PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SOSV, the accelerator-based venture capital firm, closed $150 million in its first fund open to external investors, SOSV III on December 16th. SOSV runs the world’s #1 accelerators in hardware, life sciences, disruptive food, and China cross-border startups.
With more than 150 startups backed annually through its accelerators, SOSV is also recognized as the world’s third largest seed investor by volume. SOSV’s accelerator model takes a small stake in startups and provides a framework and community where startups get further and faster than they could on their own.
“Since 2010, we’ve provided follow-on funding to those companies who develop significant traction and financing support,” said Sean O’Sullivan, SOSV Managing Partner. “It’s a proven model…giving us both extraordinary quality and incredible deal flow.”
The 65 investors in SOSV III range from formerly-backed founders and tech executives to major family offices, private foundations and multinational corporations. LPs include the IFC of the World Bank, the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets; the Lemelson Foundation, focused on improving lives through invention; The Russell Family Foundation, a philanthropic enterprise advancing sustainability and leadership in the Pacific Northwest; and Austin Hearst.
SOSV is led by founder and managing partner Sean O’Sullivan alongside six investment partners, all of whom come from operating backgrounds building multi-million dollar startups, including three IPOs.
SOSV’s mission – enabling startups to go further, faster – has proven out in over 500 early-stage investments since 2007, with a net IRR of over 30% since the formation of SOSV in 1995. Example portfolio companies include MakeBlock, Clara Foods, NextThingCo, FormLabs, Breather, GetAround, Greenblender, Memphis Meats, Harmonix and BitMEX.
About SOSV
SOSV, the Accelerator VC, has $300 million in assets under management. Founded in 1995, SOSV’s investments focus on early-stage startups selected from 4,000 companies applying every year through http://SOSV.com. A large network of follow-on VCs invest another $200m into SOSV startups annually.
Investment is deployed via SOSV-run global accelerators:
- life sciences – IndieBio (San Francisco) and RebelBio (Cork, Ireland)
- hardware/robotics – HAX (Shenzhen, San Francisco)
- China-cross border Internet/mobile – Chinaccelerator (Shanghai) and MOX (Taipei)
- disruptive food – FOOD-X (New York)
- intelligent city - URBAN-X (New York)
