Ulu Ventures is a data-driven, seed-stage venture capital firm investing in high-growth technology startups led by diverse and visionary founders. The firm applies a disciplined decision-analysis framework to early-stage investing, reducing bias and improving consistency in evaluating risk and return. Ulu’s portfolio spans sectors including fintech, enterprise software, and education technology, with notable early investments in companies that have achieved significant market traction and impact. With more than $400 million in assets under management and a strong record of supporting underrepresented founders, Ulu Ventures demonstrates that diversity, rigorous analysis, and early conviction ...
Portfolio Focus
Asset class
Early-Stage Venture Capital (Seed, Series A)
Growth-Stage Venture Capital (Series B or C)
Impact theme
Equity, Representation & Justice
Racial Equity & Justice
Gender Equity
Investment geographies
North America
Key people
Miriam Rivera
CEO & Co-Founder
Fund IV
Raised: $208 million
Asset class:Early-Stage Venture Capital (Seed, Series A)
Impact theme:Equity, Representation & Justice
+3
Investment geographies:North America
About the fund
Ulu Ventures Fund IV continues the firm’s disciplined, data-driven approach to seed-stage investing, applying decision-analysis methodologies to identify high-potential startups while mitigating early-stage risk. The $208 million fund focuses on technology-driven companies across sectors such as fintech, enterprise software, education technology, and AI, emphasizing founders from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Ulu Ventures partners closely with entrepreneurs to support long-term growth and value creation, demonstrating that rigorous analysis and inclusion can drive both superior returns and systemic impact within venture capital.
Asset class:Early-Stage Venture Capital (Seed, Series A)
+1
Impact theme:Equity, Representation & Justice
+3
Investment geographies:North America
About the fund
Ulu Ventures Fund III is an early-stage venture capital fund that closed in 2021 with approximately $138 million in committed capital, managed by Ulu Ventures and focused on investing in pre-seed and seed-stage technology companies in the United States. The fund deploys equity capital alongside strategic support to early-stage founders across sectors including enterprise software, health, fintech, and consumer technologies.
A notable aspect of Ulu Ventures’ investment strategy — and one that contributes to its relevance for impact-oriented allocators — is its systematic emphasis on diversity and inclusion in founder selection and decision-making. The firm applies a data-driven investment process designed to reduce cognitive bias and broaden access to capital for underrepresented entrepreneurs; in Fund III, a high proportion of portfolio companies were led by women, minorities, or founders from diverse backgrounds.
Fund III’s limited partner base included a mix of institutional investors, foundations, and mission-aligned investors, such as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, reflecting support from capital allocators interested in both financial returns and inclusive startup ecosystems.
Through its investment activity, Ulu Ventures aims to support founder diversity and broader entrepreneurial participation while pursuing venture capital returns, contributing to expanded opportunities within the early-stage technology ecosystem.