Devland is a fund focused on new innovative ventures with wildly underestimated leaders.
At Devland, we source new companies through a variety of program funnels or inbound submissions and allocate capital through stage gated direct investments of up to $650,000. Our goal is to rapidly support the launch of traction-heavy innovation that creates value for enterprises and leverages the power of advanced technology.
Better traction. Bred by rapid validation.
123
Projects with EIRs
22
Companies Formed
$11.5M
in Funding
Research driven GPs, investing in deep tech innovation.
Devland sources a range of investment opportunities that reflect a path to future technology via current value adding innovations that enterprises need to stay relevant. Our companies see us as intangible partners who not only delve into advanced software and engineering but rapidly translate this complexity into firm articulation with upstream investment counterparts.
We see the widest market growth possibility in areas of industry 4.0 technology that specifically include artificial intelligence, machine communication, robotics, aviation, mobility, human aiding automation, and autonomous capability. Daily, the work of our teams visit new innovations and incredibly difficult challenges that most people would deem impossible.
A select number of allocations back Research Entrepreneurs.
A system of research funding and investment stage gates used to develop new startup potentials. We seek out wildly underestimated talent from spaces outside of popular venture hubs and farm their potential in creating innovations.
Rapid Validations —>
Entrepreneurs spend 3 months with a budget of $50K conducting high touch discovery as a Researcher. Their work requires the identification of potential customers uncover and identify addressable needs/pains in a specific industry area.
Pilot with Enterprise —>
Based on traction in their validation process, teams have potential to receive $150K investment to drive the project to market. Entrepreneur facilitates a scoped effort with customer to demonstrate feasible path forward to revenue.
The market does not have a clear view on the venture studio or startup studio model and frankly the lack of standardization amongst firms plus wonky economics has created a bad reputation for them. Despite this, we have chosen this language because it resonates most with the pipeline of operator talent we want to attract. However, under the hood we are built like a traditional venture fund.
The builder we attract do not have familiarity with venture capital and the language of finance, they do not always self identify in the ways founders have been portrayed in media and by leading firms. They are “wildly underestimated” and the word “studio” gives them the sense that there is a seat for them to enter regardless if they have a passion for a new idea or they have formed initial traction post-incorporation. We use the studio approach to conduct due diligence over an average of 14 months, working alongside builders, getting in the trenches with them, and advocating for their growth. It provides a much better gauge of the entrepreneur as a corporate builder, leader, and team builder — further validating our cause to invest and market them to firms upstream from us. Our intention is to discover outsized returns from potentials who do not generally have network into the world of capital, relationships, and resources needed to build a market leading business. These avenues we have championed yield us pipelines our counterparts in VC have little awareness of.
LP’s view the “studio” aspect of our model as a diligence approach.
Venture: A new look
Our pipeline is made up of diverse operators in research and business who have historically received less than 5% of total capital deployed across venture capital. Within these demographics we have grown to understand an incredible opportunity around “first checks” and largely how this correlates with an operator’s path to sustaining a high growth venture.
Inbound Pipeline Breakdown
FAQs
What is Devland?
Devland is a fund that provides an alternative investment pathway for committed entrepreneurs-in-residence with program guidance and direct funding through Series A. Devland was founded by Miles Dotson and Devon Fanfair, both engineers with technology industry pedigree and capital markets experience from M&A to Early-Stage Investments.
What if my residency research project does not gain traction?
At Devland we believe in the rapid validation approach to building startups. If we are not able to clearly understand a path for future growth the project through an enterprise pilot, it is then shelved and the lead has the opportunity to pivot to a new effort. If they have exhausted their project funds they will be required to reapply to the program.
How long does a research effort take to produce a company?
On average a new company will spinout in 6 to 12 months time if they have been able to obtain a pilot enterprise opportunity and validate their initial proof of concept. In this stage it is not common that they have a standalone product offering but have demonstrated substantial value for their lighthouse customer.
What is the studio approach?
A startup studio is a validation led approach to venture capital. We are operators, product leaders, and venture capital thinkers who understand the role startup creation plays in the market as a whole. Our goal is to illuminate repeatable paths that often result in early acquisitions, stable longterm growth, or public market entry while improving the average cost required to create that outcome.
Does Devland invest directly into companies?
Devland has invested directly companies that we believe clearly demonstrate revenue traction and a unique market playbook. These operators have successfully raised capital, managed teams, show strong commitment, and require strategic support.
How is this different than an accelerator?
Entrepreneurs start off as research fellows of Devland and function like members of our studio team. They typically start from zero on a new project without a predetermined destination. We function as co-builders helping to attain critical milestones for the new startup potential they are leading.
