Valor Ventures LLC (‘Valor’), a seed-stage venture capital firm, is proud to announce the close of Valor Ventures Fund 3 LP (together with its associated vehicles, “Valor Fund 3”) representing a $27 million commitment to back the best B2B AI and SaaS startups in the South at the seed stage. The new fund attracted notable new investors, including a pension fund, a bank and an RIA, alongside dozens of returning investors.
Valor Fund 3 has completed its first four investments, leading seed rounds in AI-augmented startups including Autonoma (Birmingham), Acuity Behavioral Health (Atlanta); RueData (Chattanooga); and Visalaw.AI (Memphis).
Aurelia Flores, Investment Director for VIPC’s Virginia Venture Partners, a new Fund 3 investor, shares, “At VIPC, we believe in the transformative power of innovation and entrepreneurship. Valor Ventures stands out not only for its ability to identify and nurture groundbreaking startups, but also for its forward-thinking approach as a fund. Their innovative use of AI, along with unique event-based prospect cultivation and vetting with downstream investors, sets them apart as one of the most progressive funds we’ve encountered. We are proud to partner with Valor in empowering promising Virginia startups and driving sustainable economic growth.” *)
Recently honored as Atlanta Investor of the Year 2024, Valor Managing Partner Lisa Calhoun says, “I’m grateful to our founders, whose performance demonstrates the strength in our strategy. I am honored by the visionary investors who place their trust in us.” As the South emerges as a hub for tech innovation, Valor is uniquely positioned to lead seed stage investments. Valor’s leadership team remains strong, with Lisa Calhoun as Managing Partner and Gary Peat as General Partner; William Leonard leading sourcing; and Jean Luc Vanhulst overseeing fund administration and the ongoing development of Vic, Valor’s AI-augmented backend platform.
For Fund 3, Valor adds 11 venture partners to expand its ability to serve founders in key areas including Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. Valor’s platform is expanding with the Valor Masterclass Series for founders and the Brave Boards Forum to accelerate Valor’s portfolio company board leaders. Proven programs like Startup Runway—backed by Cox Enterprises, The American Family Institute, Georgia Power and the NCR Foundation—continue to thrive, alongside Valor’s flagship Atlanta Startup Podcast. Startup Runway recently celebrated its 30th Showcase.
The South is approaching the Northeast in terms of the share of venture capital rounds, and has surpassed it in M&A activity, according to Peter Walker, head of insights at Carta, who spoke at Valor’s recent annual meeting. “Venture companies can be built in the South, and venture companies can be exited in the South,” Walker says.
About VIPC
Connecting innovators with opportunities. VIPC operates as the nonprofit corporation on behalf of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA). VIPA / VIPC is Virginia’s designated authority for leading innovation and economic development in the Commonwealth of Virginia through research, commercialization, and technology advancement; entrepreneurship, startup, and venture capital growth; and regional ecosystem, innovation network, and industry sector expansion. As part of its operations, VIPC helps attract and catalyze private investment into early-stage startup companies, provides research and technology commercialization grants to universities and entrepreneurs, and offers resource and funding support for entrepreneurial ecosystems, innovation networks, and public-private partnerships at local, state, federal levels.
*) VIPC is an investor in Valor Ventures Fund 3 AIV LP. VIPC has not been compensated for providing comments. For more information about VIPC, visit https://vipc.org.