FitzGate Ventures

FitzGate Ventures is an early-stage, network-driven venture capital firm established in 2015. The firm manages three venture capital funds with approximately $70 million in assets under management (AUM) and has achieved top-quartile returns. FitzGate Ventures is known for its independent sourcing capabilities and its success in identifying promising startups, often attracting follow-on investments from prominent venture capital firms. Rice University's Office of Innovation serves as one of its anchor investors.

The firm's investment strategy is generalist, with a significant sub-focus on deep tech and hard tech, including technology transfer opportunities. FitzGate Ventures invests nationwide across the U.S., with a particular emphasis on the New York and Texas ecosystems. They typically write initial checks ranging from $500,000 to $1 million, reserving additional capital for follow-on rounds, and are prepared to lead, co-invest, or invest alone. A key differentiator for FitzGate Ventures is its proprietary “Friends of Fitz” community, a network of hundreds of startup founders, venture capitalists, university professors, senior executives, and subject matter experts who provide deal flow, diligence, advice, and introductions to customers, partners, and funding sources for portfolio companies.

FitzGate Ventures boasts a strong portfolio with notable exits, including Celestial AI, a photonic fabric company acquired by Marvell Technology for $5.5 billion, and Quantum Circuits, Inc., a full-stack quantum computing platform acquired by D-Wave for $550 million. Other significant portfolio companies include Overtime (short-form content and sports leagues), Optimal Dynamics (AI-informed logistics optimization), Sensetics (digitizing touch), SmartAsset, and Realworld. The firm has a track record of backing innovative companies across various technologies, from semiconductors and metamaterials to quantum computing.

The firm is led by Co-Founders and General Partners Jim Cohen and Mark Poag. Jim Cohen brings extensive experience in investment banking, corporate law, private equity, and M&A, having held positions as a public company officer and director. Mark Poag is a successful software entrepreneur with first-hand experience in growing and selling businesses. Both partners are adjunct professors at Rice University's Jones School of Business and lecturers at Princeton University's Graduate School, where they teach venture capital. They also serve as mentors for various entrepreneurial programs, including Techstars NYC and the Princeton University Entrepreneurship Council. David Jaurrieta Hinojos serves as a Research Fellow, contributing to the firm's analytical capabilities.