This week, Sunstone Management announced its exciting nationwide expansion into New York City through a new partnership with early-stage startup accelerator Lair East Labs. Rated by Crunchbase as one of the Top 100 Accelerators Worldwide, Lair East Labs will work closely with Sunstone Management to provide technical assistance, coaching, and network support to approximately 10 early-stage technology startups in the Sunstone Management investment portfolio. This is a big investment for two organizations located on separate sides of the continent over 2,780 miles apart. How can this big investment result in benefits to Founders of early-stage technology startups located in such different regions of the country?
First and foremost, this nationwide expansion connects two of the largest venture capital investment regions in the world. According to the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), NVCA 2021 Yearbook, California and New York led the nation in venture capital “Assets Under Management” or “AUM”. Together, these two states represent nearly $700B of the $995B in AUM nationwide. That is over 70 percent of the total venture capital AUM nationwide!
Second, this nationwide expansion creates a new national network Sunstone Founders—those great entrepreneurs who already receive capital investment and technical support from Sunstone Management—with early-stage founders, mentors, and investors from other dynamic economic regions that they never meet without the nationwide infrastructure that we are building through our accelerator partnership program. These personal and professional connections can lead to important business development opportunities for everyone in the Sunstone Community.
How Does A Nationwide Network Benefit the American Dream?
At Sunstone Management, we are Founder-Focused. This means that we invest in both capital as well as technical assistance to help our early-stage entrepreneurs—our Founders—to create great businesses, provide for their families, and grow job opportunities for their communities. By connecting startup communities nationwide, we are now increasing the opportunity for diverse and meaningful connections that can help make the American Dream more accessible to everyone.
More About Sunstone Management
Sunstone Management is a Founder-First early-stage venture capital investment firm located in Southern California dedicated to building great companies through creative public-private-education partnerships. If you believe in a similar investment philosophy, we encourage you to join the Sunstone Community today. We are always seeking great investors, entrepreneurs, and staff to advance our vision for the economy and the world around us. You can visit our website at sunstoneinvestment.com for more information or follow us on social media for upcoming events and announcements at LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.