AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ATX Seed Ventures today announced the renaming of its firm to ATX Venture Partners with continued focus on early-stage venture capital investments in Texas and the broader South-Central U.S. technology landscape.
“Our new name represents the relationships we have with our founders and portfolio companies—that of a true partner. ATX Venture Partners commits to not only engage with our companies but to operate in tandem, leading them to their next phase of growth,” said Chris Shonk, Managing Partner at ATX Venture Partners. “The term ‘seed’ has become a crowded, noisy space that is hard to define. We associate more with our incumbency in Austin and our premium on partnership, with continued focus on bringing about the first institutional investment for our companies.”
ATX Venture Partners is led by Shonk along with Partners and Co-Founders Brad Bentz and Danielle Allen. The news today comes on the heels of the firm’s announcement of the close of its second fund for new high-growth technology companies and follow-on investments for current portfolio companies. The firm’s focus is to bring institutional-grade funding, process and rigor to early-stage venture capital investments.
ATX Venture Partners has more than $60 million in assets under management, and has invested in 26 companies since its founding in 2014. The firm has been a major early-stage investor in some of the fastest growing technology companies in Texas, including Alert Media, Bractlet, monoDrive, SourceDay, GoCo, LIFT Aircraft, Pensa Systems, QuotaPath and Slingshot Aerospace.
“Our vision as ATX Venture Partners is to build a world-renowned multi-fund franchise recognized as the leader in Texas and the South-Central U.S. for decades to come,” said Allen. “Large growth venture, strategic corporate capital and private equity all have their eyes on Texas, and they are looking for a local ally with whom to collaborate on the next powerhouses of technology. We aim to be just that—a solid, supportive partner, and the first investment for startups to propel them forward, laying the groundwork for larger strategic growth capital partners.”
Veteran investor joins firm as strategic partner
Stephen Gray has joined the firm as Strategic Partner where he will oversee capital development and investor relations. Gray has more than 40 years in the financial sector, having served eight years as a partner at VantagePoint Capital. Prior to VantagePoint, Gray was the Managing Director and Global Head of the Fund Placement Group at Jefferies & Co. He was a Founder/Director at Gateway Global Partners Limited, a venture capital firm in Cambridge, UK and a Managing Director and Head of Private Equity at Salomon Smith Barney, where he focused on fundraising and early-stage equity.
“I have been impressed with the ATX Venture Partners team for the last several years as unique individuals who are engaged in a genuine way with their companies. After speaking with some of their portfolio company CEOs, I was thoroughly impressed with how they have managed their relationships to grow their portfolio companies. I look forward to helping continue the work they have so successfully started in the region’s technology ecosystem,” said Gray.
About ATX Venture Partners
ATX Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm specializing in Texas and the South-Central U.S. The firm’s seed and Series A investments focus on software-as-a-service, IoT, e-commerce, AI, frontier commercial technologies and mobile applications. ATX Venture Partners brings institutional-grade funding, process and rigor to early-stage venture capital investments, and is the partner to propel portfolio companies forward to larger growth capital. The firm was founded in 2014 and is based in Austin, Texas. Visit www.atxventurepartners.com, and follow them at @ATXVenture, Facebook and LinkedIn.
