Maveron

Maveron
Venture Capital
Industry Venture Capital
Founded 1998
Founder Dan Levitan
Howard Schultz
Headquarters Seattle
San Francisco
Products Venture capital
Website www.maveron.com

Maveron is a venture capital firm with offices in Seattle and San Francisco that invests in consumer-only businesses centered on technology-enabled products and services in commerce, education, and health and wellness. The firm was co-founded by Dan Levitan, a former managing director at Schroder Wertheim & Co., and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.[1]

Maveron has funded many recognizable consumer brands, including eBay,[2] Capella Education, Drugstore.com,[3] General Assembly, Lucy Activewear, Pinkberry, Potbelly Sandwich Works,[4] Cranium, NextFoods (maker of GoodBelly probiotic fruit juice), Shutterfly, Trupanion, and Zulily, a private sale site offering daily deals for moms, babies and kids. Some of Maveron’s newest investments include Earnest, CircleUp, PayNearMe, Madison Reed, Julep, Lemon, Koru, August, Lively, Darby Smart, Decide.com, Newsle, SeatMe, Red Tricycle, and more.

History

In 1991, Schultz chose Levitan to implement Starbucks’ IPO, and a friendship quickly developed. By 1993, Levitan and Schultz began investing together in several consumer businesses. In 1997, Levitan decided to leave New York and head west to Seattle to start Maveron with Schultz. The firm opened its doors in January 1998. Maveron's name is a combination of "maverick" and "vision".[5]

Exits

Recent monetized exits include: Zulily (IPO in 2013), Potbelly (IPO 2013), Decide.com (acquired by eBay), SeatMe (acquired by Yelp), Lemon (acquired by LifeLock).

Other monetized exits include: eBay, Capella Education Company, Shutterfly, Cranium (acquired by Hasbro), Qsent (acquired by TransUnion), Quellos (acquired by BlackRock), Good Technology (acquired by Motorola), Lucy Activewear (acquired by VF Corporation), AuctionPay (acquired by Global Payments), The Motley Fool, Knowledge Networks (acquired by GfK), and CitizenHawk (acquired by Wolters Kluwer).

References

  1. ↑ Arnold, Glen (2008). Corporate financial management. Pearson Education. p. 496. ISBN 978-0-273-71041-7.
  2. ↑ Gardner, David; Tom Gardner (2002). The Motley Fool's What to Do with Your Money Now: Ten Steps to Staying Up in a Down Market. Simon & Schuster. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7432-3378-1.
  3. ↑ Moe, Michael (2007). Finding the Next Starbucks: How to Identify and Invest in the Hot Stocks of Tomorrow. Portfolio. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-59184-189-0.
  4. ↑ Rubinfeld, Arthur; Collins Hemingway (2005). Built for growth: expanding your business around the corner or across the globe. Wharton School Publishing. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-13-146574-9.
  5. ↑ "Maveron has $350 million, is ready to play". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. March 3, 2000. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
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