Logo

Pismo Ventures

BRINGING YOUR IDEAS TO LIFE

Irvine, CA, USA

Apply
Teaser

Description

Interested founders must complete a comprehensive Online Application. Key details required include: 

  • Company Overview: Elevator pitch, problem description, and target customer segment.
  • Business Strategy: Go-to-market plan, business model, and monetization strategy.
  • Financials: Competitive landscape, sustainable competitive advantage, and upcoming milestones.
  • Documents: Executive Summary, Pitch Deck (PDF), and Financial Model (XLS). 

Pismo Ventures frequently hosts specialized symposiums and competitions: 

  • Life Science Startup Symposium: A recurring national event for life science and health tech startups.
  • Global Startup Symposium: Events for both life and non-life science companies.
  • Deadlines: They do not have a single fixed annual deadline; applications for their venture studio and direct investment are accepted on a rolling basis. 


Eligibility

  • Industry Agnostic: They invest in scalable startups across all sectors.
  • Traction Focus: They look for "measurable readiness," including a team capable of execution and a deep understanding of their customer.
  • Product Readiness: Their application tracks status from Prototype through MVP to Live/Revenue stages.
  • Location: While headquartered in Irvine, CA, they engage in national and global symposiums. 

Process

The firm focuses on a high-touch, advisory-led model: 

  1. Submission: Startups apply via the website portal.
  2. Screening: The team reviews the "fundamentals," prioritizing teams that can execute and validated product-market fit.
  3. Advisory & Preparation: For selected startups, they provide "skin in the game" through fractional C-suite services and business strategies to prepare them for investor pitches.
  4. Syndication: They leverage a large investor network to facilitate capital raises and syndicate with other investment groups. 

What an Applicant can Obtain

  • Capital: Direct investment from Pismo Ventures and access to their broader investor syndicate.
  • Strategic Services: Fractional C-Suite (COO, CSO, CMO), softaware development resources, and financial planning.
  • Management Consulting: Hands-on development of policies, procedures, and exit planning.
  • Intern Matching: Access to virtual/remote interns at no cost through their internship matching service.