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We have a deep appreciation for the struggle founders go through on their company-building journey

Redbud VC is an early-stage venture capital fund investing monetary and social capital in early-stage tech founders across North America, the Midwest, and Missouri. Founded in 2021 by Willy & Jabbok Schlacks, Jai Malik, and Brett Calhoun to help founders who blaze through constraints create generational wealth. Redbud accelerates insights into building a successful company and helps founders focus on the hard stuff that matters. Our white-glove support is rooted in the experience of building companies on first principles. 

Willy and Jabbok Schlacks founded EquipmentShare in 2015, a top 25 Y-Combinator construction tech startup that has garnered billions in capital and revolutionized the construction industry. A world-class product manager, Willy has extended his product skillset to his intimate involvement with the founders supported by Redbud VC. Jabbok, on the other hand, is a sales and operations expert who has scaled EquipmentShare to new heights in revenue and growth. 

Willy Schlacks

Why Redbud VC

REDBUD OFFERS AN INTIMATE LEVEL OF SUPPORT FROM SUCCESSFUL OPERATORS

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$50K-$150k INVESTMENT 
HIRING, OPERATIONS, & PRODUCT SUPPORT
MENTORSHIP FROM SUCCESSFUL OPERATORS

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Communication

RESPONSIVENESS FROM MONDAY TO SUNDAY
INVESTOR, CUSTOMER, AND PARTNER INTROS
RESOURCES TO BUILD (E.g., Office, AWS credits, etc.)

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Investment Thesis

THE GREATEST DRIVER OF VENTURE RETURNS IS THE SELECTION OF FOUNDERS STRENGTHENED BY STRUGGLE

Struggle

Above all, we seek founders who display extraordinary perseverance in the face of adversity.

Customers First

The best companies are intentionally built with customer discovery prioritized over investor or press interest.

Outlier success

Capital Constrained

Low access to capital is an advantage. We seek founders motivated to build from first principles. 

Entrepreneurial

Great founders are often not well-known engineers; they are intense entrepreneurs at heart, constantly tinkering with ideas.

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