manifesto
You can't sleep.
You're at work, and all you can think about is the idea.
You know you should be doing this.
What to do about it?
Many times, it remains a concept that withers away in the ether. On the opposite end, too many great founders pursue ideas because they get thrown money by VC firms who think of them as an option bet. The financialization of the early stage has led to misaligned incentives.
We recognize a different dynamic—one we appreciate so much that we have named our firm around it.
The Formation Stage is a time of discovery, growth, and conviction. Whether the acceleration happens fast or takes a more gradual path to crystallization, we are building a fund that caters to all of these possibilities.
Sometimes cultivation is done 1:1, and sometimes it is best in cohorts around like-minded individuals. Whether it is a nod coming from your peers or early design partners, we have seen ideation sparks ignite into an explosion of activity and, eventually, a confidence around the newly found earned secret. From the unheralded person initially met with skepticism who goes on to build a generational company to the unicorn founder who wants to take an even bigger swing, we have seen firsthand this process help all kinds of entrepreneurs.
These are 10+ year journeys together, after all, and we believe in forcing choices vs. comparison with our partners. The Formation Stage is where real relationships get formed and where talent begins its ascent.
We can't wait to meet you.
about us
Solly previously launched Strada and turned a single family office into a seed stage investing force. A keen eye for founders led to some of the earliest checks into breakout companies such as Headway, Assured, Happy Returns, Traba, and Krea. From an early age Solly was surfacing musical and cinematic talent at Sony Music and Tribeca Films and executing business development deals at IAC.
Leeor is a former Principal at Floodgate (1st checks into Twitter, Lyft, Okta, Twitch, etc.) where he was the first person to ever be promoted at the firm. Prior to Floodgate, Leeor created the 20|20 Fund—written up in TechCrunch and BI as the first fund of its kind starting at Stanford and now inspiring some funds across the country. Leeor also previously started a digital marketing company a decade ago his cofounder still runs and was on the strategy team of a publicly traded energy company, working on billion dollar transactions and business lines.
Formation leads pre-seed rounds and participates in seed rounds.
We write checks between $500k–$800k.
NY | SF | MIA