Red Bike Capital

Red Bike Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in New York, specializing in investments within Vertical AI, Fintech, and Health & Wellness sectors. The firm targets experienced technical founders exhibiting strong founder-market fit, capital efficiency, and solutions to substantial market challenges. Key focus areas encompass data and AI applications, future of commerce, revenue growth strategies, logistics and supply chain optimization, alternative underwriting models, embedded finance, proptech, insuretech, and revenue optimization in healthcare and digital health technologies. With check sizes ranging from $100K to $500K, Red Bike Capital emphasizes hands-on support in go-to-market strategies, helping portfolio companies secure initial enterprise customers through refined value propositions, sales processes, and strategic introductions.

The firm's name draws inspiration from a pivotal anecdote in Muhammad Ali's early life, where the theft of his red Schwinn bicycle sparked his boxing journey under coach Joe Martin, symbolizing the transformation of adversity into greatness. Red Bike Capital was founded around 2021 by Rachel ten Brink, a Costa Rica-born entrepreneur recognized as a Latina and woman-led initiative. Ten Brink co-founded Scentbird, a top-performing Y Combinator company by revenue, and brings operator experience from building billion-dollar brands at Procter & Gamble, Estee Lauder, L’Oréal, and Elizabeth Arden. The fund emerged from the partners' prior angel investing activities and deep startup ecosystem ties, aiming to back underrepresented founders while providing access to capital and resources.

Specific portfolio companies are not publicly detailed on the firm's website or major databases, though prior investments by the team include 18 angel deals by Rachel ten Brink and startup initiatives by Herman Goihman. The firm prioritizes US-based startups at prototype, early revenue, and scaling stages, with 80% of deal flow from founder referrals. OpenVC and other platforms indicate a thesis centered on enterprise SaaS, ecommerce enablement, marketplaces, and consumer technology primed for disruption.

The investment team combines founder and asset management expertise. Rachel ten Brink serves as General Partner and CEO, with over 20 years in growth, revenue, and B2B sales. Herman Goihman, also a General Partner, offers 20 years in asset management, including roles at Bear Stearns, Bank of America, Taconic Capital, and Cygnus Asset Management, where he deployed over $2 billion in credit and distressed assets. His passions include alternative credit, lending, and fintech, complemented by mentoring at Entrepreneurs Roundtable and managing a credit fund.