There's never been a better time to start a company. Yet for most founders, getting that first investment remains impossibly hard. You shouldn't have to spend 6 months networking with VCs or go through an accelerator just to raise your pre-seed.
That's why we're launching the Zero to One Million program. Fill out a form and get funded for your first $1M within a week of a first meeting. No warm intro needed.
Our Process
"The 1984 team has been far more than just a lead investor, they've been a true extension of our team. From helping us raise additional capital to sharpening our strategy and opening doors that accelerated our business, their support has been hands-on and impactful. When 1984 says they help you raise a round, they truly mean it. Their conviction in our vision and our team has been unwavering."
The Program
This is not a twelve week startup incubator. There is no sprint to Demo Day, after which you're mostly on your own.
This is a core investment from our fund where we'll work closely with you for 12-24 months until you raise your Series A.
We'll work closely with you on:
- Fundraising: filling out your pre-seed round further as well as future rounds
- Hiring: sourcing, vetting and closing early sales and engineering roles
- Founder Therapy: think of it as your personal 24/7 WhatsApp line for the years to come
Who Should Apply
If you're thinking about quitting your job but aren't excited about joining an accelerator with 200 other startups, you should apply.
If you're still at school but have been building something on the side, you should apply.
If you're already full-time on an idea, you should apply.
* We are primarily focused on US-based startups.
What We Look For
We get excited when we see:
- An exceptional founding team
- Who've identified a hair-on-fire problem
- And a solution that's 10x better than the status quo
What makes someone "exceptional"?
"Exceptional" may sound subjective, but in startups it's simple: a clear strength. You might be exceptional at engineering, sales, design, product, or marketing—or stand out for intelligence, resilience, or charisma. Strength matters more than pedigree or balance. Your application should make that strength obvious.
What is a hair-on-fire problem?
A hair-on-fire problem is an urgent, painful need. Customers reveal it through how intensely they talk about it and the hacks they've tried to solve it. These problems often appear after major shifts—like new regulations or powerful tailwinds such as GLP-1s.
What is a 10x better solution?
The AI revolution has unlocked radically better ways of doing things. For founders, this means you should be targeting building something that is 10x better than incumbent offerings.
You can be 10x better by making customers more money (topline improvement) or saving them an order of magnitude of cost (bottom line improvement). If the efficiency gain is not visceral, you aren't thinking big enough.
FAQs
We've also written a Founder's Handbook with practical information on cap tables, M&A offers, deck crafting, and more.
Ready to get started?
Fill out the application in about 20 minutes. We'll get back to you within 72 hours.
Apply Now →About 1984 Ventures
1984 Ventures is a pre-seed and seed firm headquartered in San Francisco with $200M AUM. We are currently investing out of our third fund. We are a team of four partners who have previously been early-stage founders, CTOs, and multi-stage fund VCs.
Companies We've Backed
