I’m super pumped to announce our $25M Fund II for Redbud VC, backed by incredible investors like Mizzou Endowment, the founder of Square, AngelList Fund of Funds, and 60 others who’ve built successful traditional or tech businesses. This also builds on the momentum of two of our partners taking EquipmentShare public on Nasdaq in January 2026.
We invest $250,000 to $500,000 in people strengthened by struggle with no bias towards pedigree. We love supporting people with outsider backgrounds like ours, but we invest in anyone who doesn’t give up. It’s been a grind over the last five years, starting with the Scale Accelerator, then raising a $5M Fund I for Redbud VC in Spring of 2023, to now. Since 2023, we’ve backed 41 amazing founding teams across more than 20 cities in North America, pacing with top-decile performance.
We are commonly asked, “Why are you in Columbia, MO?”
It’s home. There isn’t an underground hacker house pumping out unicorn founders. That said, there is something special about building in COMO. The only way for us to find world-class talent is to out-hustle the market, build unique networks, and maintain creativity in our search for world-class talent. We certainly have talent coming out of Mizzou and great entrepreneurs from the area (e.g., EquipmentShare and Zapier), but it’s not on a scale that competes with major hubs, let alone tier-2 ones. Much of the good talent heads to the coasts, and rightfully so. Why wouldn't you go where you can access dense networks, top talent, and abundant capital?
Major hubs are a collective of people from diverse backgrounds, including those from rural towns, immigrants, and those chasing something bigger. When you’ve been in the chaos of major hubs, competing for roles, building a company, and trying to stand out, sometimes spending time with folks who have similar roots takes you back for a minute.
I was a first-gen college student at an undergraduate university where I am the only alum in VC, and my partners didn’t have a high school or college education. We all grew up in rural towns across the Midwest. I won’t argue with the idea that the best talent is on the coasts, though I believe there's plenty of strong talent distributed across the country. And talent in the Midwest is often overlooked.
In parallel, we are working to increase the density of the Missouri ecosystem (more to come here) and its connectivity to the coasts. Our investor base is largely composed of over 50 operators who have built companies in Missouri across many industries, including steel, construction, manufacturing, payments, healthcare, technology, and even fireworks. A lot of these folks can be early customers and even strategic investors for our portfolio founders.
Another question we are asked is, “How do you get into deals on the coast?”
I know what you’re thinking: if a fund in Columbia, MO has access, there must be something off, right? Wrong. We hustle our a*ses off prospecting, tracking signals, sending hundreds of outbounds a week, publishing content, hosting events, building SEO/GEO, growing our network of venture fund/operator referrals, and rolling up our sleeves to support the portfolio, which in turn introduces us to the best founders. Consistently hustling 80+ hours a week compounds while everyone is working 40-50 hours. We do this with a full-time team of two.
Our team has built companies, including EquipmentShare, a YC alum that went public on the Nasdaq at a $7B market cap. This team has experienced the full arc, from starting with nothing to raising at every stage, with VCs. These relationships are longer than most marriages, fortunately or unfortunately. We know where the gaps are and what founders truly care about:
Partnering with high-integrity people
Working with investors who’ve built companies
Customer and talent intros
Long-term fundraising support
A brand that increases the legitimacy of their company
Someone who won’t pull punches
Founders get a collaborative, complementary fund on the cap table, with a differentiated perspective, network, and ethos from the middle of the country. We are not yet labeled a tier-1 VC, which takes decades to build. Notice I said, “yet.” Although VCs certainly pay attention when we invest. Participating as a lead investor is not core to our strategy, as we are focused on growing our network and having as much flexibility as possible in our “venture product” to support the most talented and resilient people.
Stay tuned for what’s next, and cheers to building in places you call home :)
Exclusive by Ryan Lawler at Axios: https://www.axios.com/pro/fintech-deals/2026/03/18/redbud-vc-seed-fund-outsider-founders
