The Launch House recently announced its new venture arm, House Capital. The firm will use its early-stage fund to assist pre-seed and seed-stage companies. The multimillion-dollar reserves for promising candidates have caught the eyes of entrepreneurs and investors alike. In addition to helping its exclusive circle of members, House Capital will provide financial support to entrepreneurs outside the loop. Here, a look at the goals of the organization and whom it’s helping. 

An Elite Group 

Launch House began in 2020, in part, as a response to the lack of balance in the investment community. Founded by Michael Houck, Jacob Peters, and Brett Goldstein, Launch House has managed to piece together a selective group of startup owners, engineers, and investors — all of whom value their personal life as much as they do their professional life. 

Creating a healthy and fulfilling life is the only way for businesses to sustain themselves, and Launch House is prepared to give its members a way to find a happy medium. Members connect via in-person and virtual events. They take structured digital courses, meet up at a co-working space, sign up for a conference, or attend a conference. Membership is global, giving all members real insight into what’s happening in their industry worldwide. 

House Capital 

With its new venture arm, the founders of Launch capital can further help the Launch House community. Not only will they be investing in their members — they’ll be putting the returns from their investments back into the community, too. This is an expansion of what they’d already been doing, but it’s an important step. Said Houck, “Launch House has deep and authentic relationships with the early-stage founders who join our community. We’d already been helping Launch House members with their fundraising efforts, so it was a natural progression for us to move into investing in these founders ourselves.”

Despite its recency, House Capital is already being grouped in the same category as leaders like Sequoia Capital, Paradigm, and Y Combinator. It’s attracting attention for investing in companies like Anja Health, founded by Kathryn Cross. After Cross’ brother passed away from cerebral palsy, she created a cord-blood bank that could freeze placental stems and blood from umbilical cords. This doctor-backed personalized bank could potentially be used for disease treatment in the future. 

In addition to receiving the investment, Cross now has a lifetime membership to Launch House. Already, Cross has been public about her appreciation for the networking opportunities. This isn’t just money; it’s access to a group of people who have proven themselves in their professions. Whether she has questions about how to structure her company or how to best present her business model, she’ll undoubtedly find the answers. 

The Pace 

There is no set pace for investment. The founders are much more concerned about the value of the opportunities in different industries, as opposed to meeting a set quota every month. It’s worth noting that while they’re happy to look at companies that aren’t a part of Launch House’s community, they will prioritize those in their membership circle. As Goldstein put it, “There are so many mission-driven founders and inspiring companies that we meet through the Launch House community. House Capital gives us a new way to accelerate them on those missions to solve real problems and move the world forward.”

A Strong Base 

Limited partner bases are often described as the lifeblood for a venture arm like House Capital, and fortunately, the company has amassed an enviable portfolio of LPs. Dropbox, YouTube, Serena Williams, and Michael Ovitz are all under the House Capital umbrella. The famous companies and celebrity investors will join general partners from a variety of firms, like Rick Yang at NEA, Andrew Chen and Sriram Krishnan from a16z, and James Currier from NFX. Of the professionals at the heart of the deals, Peters said, “We are lucky to have some great investors, operators, and founders as LPs in House Capital. We are well positioned to support and grow the next generation of inspiring founders from both within and outside the Launch House community.”