NOEMIS Ventures Research
Investment Thesis
NOEMIS Ventures is a seed and pre-seed stage venture capital firm founded by Simeon Iheagwam, a Brooklyn-born investor with deep experience in financial services and leveraged finance. The firm invests in founders building transformative companies in Fintech, AI/ML, and Marketplaces. NOEMIS uses a distinctive 8-factor leveraged-finance framework that applies quantitative rigor typically found in debt financing to early-stage equity investments, enabling the fund to identify high-potential startups with exceptional risk-adjusted returns.
Sector Focus
NOEMIS Ventures has a highly focused investment strategy targeting three primary sectors:
Fintech & Payments: Consumer and B2B fintech solutions, credit platforms, payment systems, and financial services innovation. Notable investments include Petal (near-unicorn status at $140M+ funding), Cashalo, Stax, Grailpay, and Debyt. The fund is particularly interested in addressing gaps in access to fair credit and payment infrastructure.
AI/ML & Technology: Machine learning applications, AI-driven solutions, and algorithmic innovations. Portfolio includes Markable (computer vision), Algopear, and emerging AI startups.
Marketplaces & Logistics: Two-sided marketplace platforms and logistics solutions. Investments include Squire (barbershop management), Spleet (African logistics), Travelsist, and Daycation (marketplace platform).
Secondary sectors in the portfolio include:
- E-commerce & Commerce Technology (Guzo, Clearmix, Simba)
- Consumer Services & Lifestyle (Havenly, Burrow, Tailored Industry, Vyrill, Rethoric)
- Healthcare Technology (Irismed, Empower)
- Work & Workplace Solutions (Wrkprty)
- Media & Entertainment (Lit Videobooks, Musicbuk)
Stage Focus
NOEMIS targets the earliest stages of company building:
- Pre-Seed: $100K-$500K for founders with strong vision and initial traction
- Seed: $250K-$1M for teams with working product and early customers
The fund prefers to be an early investor, often leading rounds or co-leading with trusted partners. Follow-on capacity exists for portfolio companies progressing to Series A.
Check Size & Capital Allocation
Typical investment range: $100,000 - $1,000,000
- Pre-seed average: $100K-$500K
- Seed average: $250K-$1M
- Target investment count: 25-30 companies per fund
- Fund I size: $25M (deployed across portfolio of 33+ companies)
Fund Status & Recent Activity
Fund I ($25M, launched 2022) is actively deploying capital and managing a mature portfolio of 33+ companies. Recent investments and portfolio milestones:
Recent Investments (2024-2025):
- Havenly (home furnishings marketplace) - December 2024
- Multiple seed-stage companies across fintech, AI, and marketplaces
Portfolio Highlights:
- Petal: Near-unicorn fintech achieving $140M+ in funding, demonstrating exceptional early-stage founder selection
- Hopscotch: Led $3.6M seed round (co-led with Stellation Capital) - B2B payments platform
- Lit Videobooks: Raised $5M seed round led by Mac Venture Capital
- Squire: Barbershop tech platform that tripled valuation with Tiger Global backing
- Empower: Credit and financial wellness platform that acquired PetalCard and Cashalo
- Burrow: Consumer furniture marketplace acquired by Havenly
- Trigger: Acquired by Circle (blockchain fintech)
- Hopscotch: Acquired by Avalara (B2B payments)
Portfolio Size: 33+ portfolio companies with strong representation across target sectors
Investment Process & Decision Framework
NOEMIS employs a rigorous, quantitative investment framework distinct in venture capital:
The 8-Factor Leveraged Finance Framework: Simeon Iheagwam created a proprietary 8-factor framework that applies leveraged-finance analysis to early-stage startups. This framework brings quantitative rigor from debt analysis (debt servicing capacity, cash flow stability, asset quality) to equity selection in venture. The approach enables the fund to identify founders and businesses with top-quartile return potential early, with approximately 7 of 10 major events (exits, significant fundraising) in the portfolio achieving expected outcomes - representing ~3x returns in 3.5 years.
Decision Process: Solo GP with consultative partnership model. Simeon Iheagwam leads all investment decisions, supported by Venture Partners Jaisa Gooden and Han Jing who provide domain expertise, networking, and portfolio support. Decisions are made based on quantitative assessment via the 8-factor framework plus qualitative founder evaluation.
Decision Timeline: 2-4 weeks typical for seed-stage investments (faster for exceptional opportunities)
Warm Introduction Preference: While not explicitly required, warm introductions through trusted networks accelerate the evaluation process.
Founder & Company Preferences
NOEMIS seeks founders with:
- Founder DNA: Builders with deep domain expertise in their sectors, ideally with experience at scale-ups or in financial services/technology
- Brooklyn/NYC Bias: While not exclusive, the fund shows particular affinity for Brooklyn-born and NYC-based founders, reflecting Simeon's background
- Problem-Market Fit: Clear understanding of the problem being solved and the customer willing to pay
- Capital Efficiency: Companies demonstrating ability to achieve milestones with minimal capital
- Go-to-Market: Strong go-to-market strategy and initial traction (pre-seed) or early adoption (seed)
Geographic Focus
Primary: New York (headquarters, strong local network) Secondary: United States nationally Tertiary: Selective international investments (Africa - Spleet, Asia, etc.)
The fund shows 60-70% focus on US-based founders with particular concentration in NYC/Northeast region.
Team & Organizational Structure
Simeon Iheagwam, Founder & Managing Partner
- Brooklyn-born venture capitalist with 10+ years in financial services
- Former Investment Banker at Wells Fargo (leveraged debt capital raising)
- Former Corporate Finance Senior Associate at JP Morgan (FP&A)
- B.S. Business Management & Finance, Brooklyn College
- MBA, Cornell University (Roy H. Park Leadership Fellow scholarship)
- Founded NOEMIS Ventures in 2022 using personal life savings as seed capital for pilot fund
- Active on Twitter (@siheagwam), recognized in 2025 Power100 honorees
Jaisa Gooden, Venture Partner
- Brings operational and marketplace expertise
- Active in portfolio support and community building
Han Jing, Venture Partner
- Technology and product expertise
- Active in portfolio support and technical founder advising
Co-Investment & Network
NOEMIS co-invests with established partners including:
- Stellation Capital
- Mac Venture Capital
- Tiger Global
- Avalara (for acquihires and strategic investments)
- Other seed-stage funds and angel networks
The fund leverages Brooklyn/NYC investor networks and maintains relationships with downstream Series A investors.
Performance & Track Record
Fund I Results (as of early 2026):
- ~7 of 10 major events (exits, successful fundraising rounds) - representing ~3x returns in 3.5 years
- Notable exits: Trigger (Circle), Hopscotch (Avalara), Burrow (Havenly)
- Multiple portfolio companies in $20M+ fundraising rounds
- 1 near-unicorn (Petal at $140M+ funding)
This exceptional early-stage track record reflects the efficacy of the 8-factor framework in founder and company selection.
Competitive Differentiation
NOEMIS differentiates through:
- Quantitative Framework: The 8-factor leveraged-finance approach is unique in seed-stage venture
- Founder Expertise: Deep founder DNA assessment and early pattern recognition
- Brooklyn/NYC Focus: Strong local network and affinity for NYC-based founders
- Capital Efficiency: Tight check sizes and focus on founders who do more with less
- Solo GP Model: Personalized attention and decision-making speed
- Operational Support: Venture partners provide active portfolio support beyond capital
Future Direction
NOEMIS Ventures continues to deploy Fund I and is positioned to close Fund II in 2025-2026. The fund will maintain focus on pre-seed and seed-stage investing in Fintech, AI/ML, and Marketplaces, with continued emphasis on NYC and US founders building category-defining companies.