Seed funding and investment are some of the best ways to accelerate business growth for promising startups. Venture capitalists and investment firms have been vital to growing many world-changing companies. Most influential corporations today would not have reached their current levels of success without the help of investors. Accordingly, the work of Kerem Ozmen holds influence.
Kerem Ozmen is the co-founder of an investment firm named 8090 Partners, and he has a long track record of accelerating many successful startups, including companies like Groww, Frubana, Self, Katena, Luminous, Carta, FiscalNote, EquipmentShare, Heliogen, and others. Ozmen and 8090 have co-invested in startups with legendary entrepreneurs such as Mark Cuban and Bill Gates, to name a few.
8090 Partners brings together the minds and resources of over twenty[MW1] industry-leading families and entrepreneurs looking for businesses to strategically accelerate through direct investments. Currently, the families in the partnership represent roughly $160 billion in market capitalization across twenty-one countries and twenty-five business sectors. Moreover, the firm has handled various joint ventures, acquisitions, and growth equity deals over the past two years.
Kerem Ozmen brings years of experience in investment management to the partnership. Before bringing 8090 Partners to life, he was a founding partner and managing director of a venture capital firm called K50 Ventures. He successfully raised an entire fund and sourced over 4,000 global business opportunities from around the world. K50 garnered a great deal of international attention, including features in Inc. magazine, CBS News, and a global showcase at the top of One World Trade Center in New York. The fund was benchmarked as one of the top one percentile funds in terms of fund performance globally.
In 2015, Kerem Ozmen began managing his family’s investment portfolio. “My family put a large focus on building the local entrepreneurial community in Reno,” he said. “We dedicated capital to build the Ozmen Entrepreneurship Center at the University of Nevada, Reno. I worked closely to build out the Center, put the programs in place, participate in local pitch events, and support the local ecosystem in whatever ways I could.” Later, Ozmen started the first institutional venture fund in Reno, calling it Ozmen Ventures.
Kerem Ozmen’s work has gone a long way for the startup community, as his investments have become some of the most impactful ones on the broader venture capital ecosystem. In 2019, his portfolio companies were published by Inc. as the top fifty world-changing startups of that year. [MW2] Ozmen appeared on a TED Talk to speak about how young entrepreneurs can build the next generation of unicorn startups and solve the world’s glaring problems through business innovation.
Kerem Ozmen has adopted a distinct investment approach, taking on an active role in working with operators and founders rather than passively investing funds. He believes that real wealth happens when investors add value to companies as true business partners, bringing unique insights that help founders generate better results. Ozmen has created a strong global network of founders, CEOs, high-net-worth investors, and families from around the world. He does more than spot opportunities that can make rich people richer. He believes in investing in startups that intend to solve real-life problems and make the world a better place to live in.
To learn more about Kerem Ozmen, visit him on LinkedIn and Instagram.
