AlleyCorp

AlleyCorp is a venture capital firm founded in 2012 by Kevin Ryan, a long-time New York internet entrepreneur. Based in New York City, the firm focuses on incubating and investing in early-stage companies that are transformative in their respective industries.

AlleyCorp has a seasoned team of startup operators that launch new companies every year at their New York headquarters. The firm originates the idea, hires the team, provides initial funding, launches the company, and maintains integral leadership throughout the company's lifecycle. Their founders become part of their family and often work with them again on future ideas and ventures.

As one of the most active early-stage investors in New York, AlleyCorp invests primarily in pre-seed and seed rounds (often as the first check-in) and makes select Series A investments. The firm recognizes that beyond an idea, the keys to building a successful company are team and execution. They are a partner to their companies at every stage of development, all the way from pitch deck through IPO.

AlleyCorp also has two engineering hubs in Montreal and Bogotá, which employ dedicated engineers and designers for their incubations and portfolio companies, ensuring that AlleyCorp companies always have an unfair advantage on technical talent.

In addition to investing in companies, AlleyCorp also operates AlleySearch, an executive search firm that focuses on helping early-stage startups (pre-seed through Series B) hire the talent needed to build their company and reach their full potential.

Recently, AlleyCorp has launched Collaborative Foundership, which is an opportunity for senior industry leaders and domain experts to ideate and found new companies part-time with AlleyCorp. Collaborative Foundership enables these ideas to be built while allowing the operators to both continue in their current roles and be a meaningful part of the company's journey.

AlleyCorp is a New York-based venture capital firm that was founded in 2003 by Kevin Ryan, a long-time internet entrepreneur. The company is focused on building and investing in transformative companies in New York and across the world. Over the years, AlleyCorp has been responsible for building and investing in some of the earliest and most iconic tech companies in New York, including MongoDB (NASDAQ: MDB), Business Insider, Gilt Groupe, Zola, and Nomad Health.

AlleyCorp has a seasoned team of startup operators who launch new companies every year at their New York headquarters. When incubating a new company, AlleyCorp originates the idea, hires the team, provides initial funding, launches the company, and maintains integral leadership throughout the company’s lifecycle. Their founders become part of their family and often work with them again on future ideas and ventures.

As one of the most active early-stage investors in New York, AlleyCorp shares the founder’s mindset because they’re founders too. They invest primarily in pre-seed and seed rounds (often as the first check-in) and make select Series A investments. They recognize that beyond an idea, the keys to building a successful company are team and execution. Like their incubations, they are a partner to their companies at every stage of development, all the way from pitch deck through IPO.

To address the challenge of finding great engineering talent, AlleyCorp decided to build its own engineering company with hubs in Montreal (AlleyCorp Nord) and Bogotá (AlleyCorp Sur). Their team of fractional CTOs specializes in helping early-stage companies build (or buy) the right technology at the earliest stages. Their team of technologists spans web and mobile development, product design, cloud infrastructure, data science, and engineering. Their Montreal office specializes in productizing research, with an emphasis on machine learning.

AlleySearch is an executive search firm, born out of AlleyCorp, that focuses on helping early-stage startups (pre-seed through Series B) hire the talent needed to build their company and reach their full potential. Through their work building and investing in companies over the last 15 years, AlleyCorp noticed that early-stage companies often struggle to find the right rising stars in the search for their first “head of” roles (e.g., head of product, head of engineering). As a result, they focus on working with founders to find the star players who have that intricate balance of player-coach: eager to roll up their sleeves but also with the experience to lead teams.

In 2022, AlleyCorp launched Collaborative Foundership, an opportunity for senior industry leaders and domain experts to ideate and found new companies part-time with AlleyCorp. Collaborative Foundership enables these ideas to be built, while allowing the operators to both continue in their current roles and be a meaningful part of the company’s journey.

Overall, AlleyCorp has a deep experience in search across the technology ecosystem, from enterprise SaaS to digital health. They’ve helped scale companies from early-stage through IPO. They also partner with industry leaders to co-found businesses together, which is known as Collaborative Foundership. The company has evolved over the years to become a leading venture capital firm, with a strong focus on building transformative companies and investing in early-stage startups.

AlleyCorp is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies primarily in pre-seed and seed rounds, with select Series A investments. Their investment criteria include:

• Transformative companies: AlleyCorp invests in companies that have the potential to transform industries and markets.
• Strong founding teams: The team behind the company is one of the most important factors in their investment decision. They look for founders who have a deep understanding of their market, a track record of success, and the ability to execute their vision.
• Disruptive ideas: AlleyCorp invests in companies with innovative and disruptive ideas that solve real problems for customers.
• Technology-driven: Technology is at the core of all the companies AlleyCorp invests in. They believe that a great technology strategy is essential to building a successful company.
• Scalable business models: They invest in companies with scalable business models that can grow quickly and generate significant revenue.
• Large addressable markets: AlleyCorp looks for companies that operate in large and growing markets with significant potential for growth.
• Clear path to profitability: They invest in companies that have a clear path to profitability and can generate positive cash flows in the long term.
• Founder-friendly terms: AlleyCorp offers founder-friendly terms that align the interests of the founders and investors, allowing founders to maintain control of their company while also giving investors a fair return on their investment.
• Diversity and inclusion: They believe that diversity and inclusion are essential for building successful companies and look for teams that reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
• Long-term partnerships: They take a long-term view when it comes to their investments and look to build long-term partnerships with the companies they invest in, providing support and guidance throughout the company's lifecycle.

• Entrepreneurship: AlleyCorp values entrepreneurship and innovation above all else. They believe in taking risks and pushing boundaries to create transformative companies that can change the world.
• Collaboration: Collaboration is a key value at AlleyCorp, as they believe that great things are achieved when people work together. They foster a culture of open communication and encourage collaboration between team members, portfolio companies, and partners.
• Integrity: Integrity is one of the core values at AlleyCorp. They believe in being honest, transparent, and ethical in all their dealings. They hold themselves to high standards and expect the same from their portfolio companies.
• Results-driven: At AlleyCorp, results matter. They believe in setting clear goals and working tirelessly to achieve them. They are committed to delivering measurable results for their portfolio companies and investors.
• Growth mindset: AlleyCorp values a growth mindset and encourages continuous learning and improvement. They believe in taking on challenges and embracing failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.
• Social responsibility: Social responsibility is a core value at AlleyCorp. They believe in creating positive change in the world and are committed to investing in companies that have a positive impact on society and the environment.
• Diversity and inclusion: Diversity and inclusion are important values at AlleyCorp. They believe that diversity of thought, experience, and perspective leads to better outcomes and a more vibrant and innovative culture. They strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected.

AlleyCorp's mission is to build and invest in transformative companies that solve real-world problems and drive positive change. The company was founded with the belief that entrepreneurship and innovation can change the world, and that by supporting and empowering entrepreneurs, they can create impactful businesses that make a difference.

AlleyCorp's approach to achieving this mission is multi-faceted. As a startup incubator and early-stage investor, the company focuses on identifying promising founders and ideas, providing them with the resources and support they need to develop and launch their products, and staying involved with them through the entire lifecycle of the company.

AlleyCorp has an impressive portfolio of companies that they have either founded, incubated, or invested in. Some of their notable portfolio companies include:

• MongoDB: AlleyCorp was one of the earliest investors in MongoDB, a leading modern, general-purpose database platform. MongoDB went public in 2017 and is currently traded on NASDAQ.
• Business Insider: AlleyCorp founded Business Insider, a digital media company that focuses on business news and analysis. Business Insider was sold to Axel Springer SE in 2015.
• Gilt Groupe: AlleyCorp co-founded Gilt Groupe, an e-commerce platform that offers luxury lifestyle products at discounted prices. Gilt Groupe was acquired by Hudson's Bay Company in 2016.
• Zola: AlleyCorp was an early investor in Zola, an online wedding registry and wedding planning platform that has revolutionized the wedding industry.
• Nomad Health: AlleyCorp founded Nomad Health, a platform that connects healthcare professionals with job opportunities. Nomad Health has raised over $200 million in funding to date.
• Quartzy: AlleyCorp was an early investor in Quartzy, a free online laboratory management platform designed to streamline laboratory workflows and simplify scientific research.
• Transcend Therapeutics: AlleyCorp co-founded Transcend Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on developing innovative treatments for kidney disease.

AlleyCorp's portfolio companies span various industries, including technology, media, e-commerce, healthcare, and biotech. Their portfolio also reflects their mission to invest in transformative companies that have the potential to change industries and the world.