Investor profile
Level Up Ventures
CVC
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Level Up Ventures is a mission-driven corporate venture arm of Hearst that invests in tech-enabled, early-stage startups led by founders who have traditionally faced barriers to accessing capital, particularly Black and Latino founders. The firm is sector-agnostic but has a particular interest in B2B software startups driving innovation across Transportation & Mobility, Supply Chain & Logistics, Sports, Healthcare, FinTech, Pet Health, and Sustainability. Level Up Ventures couples financial investment (typically $300k in pre-seed or seed funding) with a deep bench of support from across the Hearst organization, exposing founders to the diversity of thought, capabilities and expertise that drives innovation. The firm seeks U.S.-based, for-profit startups with validated solutions created with input from clients, clearly articulated market opportunities (TAM > $1 billion), proof of concept revenue or meaningful traction, and diverse teams building inclusive company cultures.
Notable quotes
“Level Up Ventures couples financial investment with a deep bench of in-house support to position startup teams for excellence by opening up diversity of thought, capabilities and expertise to drive success. We want to invest in and support companies that are building diverse teams and inclusive company cultures, and we hope to add up to eight portfolio companies per year.”
“Hearst launched Level Up Ventures to empower underrepresented founders. ClearCOGS is driving meaningful change by helping restaurants operate more efficiently and reduce food waste - a win for both profitability and sustainability. We're excited to support their growth and continued impact.”
Team
Recent investments
| Company | Round | Size | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClearCOGS | Seed | $4m | 2025-04-15 |
| Greenshoe | Seed | $3m | 2024-11-13 |
| Sunthetics | Seed | $4m | 2024-11-13 |
| Tensor9 | Seed | — | 2024-05-14 |
| Sortile | Seed | — | 2023-01-11 |
| Options MD | Seed | — | 2021 |
| ShearShare | Seed | — | — |
| EMTECH | Seed | — | — |
| Legendary Play | Seed | — | — |
Frequent co-investors
| VC firm | Deals together |
|---|---|
| Closed Loop Partners | 1 |
| Myriad Venture Partners | 1 |
| AIX Ventures | 1 |
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