Each week in the New Tech Newsletter we feature a Spotlight Q&A with founders, angels, New Tech alumni presenters, and other people or companies in our community we believe you’d like to learn about. Reach out if you’d like to recommend a startup, founder, angel, accelerator, or New Tech alumni presenter for us to spotlight for the PNW tech community!
In this week’s spotlight we caught up with Bob Crimmins, Founder and General Partner of Startup Haven Ventures.
Bob, can you share the journey of Startup Haven from its inception to becoming the organization it is today?
The story of Startup Haven really starts with my personal curiosity about poker back in 2006. I was a founder back then and I started asking other founders and some investors if they wanted to learn the game along with me. We started a fun monthly dinner/poker gathering. I quickly saw that an amazing thing happens when founders and investors sit around a table for a few hours – they really get to know each other and real relationships happen. Only later did I realize the many other benefits that come from hosting a monthly poker event. I could talk for hours on that. In any case, what I saw and learned from those early gatherings is what sparked the creation of Startup Haven. Fast forward, we have hosted more than 375 dinner/poker events in cities across the US, launched an accelerator program and a venture fund. .
What is Startup Haven’s mission?
Our core mission is to create a space where venture-scale founders and investors can support each other in the uniquely challenging endeavor of building and growing venture-scale companies.
We are a supportive ecosystem that welcomes any founder who is working full time on a venture-scalable startup and who has achieved at least some early elements of progress. We also welcome active investors, both angels and VCs who are actively seeking their next venture-scale startup investment..
We can only achieve our mission by ensuring that every interaction our members have is of high value. That is why all of our events are for members only, which means vetted founders and investors only. By ensuring that everyone in the room would love to have a conversation with everyone else in the room, our events are notably unique, valuable, and interactive. We believe this is why Startup Haven has continued to grow for nearly two decades and why our events draw founders and investors from every stage, from two gals in a garage to IPO’d founders.
What is Startup Haven like today?
Today, Startup Haven is a network of more than 2,300 founders and investors across the US and Canada, with chapters in more than a dozen cities. In 2019 we launched our venture capital program, launching both a pre-seed accelerator and venture fund. We’ve also launched initiatives like Pitch Coaching and Office Hours to deepen the value members can bring to each other.
Each step we take is measured against our founding beliefs: the unique challenges of the venture-scale founder experience and the indispensable value of diversity and inclusion.
The new 2024 Diversity Scholarship Program is a notable initiative by Startup Haven. Can you tell us more about its impact?
The Diversity Scholarship Program reflects our commitment to supporting under-recognized communities within the startup ecosystem. In partnership with Cooley Law, we launched this initiative to offer founders from these communities elevated access to Startup Haven’s resources and network. Successful applicants receive a comprehensive package that includes premium membership, cohort-based support, and legal services from Cooley Law.
Reach out if you’d like to recommend a startup, founder, angel, accelerator, or New Tech alumni presenter for us to spotlight for the PNW tech community!
