# Venture capital

Concept · [Fundraising and equity](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/fundraising)

Also called: VC, VCs, venture capitalist, venture fund, venture

Money that professional investment firms put into young companies in [exchange](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/turn) for [equity](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/equity). These firms expect many of their bets to fail, so they look for companies that could grow very large.

**For example:** A venture capital firm invests in a delivery startup and receives [shares](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/equity). The firm only makes money if those shares become worth much more later.

## Connects to (70)

- [Angel investor](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/angel-investor): An individual who invests their own money in a very young company, usually in exchange for equity or through a SAFE or convertible note.
- [Equity](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/equity): Ownership in a company.
- [Series A](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/series-a): Usually the first larger funding round led by a venture capital firm, where investors buy shares at a set price.
- [Cortado Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cortado-ventures): A venture capital firm in Oklahoma City.
- [Atento Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/atento-capital): A venture capital firm based in Tulsa that invests in early-stage founders.
- [Seed](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/seed): An early round of funding that helps a startup go from a first product to a business that shows traction.
- [LLC](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/llc): Limited liability company.
- [C-corp](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/c-corp): C corporation.
- [Exit](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/exit): The moment when founders and investors can turn their shares into cash.
- [Bootstrapping](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/bootstrapping): Building a company with your own savings and the money customers pay you, instead of money from investors.
- [Lead investor](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/lead-investor): The investor who negotiates the terms of a round with the founders and usually puts in the largest share of the money.
- [Incorporation in Delaware](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/delaware-incorporation): Forming a company as a corporation under the law of the state of Delaware.
- [Accredited investor](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/accredited-investor): A person or organization that meets tests set by the US securities regulator, the SEC, based on income, net worth or professional…
- [Limited partner](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/limited-partner): An investor who puts money into a venture fund.
- [Startup ecosystem](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/startup-ecosystem): The people, money and organizations in one place that help new companies start and grow.
- [Demo day](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/demo-day): The event at the end of an accelerator where each company in the cohort presents to an audience of investors.
- [Portfolio](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/portfolio): The set of companies that an investor has funded, or that a program supports.
- [Build Venture Summit](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/build-venture-summit): An investor event run by Build in Tulsa.
- [Plains Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/plains-ventures): A venture capital firm with offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa that invests at the seed and Series A stages.
- [FortySix Venture Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/fortysix-venture-capital): A venture capital firm with offices in Tulsa and Bentonville, Arkansas.
- [Hurricane Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/hurricane-ventures): The University of Tulsa's venture fund.
- [Folds Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/folds-ventures): A Tulsa venture fund that makes early-stage investments in companies founded by military veterans and first responders.
- [OLSF Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/olsf-ventures): A venture capital firm in Tulsa, also known as the Oklahoma Life Science Fund, that invests only in health care companies at the seed and…
- [Victorum Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/victorum-capital): A venture capital firm in Oklahoma City that invests in early-stage technology companies at the seed and Series A stages.
- [Oklahoma Venture Forum](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/oklahoma-venture-forum): A membership organization in Oklahoma City that connects investors, entrepreneurs and service providers through events and pitch…
- [Private equity](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/private-equity): Investment firms that buy stakes in, or all of, established private companies, usually aiming to improve them and sell later at a profit.
- [Gradient CHROMA](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/gradient-chroma): Gradient's innovation conference, held at Gradient's building in the Tulsa Arts District.
- [Regent Bank](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/regent-bank): A business bank with branches in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Nowata that is an SBA Preferred Lender.
- [Advantage Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/advantage-capital): An investment firm offering debt and equity financing to qualifying Oklahoma small businesses through the Oklahoma Rural Jobs Act.
- [Insight Partners](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/insight-partners): A software investor headquartered in New York City.
- [Zenda Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/zenda-capital): A technology investment firm founded in Miami.
- [Four More Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/four-more-capital): An investor in Tulsa-based Dockware.
- [Karman Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/karman-ventures): An investor in Tulsa-based Dockware's July 2025 pre-seed round.
- [Starframe Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/starframe-capital): A venture investor with its first fund based in Tulsa.
- [Hustle Fund](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/hustle-fund): A venture capital fund that invests in very early startups.
- [Operator Stack](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/operator-stack): An investor in Tulsa-based Dockware.
- [Mercury Fund](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/mercury-fund): A venture capital firm with offices in Houston and Austin.
- [Impact Venture Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/impact-venture-capital): A venture investor that participated in Oklahoma City-based ArborXR's Series A, announced in August 2024.
- [Lewis & Clark Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/lewis-clark-ventures): An early-stage venture capital firm focused on business software, from late seed through Series A.
- [Alloy Therapeutics](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/alloy-therapeutics): A drug discovery company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, that also invests in biotechnology companies.
- [Echo Investment Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/echo-investment-capital): An investment firm headquartered in Oklahoma City.
- [Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas)](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/mitsubishi-corporation-americas): A corporate investor in Oklahoma City-based Wheeler Bio.
- [Germin8 Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/germin8-ventures): A venture capital firm focused on food, agriculture and health technology.
- [Russell Westbrook Enterprises](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/russell-westbrook-enterprises): An investment and operating business whose investments include Oklahoma City-based Wheeler Bio.
- [Charles River Laboratories](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/charles-river-laboratories): A life science services company that also invests in biotechnology businesses.
- [ATUM](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/atum): A life science company whose services include gene synthesis, antibody work and cell line development.
- [Floating Point](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/floating-point): A venture investor whose portfolio includes Oklahoma City-based Wheeler Bio.
- [Pine Ridge Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/pine-ridge-ventures): An investor named in Oklahoma City-based Wheeler Bio's April 2023 Series A announcement.
- [Seagull Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/seagull-capital): An investor named in Oklahoma City-based Wheeler Bio's April 2023 Series A announcement.
- [Vast Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/vast-ventures): A venture investor whose portfolio includes PatchRx.
- [Forum Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/forum-ventures): A venture studio, accelerator and pre-seed investor focused on business software.
- [ADG Venture Group](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/adg-venture-group): A transaction advisory and consulting firm based in Fort Worth, Texas.
- [Progeny Plus Capital Partners](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/progeny-plus-capital-partners): An investor named in Tulsa-based Sway Medical's September 2020 Series A announcement.
- [Innovation in Motion](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/innovation-in-motion): An early-stage investment firm focused on agriculture, animal health and human health.
- [Lightship Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/lightship-capital): A venture investor that backs founders and markets often overlooked by other funds.
- [KCRise Fund](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/kcrise-fund): A venture capital firm focused on early technology companies with ties to the Kansas City region.
- [Alpine Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/alpine-ventures): A San Francisco-based investor that led Tulsa-based Boddle Learning's September 2022 seed round.
- [Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/oklahoma-seed-capital-fund): A venture fund managed by i2E's investment management company.
- [Accelerate Oklahoma Fund](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/accelerate-oklahoma-fund): A venture fund managed by i2E's investment management company.
- [Oklahoma Angel Fund](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/oklahoma-angel-fund): A venture fund managed by i2E's investment management company.
- [WriteSea](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/writesea): A software company that established its base in Tulsa.
- [Collab Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/collab-capital): A venture capital firm that backed Tulsa-based WriteSea's January 2023 pre-seed round.
- [Bolster Ventures](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/bolster-ventures): An investor named in Tulsa-based WriteSea's January 2023 pre-seed announcement.
- [Expert DOJO](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/expert-dojo): An investor and accelerator that participated in Tulsa-based WriteSea's January 2023 pre-seed round.
- [Skydweller Aero](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/skydweller-aero): An aerospace company headquartered in Oklahoma City, with research and development facilities in Spain and Mississippi.
- [Leonardo](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/leonardo): An aerospace and defense company that co-led Skydweller Aero's September 2021 Series A, announced from Oklahoma City.
- [Marlinspike Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/marlinspike-capital): A venture investor that co-led Skydweller Aero's September 2021 Series A, announced from Oklahoma City.
- [Advection Growth Capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/advection-growth-capital): A merchant bank that invests in and advises growing companies.
- [Palantir Technologies](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/palantir): A software company that builds data platforms.
- [Rise of the Rest Seed Fund](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/rise-of-the-rest): A venture fund run by Revolution that backs startups outside the largest coastal hubs.

> This glossary is plain-language orientation, not legal or financial advice. Before you decide on a company structure, a contract, taxes or a fundraising deal, talk with a lawyer or an accountant.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/venture-capital