Our Investments

We back founders at the pre-seed and seed stage, connecting them with a community of advisors who offer practical advice and connections to future customers. 70% of our portfolio companies are founded by women, LGBQT+, or people of color.

Our primary focus is business software, with a particular interest and expertise in ecommerce infrastructure, vertical SaaS, fintech, and the Latinization of commerce. Initial checks range from $300,000 to $1mm with millions more possible. We lead rounds but are willing to be part of a good syndicate with someone else leading.

Founders

Group 190

Michael and Alejandro never back away from the tough talk. I appreciate their honesty and support, because I know it’s authentic. The Act One team has been right where I am — building a company from the ground up. Because they’ve been in my shoes, I can sense the honesty and experience in their advice.

Li Haslett Chen,
Founder/CEO of Howl

Group 190

As a Latino technical founder, I hear a lot about how important diversity is in the workplace, but it is still rare to see it actually happen. Their commitment to investing in minority-created companies and putting together their own team of diverse LPs and advisors was a big part of my decision and I couldn’t be happier about having them as part of our journey.

Richie Serna,
Co-Founder/CEO of Finix

Group 190

The Act One team really brought a level of operational experience that was truly valuable through the stage of scaling the business as well as the financing process. They play a valuable role in helping to navigate the challenges that come with building a world-class SaaS company and also bring an incredible network of people and resources.

Daniel Kim,
Co-Founder of AuditBoard

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AuditBoard
Nextbite
Finix
Howl

 AuditBoard

 

The next-generation of GRC, designed and purpose-built to streamline your audit, risk, and compliance programs in one, unified platform.

 

With a unified and intuitive audit management platform, enterprises can automate, manage, collaborate, and report on risk and controls data in real time without thousands of spreadsheets and shared folders.
Clients for AuditBoard (PKA SOXHUB) include Intuit, Apple, Pinterest, Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Deloitte, Zynga, Lionsgate, and Intel.

 

 

Founders: Daniel Kim, Jay Lee

Locations: Los Angeles, Orange County

 

 

 

 Nextbite

 

Restaurants can make thousands more a month from existing staff and kitchen with virtual food brands.

 

 
Nextbite is an industry leader in virtual, delivery-only food brands, helping existing restaurants realize more profits by maximizing their kitchen space and staff time.
The company also created Ordermark, a platform that patches online ordering services through one dashboard and one printer. 

 

 

Founders: Alex Canter, Ric Murillo, Paul Allen

Locations: Los Angeles, Colorado

 

 

 

 Finix

 

Infrastructure-as-a-Service that eliminates the time, cost and headache of bringing payments in house.

 

 
When SaaS companies, ISVs, and marketplaces bring payments in house, it’s often more trouble than it’s worth. Finix’s Infrastructure-as-a-Service cuts the time, cost, and headache.
Its gateway is perfect for the most complex funds flow scenarios, and Finix offers an underwriting API that eliminates bulky apps and paper contracts. Clients include Visa, Lightspeed, and Clubessential.

 

 

Founders: Richie Serna and Sean Donovan

Location: San Francisco

 

 

 

   Howl

 

A creator platform for the customer centric and product obsessed

 

 
Howl is the evolution of the online creator community and the brands they work with. Gone are the scripted ads shoppers see right through. Howl allows creators and brands to grow faster together by offering a platform where partnerships are win-win: higher earnings, same-day payments, and better tools to understand your shoppers.
Creators on Howl get better rates and more flat fee deals because Howl does not charge brands fees for sponsorships. Brands can trust creators on Howl, so they're never penalized for returns. This makes it possible for Howl to fund same-day payments through its Instant Pay feature. 

 

 

Founders: Li Haslett Chen

Location: New York City

Investment Portfolio