Investor Highlight: Obvious Ventures

What’s in a name? VC firms run the gamut of naming conventions, from founding partners’ family names (Andreessen Horowitz), to strength signaling (Tiger Global Management) to ideology-based (Be Great Partners, Admiralty Partners). One name from funding deal sheets that consistently stands out is Obvious Ventures; the firm seems to chuckle alongside its name, which seems to say, “duh, these are good investments.”

The VC firm/B Corp out of San Francisco has the simple investment credo that the best investments are the ones that will solve the world’s biggest problems, focusing on sustainable systems, healthy living, and empowering people. They believe trillion-dollar industries can be reconfigured with sustainable solutions without losing value.

Their co-founders are Ev Williams, the co-founder of Blogger, Twitter, and Medium; James Joaquin, a longtime VC and co-founder of Apple-acquired Clearview Software; and Vishal Vasishth, formerly a founding partner of Indian-based fund SONG Investment Advisors, and a former fellow of prestigious creds, the Aspen Institute and the American Assembly. So far the group has raised three funds, in the unusually specific amounts of $123,456,789; $191,919,191; and Euler’s number: $271,828,182.

Successful exits include meat alternative Beyond Meat’s 2019 IPO, which took the company from a $1.5BN valuation to $13BN in less than three months. The firm's 2019 investment in Incredible Health has proven to be a worthy one, making the Forbes list of “Next Billion-Dollar Companies of 2021.” The firm also recently participated in a $140MM Round B for the Palo Alto-based robotic logistics company, Dexterity. In an industry struggling with worker shortages and logistical delays, Obvious believes robotics is the future. Its investment in One Finance is meant to boost middle-income consumers who report only “coping” when it comes to financial health. One Finance's holistic financial services make it easy to save, skip fees and penalties, and simplify budgeting. 

For more on Obvious Ventures, check out the investor profile here.