MGV (Maschmeyer Group Ventures) Research
Overview
MGV (Maschmeyer Group Ventures) is a San Francisco-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2017 by Carsten Maschmeyer and Marc Schröder. The firm describes itself as a "top-performing SaaS venture fund that helps extraordinary founders build their startups into world-class companies." MGV operates two funds — MGV 1 (closed/fully deployed) and MGV 2 (currently investing) — with a focus on US-based enterprise technology companies.
Investment Thesis
MGV's core thesis centers on identifying and backing exceptional founding talent at the earliest stages of company building, before traction or revenue is required. The firm prioritizes the founding team's potential, character, and ability to execute over strict financial metrics. Their tagline — "Dream big. Work hard." — reflects a belief in backing ambitious entrepreneurs with the drive to scale.
MGV takes an active, hands-on approach post-investment, particularly in helping portfolio companies build and scale go-to-market functions. The firm has a strong operational focus on sales — they provide thought leadership, playbooks, and tactical support to help founders scale their sales teams from zero to repeatable revenue. Marc Schröder, the Founding & Managing Partner, is one of Business Insider's top 100 US seed investors and a Kauffman Fellows Bay Area Chapter Chairman, with over 60 investments across the USA, Europe, and Israel.
Sector Focus
MGV is broadly focused on enterprise technology, with particular depth in:
- InsurTech & FinTech: A significant portion of their portfolio includes insurance technology, payments, and financial services infrastructure
- Enterprise SaaS: Vertical and horizontal software for mid-market and enterprise customers
- Healthcare Technology: Digital health, virtual care, and health data platforms
- PropTech: Real estate technology and management software
- HR Technology: Workforce management, payroll, and employee experience platforms
- Sales & Marketing Technology: Conversation intelligence, advertising analytics, and revenue operations
- AI/ML: Applied AI for enterprise workflows, compliance, and automation
Stage & Check Size
MGV invests at the Pre-Seed and Seed stages, typically writing checks of $500,000 to $750,000 alongside a lead investor. They explicitly position themselves as co-investors rather than lead investors, focusing on adding value post-close through operational support and their network rather than driving deal terms.
Lead Tendency
Follows — MGV consistently invests alongside lead investors and does not lead rounds. This allows them to participate in high-quality deals sourced and led by other funds while contributing disproportionate value through founder support.
Recent Activity
MGV is actively deploying from Fund 2 (MGV 2). In 2025, the firm made at least 3 investments:
- Cascade Space (July 2025, Seed) — aerospace/space technology startup
- Authentic Insurance (2025, follow-on) — community-based insurance platform
The portfolio is diverse across healthcare, fintech, enterprise SaaS, and emerging tech.
Portfolio Highlights
MGV has backed 30+ companies since inception, with notable investments including:
- Modern Health — mental health benefits platform, significant growth company
- Observe AI — contact center intelligence powered by AI
- Runa — HR & payroll for Latin America
- Prodigal — AI-powered collections and loan servicing software
- KarmaCheck — AI-powered background screening platform
- Glide — residential real estate transaction management
- HeyDoctor — virtual doctor consultations
- Culina Health — virtual nutrition care covered by insurance
- Percent — private credit marketplace
- Origin — digital financial advisory platform for workforces
- Attention — real-time conversation intelligence for sales teams
- Ascend — all-in-one insurance payments platform
Team
Marc Schröder — Founding & Managing Partner
The day-to-day managing partner and deal lead. Over a decade investing in 60+ early-stage companies across the US, Europe, and Israel. Kauffman Fellows Bay Area Chapter Chairman and Business Insider top 100 US seed investor. Deep expertise in enterprise SaaS and go-to-market scaling.
Carsten Maschmeyer — Founding Partner (MGV 1) / Anchor Investor & Chairman (MGV 2)
German entrepreneur who founded AWD, Europe's largest independent financial services firm, in 1988 — taking it public on the M-DAX in 2000. Has invested in 170+ entrepreneurs since 2007. The primary capital source and chairman for the funds.
Patrick Klas — Investor
FinTech and InsurTech specialist. Assists portfolio companies with insurance partnerships, business model analysis, and go-to-market strategy.
David Jee — Investor
A decade of experience analyzing startups. Focuses on due diligence, financial modeling, and analytics.
Lauren Reeves — Investor
Former software engineer leading MGV's East Coast operations. Specializes in AI/ML technologies and technical evaluation of enterprise SaaS products.
Geographic Focus
MGV primarily invests in US-based companies, with a particular focus on SF Bay Area and East Coast startups. The team has connections across Europe (Germany) and Israel through Marc Schröder's network, and has made selective investments in Latin America (Runa, Kolors).
Decision Process
Small partnership model. Marc Schröder leads deal evaluation with support from the investor team. Given the co-investment strategy and modest check size ($500K-$750K), decisions are likely made within 2-4 weeks.
Founder Fit
MGV is well-suited for:
- First-time founders with strong domain expertise and compelling vision
- Teams building enterprise SaaS with a clear go-to-market path
- Companies raising seed rounds where a hands-on operational partner (especially on sales) adds disproportionate value
- Founders with German/European connections who can leverage the Maschmeyer network
- Founders who don't yet have traction — MGV explicitly says they invest in potential over metrics