Independent rating of Altos Ventures VC fund
Overall rating:
15 reviews
About Altos Ventures VC fund
Website:
Founded:
1996
Number of funds:
7
Number of investments:
254
Number of exits:
37
Headquarters:
Organization type:
Venture Capital
How Altos Ventures VC fund invests
Rounds:
Average ticket size:
16.6M USD
Biggest investment:
46.3M USD
Would lead round:
Yes
Would coinvest:
Yes
Countries where invested:
Sectors of interest:
Financial Services, E-Commerce, Software, SaaS, Retail, Marketplace, FinTech, Education, EdTech, Virtual Workforce, Test and Measurement, Social Network, Small and Medium Businesses, Sales Automation, Retail Technology, Personal Finance, Mobile, Local Advertising, Lending, Internet, Finance, E-Learning, E-Commerce Platforms, Document Management, Developer Tools, Contact Management, Communities, Analytics
Founders' reviews of Altos Ventures VC fund
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Good Guys
Altos is run by high integrity individuals. They have a specific set of investment criteria and are straightforward, quick and honest about providing feedback and do not waste your time. I've pitched them a few times without success but have no ill-will b/c they were transparent throughout the process.
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Responsive but Need to Have Revenue
You will need to have revenue and be geographically close to them if they are to invest.
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Friendly, Helpful Advice, and Good Connections
I have pitched Altos on several opportunities over the years. Each time it has been a great experience. In addition to great feedback on our pitches, the firm has always offered to make further connections and help us build our investment rounds.
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Ho Nam is Quick, Friendly, and Very Smart
We met with Ho today to discuss our plan to get "fundable" - meaning showing traffic / revenue. He immediately understood our concept in detail, gave us some valuable insights (proving you have organic traffic is king when pitching), and was having fun brainstorming some marketing strategies.
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The Real Deal
We recently closed a round with Altos. They were very straight forward and did what they said they were going to do. They have a small sweet spot and we happened to fit nicely.
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A Very Rare Breed
Anthony Lee, a partner at Altos, invested in one of my companies and has been an advisor to me for another. Unlike a lot of VCs that over-structure deals solely to maximize their upside and eliminate their downside, Altos terms tend to be much more founder friendly. They seem to try to create a win-win situation where all interests are aligned. Anthony was also extremely careful not to overstep his role as an advisor. Where a lot of VCs can be arrogant and overbearing, he provides great advice but doesn't dictate. I've dealt with a lot of VCs and Altos is one of the select few that I'd work with again.
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Interesting Prospects
Altos seems to be making a lot of smart steps to be a world-class fund. They are not afraid of investing in companies that have some revenue or companies that are outside of their immediate geography. They appreciate the efforts of a founder that has to scrape by to get the company off the ground. They are open to different kinds of deals, and they provide a quick "no."
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Smart but a Smallish Sweet Spot
My experience with Altos is that they're a really strong group, but that they have a pretty small sweet spot in terms of size of deal, stage of company and valuation. It feels like on one hand they need clear traction, but on the other don't want to come in too late. A third of a $6m to $9m round seems like their favorite bite.
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Holistic Approach: Common Sense
After speaking with many of the top-tier VCs, Altos stood out as an organization that appreciates entrepreneurs who can get results. They are the only firm that did not try to beat our successful business model into the "box" of software only, infinitely scalable, no people. Instead, they looked carefully at the problem to be solved, our approach and our vision.
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Great Team, Patience for Building Value
First off the whole team is great, since funding we've had solid hands-on assistance from 3 of the 4 partners. Yet they aren't going to monkey in the business unless asked, they tend towards trusting the teams they invest in.
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Class Act
I have never pitched Altos as my companies don't fit the industries they serve, but I've known Brendon for many years and received valuable advice from him in my early days as a young Internet entrepreneur. Smart, high integrity, huge heart... he's the kind of guy you want to work with. Even though we haven't talked in quite some time, can't resist telling fellow entrepreneurs that this guy is gold.
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Value Oriented Investors: Advocate Running Lean and Smart
Strong BD and corp dev relationships in Korea. The Altos team desires to invest in first round deals where the management is focused on smartly using capital. Very well respected by their peers.
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Value Added Smart Money
I've known Ho Nam over 9 years and I was an inside director when Altos funded Listen.com (Series A). After investing, Ho provided an amazing amount of help to build the company and was truly a value added investor. He had great insights into the business, provided market research when needed and continually helped build the executive team as the company grew. Even when times became tough (which happens at most startups) Ho was supportive to corrective changes, kept a positive spirit and continued to be helpful with management.
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Real Partnership
When we first received funding from Altos, it wasn't much out of a choice: after scores of meetings with tens of VCs, Altos was really the only one willing to bet their dollars on just a few Powerpoint slides. At that time, we felt like we could/should have done better and got a better valuation, etc.
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Class Act From Beginning to Exit
The value I've received from Altos really started after we received the funds seven years ago. They are a rare breed that allows companies to be run by management's vision of long-term value versus near-term investor ROI. True colors show during tough times and their support was crucial during a longer than anticipated validation stage.
I highly recommend Altos for anyone looking for 2M-5M in capital.