fund managers with substantial commitments, generally a minimum of 10% of their total fundraise. We are particularly interested in what new perspectives and networks you bring to the venture capital and technology communities, why you are uniquely suited to fill a void in the ecosystem you've identified, and why this combination may result in delivering attractive financial returns.

Evaluation criteria will include a review of investment thesis; relevance of the GP(s) and investment team experience; ethics that are consistent with Screendoor’s commitment to being a supportive member of the technology community; and investment track record to date (if available).

If you’d like to share your firm-building plans with us, we'd be honored to hear from you.

Our portfolio

Our portfolio consists of new venture capital firms that we believe are bringing new perspectives to the industry. We believe they will deliver superior financial returns, build the next set of iconic funds, and potentially serve as catalysts for expanding access and success in the venture capital and technology communities.

Our why

We believe that by backing new venture capital firms, we will catalyze a virtuous cycle where our managers invest in a broad group of founders, who then hire diverse teams. When those startups succeed, Screendoor managers will continue to grow their investment footprint, founders will become mentors and angel investors and experienced employees will start their own companies. This is the motion that has created tremendous wealth in our industry, but has not been widely enjoyed or accessed in a truly meritocratic fashion.

Sparking a
Virtuous Cycle

Catalyzing inclusive wealth creation:
1
Supporting venture capitalists with new views not reflected in today's technology landscape
2
Enabling, with success and time, those founders and teams (both of whom are more likely to have multifaceted backgrounds) to back and build new companies
3
Expanding the participants, perspectives, and relationships in the venture capital and technology ecosystem

Wait, why the name Screendoor?

Hospitality and openness. Screendoor GP Advisor Satya Patel (of Homebrew) put it into his own words: 

"Growing up in the heat of Las Vegas, screendoors were a feature of many homes. They were essential for letting the breeze in while still protecting the home. But most importantly, they were an invitation to come in and get respite from the heat. In our neighborhood, if you could peer into a house through the screendoor, it was a sign that you were welcome to come grab a cold drink, use the bathroom or just get a few minutes of cooler air. The “thwack” of a screendoor would announce you were coming in, and the reception was always one of warmth, safety and sustenance. With Screendoor, we hope to provide that same welcome and feeling to the next-generation of investors who will redefine the tech and VC industries."

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