What do we look for?

  • Triangle-based. We are most helpful to startups near where we live and work, so we strongly prefer startups in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.

  • Software/Internet-based. We invest in what we know, and what we know are software startups. We avoid investing in life sciences, biotech, pharma, etc.

  • Product-based. We like startups based on products versus services. We like founders who are focused on building those products. We avoid investing in professional services and consultancies.

  • <$500k in revenue. We focus on early-stage startups with some revenue (but not too much!)

Being a founder is hard (and lonely!) That’s why we are founder-friendly and here to support you.

We’ve been in your shoes.

How do we support you?

We invest in 10-15 startups per year and offer an ever-evolving list of benefits:

  • Investment —> We start with a $50k SAFE to get the ball rolling. Sometimes, we invest up to an additional $100K.

  • Guidance —> Money is nice. Smart money is nicer. We share our smarts through kickoff conversations and recurring follow-up meetings. We try to be helpful — not bothersome or onerous (even when things get tough — and they always do!)

  • Community —> We bring you into a family of like-minded founders. We show this family love through:

    • Special access and discounts to GrepBeat programs. GrepBeat is a tech startup news site covering the Triangle and our sister organization.

    • Connection to Jurassic Capital and its more mature portfolio of software companies. Jurassic is our other sister organization.

    • Lab space in our downtown Durham office. Virtual can be good, but IRL (in real life, as the kids say) can be critical when starting something new.

    • Periodic events and activities with other Primordial founders and local angel investors..