An early-stage firm focusing on investments in un-sexy industries.

The 81 Collection

We are a collection of entrepreneurs who brought our offline industries online.

Now, we're backing the next generation building across the 81% of U.S. GDP underserved by early-stage capital.

We built companies in un-sexy industries, and it was lonely when we started. Most venture capitalists said our industries were too capital intensive, low margin, or difficult to scale. We were outsiders.
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Now, we can look back at the $60 billion of value created and the 30,000 employees whose financial trajectories we altered. The very qualities that made our businesses unattractive early are now our greatest strengths.
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Our entrenched assets serve as a barrier to entry, our higher-quality revenue inextricably ties to our customer’s daily needs, and our loyal employees who once made $20 per hour now make $100K per year. We chose the harder path, built the right kind of businesses, and improved America.

A decade later, not much has changed in early-stage financing.

We back early stage companies transforming boring trades, hard work, unpleasant spaces, and structural inequity. We know first-hand that exceptional humans can unknot these un-sexy industries.

Now is the perfect time. California is out of water, a generation can’t afford a home, and our skilled tradespeople are in their fifties. Raw input, supply chain, and labor crises are silently cracking America’s infrastructure.

Today, 19% of the U.S. GDP attracts more than 50% of early stage investing activity. 81% of the U.S. GDP is under-invested. Trillions of dollars of value are locked up in serious, unsolved problems across the 81%.

Tackle a real, often very difficult problem. Use technology, cash flow, and a long-term mindset. America needs you to, and know that we exist to lighten your load.

Trillions of dollars of value are locked up in serious, unsolved problems across the 81%. A big chunk of that relates to healthcare and HR.

110 million Americans struggle to pay for healthcare (avg. annual premium ~$22K for a family), and 1 in 4 Americans are now in healthcare debt. We are grateful to partner with Sasha Gribov, Gautam Kumar, and a16z Bio + Health as they help ordinary Americans navigate the convoluted healthcare system.

Just last week, Milu worked with a family to modify a $6,000 bill to $0...and get a family's treatments covered for the year.

If you are a self-insured employer looking to save on healthcare expenses while getting your employees higher-quality care, get in touch!

Emerging managers and emerging entrepreneurs are born in recessions!

COM:81COLLECTION

The 81 Collection