Investor profile
Poplar Ventures
Micro-fund
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Analyse your fitInvestment thesis
Poplar Ventures invests in early growth stage companies delivering recurring revenue cloud-based software services, with a particular focus on middle America — regions often overlooked by coastal venture capital. The firm prefers to invest once a company has achieved at least $1 million in annualized recurring revenue, providing better clarity on customer traction and operating characteristics. Poplar targets B2B SaaS businesses that have a unique opportunity to address an emerging market or disrupt an existing one, whether through capital-efficient growth or aggressive scaling when conditions warrant. The firm leverages the proven operating experience of its Managing Partner and a network of seven Investment Advisory Partners — seasoned technology executives — to help portfolio companies navigate growth and inevitable setbacks.
Notable quotes
“Having worked in or invested in growth-stage companies for most of my career, I have a special appreciation for entrepreneurs and the challenges that they face in building their companies. A big part of my job is helping them navigate through both the growth and the inevitable setbacks that occur.”
“I've had the good fortune to be part of the early management team at Nextel Communications when it grew revenues from a few million to $15 billion over a 17 year period. I believe the lessons learned from that experience give me a unique perspective when working with entrepreneurs building their own organizations.”
“I am grateful to have such an accomplished group of investors and specifically the Investment Advisory Partners. They give me insights into technology trends, help me evaluate new investment opportunities, and, most importantly, share their hard-earned business experience with Poplar Ventures portfolio company executives.”
Team
Vik Chadha
Investment Advisory Partner
Greg Langdon
Investment Advisory Partner
Chris Joseph
Investment Advisory Partner
Chris Schremser
Investment Advisory Partner
Recent investments
| Company | Round | Size | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VividCharts | Seed | $4m | 2021-05-06 |
| Untitled Firm | Seed | — | 2022-01-01 |
| YuzeData | Seed | — | 2024-01-01 |
| Podchaser | Series A | $4m | 2021-01-14 |
| SkuVault | Series A | $8m | 2018-12-04 |
| PERQ | Seed | — | 2019-01-01 |
| Switcher Studio | Seed | — | 2020-01-01 |
| ZirMed | Growth | — | — |
| QASymphony | Growth | — | — |
| Behavr | Seed | — | — |
Frequent co-investors
| VC firm | Deals together |
|---|---|
| High Alpha | 2 |
| LightShed Ventures | 2 |
| Greycroft | 1 |
| Ballast Point Ventures | 1 |
| Airwing Ventures | 1 |
| Unbridled Ventures | 1 |
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