LvlUp Ventures

LvlUp Ventures Research

Investment Thesis

LvlUp Ventures describes itself as an "unconstrained" investor, backing founders "across every stage, geography, and industry" rather than specializing in a narrow vertical. The firm's model is built on extreme volume and breadth: rather than making a small number of large, high-conviction bets, LvlUp aims to make hundreds to over a thousand small checks per year, using a large distributed network of associates, scouts, venture fellows, and venture partners (the firm claims 2,500+ extended team members across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania) to source and diligence deal flow at scale. The firm operates nine distinct funds targeting different segments (industry-agnostic seed, CPG equity, CPG non-dilutive, B2B SaaS non-dilutive, tech non-dilutive, real-economy/small-business non-dilutive, e-commerce, and a first-check idea-stage vehicle), plus accelerator and labs programs (LvlUp Labs, LvlUp Labs CPG, Marketing Edge Accelerator, Bootcamps) that pair capital with curriculum and mentorship.

Sector Focus

LvlUp is explicitly industry-agnostic but has particular depth and program infrastructure in:

• CPG (consumer packaged goods) — food & beverage, personal care, wellness brands
• B2B SaaS and enterprise software
• E-commerce and DTC brands
• Real estate / brick-and-mortar and service businesses
• General technology, including AI-driven products

Per PitchBook rankings the firm cites, it is the #1 most active CPG & Tech investor globally, alongside #7 most active VC worldwide and #4 most active in the U.S. A more recent self-reported ranking (per LSEG, August 2026) places the firm #3 most active venture investor in the United States.

Stage Focus

LvlUp invests across the full spectrum from idea-stage/pre-formation through Series B follow-ons, with the bulk of activity concentrated at pre-seed and seed:

• First Check Fund: idea-stage, pre-formation, or pre-seed founders with no data room or traction requirement
• Seed Fund / Direct Investment: pre-seed through Series A
• Growth financing: selective Series B+ follow-ons into existing portfolio companies

Check Size

• First Check Fund: $1,000–$10,000 in cash plus access to ~$10M in aggregate partner perks
• Core direct-investment programs: average check of $150,000–$250,000
• Homepage messaging states checks "up to $1M" from idea to scale stage
• Syndicate/SPV capability exists for larger round participation

Lead Tendency

Unclear/mixed. LvlUp's check sizes are frequently small relative to round size (especially the First Check and $150K–$250K tickets), suggesting the firm is often a non-lead participant filling out rounds alongside other investors, though its accelerator and first-check products effectively make it the first institutional capital in some deals. Not enough disclosed data to confidently classify as a consistent lead investor.

Recent Activity

The firm markets an active-deployment pace of roughly 750–1,000+ investments per year and is targeting 1,000 investments in 2026 through the First Check Fund alone. Recent public signals (as of August 2026):

• Ranked #3 most active VC investor in the United States by LSEG (published August 13, 2026)
• Active publishing cadence of firm-thesis and portfolio-growth content on its Insights blog through August 2026
• Continued deployment from the First Check Fund, launched in 2026 to formalize idea-stage micro-investing

Portfolio Highlights

LvlUp's public portfolio page lists 1,000+ companies backed globally with a claimed aggregate portfolio market value of $12.5B+. Visible highlights include:

• Golden Goose — large consumer/fashion brand referenced at a $2.5B valuation
• Carro, Versus, Cosmic Wire — referenced at $250M–$500M valuations
• Arax — cited IPO exit
• Growth-stage examples called out in firm content: Gameball, XelaOS, Paisaverse
• Broader CPG and tech portfolio names include Sensate, BoldHue, Tokenati, Bluejestic, Swiple, MelliCell, Skillsome, Solved Healthcare, Insightarc, Sharely, InHouse America, NeoSky AI, Oncocine, Infinilearn, PenielSense, Markeret, Carson Life, Tampon Tribe, InteractiveImage, Digibution Solutions, Spin Labs, DoSpace, PulseDNA, Ngentix, Sandwich Goat Seasoning, Oasis Energy Drink, Mr. Bing, Kit Non-Alc Beer, and Melo

Given the scale of the portfolio and the firm's own claim of "dozens of exits and IPOs," only a small fraction of exits are individually documented in public materials; Arax is the one specifically labeled as an IPO exit on the firm's own site.

Team

• Brandon Maier — Founder & General Partner. Manages seed and late-stage investing; co-founder of Quake Capital; recognized for making the second-most investments in female-led startups in 2018; personal track record cited at 400+ startup investments, 84% still active, 15 prior exits.
• Aaron Golbin — Co-Founder & General Partner. Leads accelerators, incubators, and partnerships and co-leads the investment committee; four-time startup founder (including DebateIsland.com and The American Post); teaches at Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, and Cornell.
• Patricio Leroux — Associate. Computer Science student at the University of Michigan.
• Aasim Kamruddin — Associate. University of Florida; founder-turned-investor, co-founder of Body Pixel (health-tech/e-commerce); supports pipeline research and diligence in AI and consumer.
• Aaron Good — Associate. Computer Science and Neuroscience student at Occidental College with a MedTech/optical-systems background.
• Thira Kothari — Associate. Student from Jaipur, India focused on finance/public policy and inclusive financial markets.
• Daniel Fredbeck — Associate. University of Virginia; sports marketing and brand-partnerships background.
• Daniil Rubio — Associate Intern. California State University, Fullerton; real estate development background.

Beyond this core, LvlUp operates a very large extended bench (2,500+ associates, scouts, venture fellows, and venture partners globally) that is not individually profiled in public materials.

Decision Process

Investment decisions run through a partnership/investment-committee structure co-led by the two General Partners, supported by the associate bench for sourcing and diligence. The firm runs an open, non-warm-intro application process (a public "Apply for Funding" form covering 25+ partner VC firms), which is consistent with a high-volume, low-friction sourcing model rather than a purely relationship-gated one.

Founder Preferences

LvlUp states a specific commitment that 40%+ of the founders it backs are female or people of color. The firm emphasizes founders who want more than capital — its accelerator, labs, and mentor-alliance programming target founders seeking structured, mentorship-intensive support (curriculum, community, and 50+ partner organizations) in addition to a check, and the First Check Fund is explicitly designed for founders who haven't yet built a data room or formal entity.

Geographic Focus

Global. LvlUp explicitly runs a Middle East Investment Hub and international VC-in-Residence network in addition to core U.S. activity; public sources place the firm's offices in both New York (85 Broad Street) and Los Angeles, with conflicting primary-HQ signals across data providers.