Introducing The Amazon Founder Program
As a firm we’ve been drawn to Amazonian founders and have long held a deep admiration for the Amazon spirit and team caliber. Today, we’re excited to announce a new initiative at 1984 Ventures: The Amazon Founder Program, a dedicated fast-track financing program for current and aspiring Amazonian founders. In both their caliber and approach, we think Amazonian founders tend to be well aligned with 1984’s ethos.
Here’s how it works:
- Complete our 2 minute application. If you don’t know what you want to start and just want to brainstorm with us, that’s very welcome too!
- We’ll review your application and get back to you within 24 hours. If it’s in the 1984 wheelhouse, we’ll do a sounding board session with you and get to know you.
- Depending on the stage of the company, as we help you hammer out your idea, if it’s a fit for you and for us, we can incubate and/or fund your company with a check ranging from $500,000 to $1,000,000.
About the Amazonian founders who we’ve backed
One of the things we love about Amazonians is that they start from customer needs and work backwards from there towards a product. Amazon founders rarely pursue cool tech in search of a problem. That customer centricity is equally core to 1984’s value set. And it’s one of the central reasons we love to back founders out of Amazon.
Moreover, Amazonian engineers know how to build high caliber products and ship fast. That’s music to our ears: the agility and speed made possible by top tier engineering is one of the key attributes that separates great companies from those that are merely good.
Here are some of the founders we’ve backed out of Amazon:
- Brad Porter, CEO of Collaborative Robotics - VP and Distinguished Engineer Robotics
- Oliver Keh, CEO of Gleam - Software engineer II
- Will Gordon, COO of Latchel - Senior Manager, Program Management
But we don’t just love Amazonian founders. Amazon is part of our upstream DNA as well. Some of the LPs we’re proudest of come from the top ranks of Amazon execs.
About 1984 Ventures
1984 Ventures is a seed firm based in San Francisco. We lead pre-seed and seed rounds and were recently profiled in Fortune Magazine and were ranked as the #19 seed investor in the US by Business Insider. We gravitate towards strong technical teams solving hair-on-fire problems and particularly love B2B SaaS, marketplaces, infrastructure software, consumer and healthcare.
How we help
we recognize that every company hits stumbling blocks as they get started. That’s where we come in. In addition to serving as a trusted advisor and doling out founder therapy when needed (starting a company is hard - even when things are going well!), we also help with hiring and, most importantly, enabling you to raise future rounds of financing from the top VCs in the world.
The best way to capture what founders think of us is to hear directly from them:
“Great investors send funds quickly and then let you run your business. An extraordinary investor does the same and also provides genuinely helpful advice, support, and guidance as you build your company. We’ve been blessed to have 1984 on our team. 1984 raises the bar on extraordinary.”
Will Gordon, former Amazonian and co-founder of Latchel
“1984 stands apart in the VC landscape: unique blend of startup, big tech, and investment firm experience. As an Amazonian founder, I value their deep understanding of mid-stage and late-stage dynamics, expertise in cap table management, and commitment to protecting founders from the hidden risks of certain investment terms. You’re getting more than just seed investors—you’re getting steadfast allies who truly have your back.”
Brad Porter, former distinguished engineer at Amazon and founder of Collaborative Robotics
We’ve never tried anything like this before. It’s an experiment. One that, if successful, we may replicate over time with other companies we admire. And that also is very much in line with Amazon’s core principle of having a passion for invention. We’re excited to launch this initiative and even more excited to be the first step for Amazonians who are ready to start their journey towards building an iconic company.
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