Our story
In 2008, we defied conventional wisdom by founding a venture capital firm in Los Angeles instead of Silicon Valley. Our first bet was right: LA has what's needed to support a thriving tech ecosystem.
The company-building capital of LA and beyond
Crosscut founders Rick Smith, Brian Garrett and Brett Brewer saw the city’s potential as a technology hub in 2008 and founded Crosscut one month before the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Many of the firm’s first investments went into survival mode, but we weathered the Great Recession and proved we could build market-defining companies. This sparked our ongoing dedication to learning and development—every day we adapt, apply rigorous research, seek new insights, and navigate changing conditions alongside our partners.
We’ve grown up with LA and will only continue to cultivate the best it has to offer. As deep tech has taken root and flourished here, we’ve had the privilege to focus more and more on solving the world’s biggest problems.
Read more about our focus on frontier technologies here.
Built to last
Today, with over 16 years of experience, we’re managing $300+ million and driving the ecosystem forward with programs and robust communities focused on innovating for the good of our world. We know how economic cycles work and what it takes to build market-defining companies. We proved LA could thrive. Now we’re the most established seed-stage venture capital fund in LA, and we’re committed to using our position to do good and drive returns around the world.
Find out about our time-tested approach.
Supported by a network of domain experts, operators, and entrepreneurs
When we don’t have the answers, someone in our network will. We believe that by connecting exceptional individuals with diverse perspectives and experiences, we can collaborate to achieve results far beyond what any of us could accomplish alone.
From seasoned founders to former CIA agents, our Venture Partners offer unparalleled insights, access, and expertise.
