Bull City Venture Partners is the slot opposite of flashy. The 20-year-old, generalist venture outfit only invests in two to four companies each year. It mostly invests in founders who've been around the block at least once,
catching them as early in their new adventure as possible. And from its headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, it largely invests in East Coast startups located between Philadelphia and Atlanta.
Investors seem to approve of its deliberate approach. According to firm founder Jason Caplain, the outfit just closed on $50 million in capital commitments for its fourth fund, roughly doubling the size of its previous fund, which was itself a big step up from the firm's first two funds ($15 million and $5 million, respectively).
It's not the kind of fast rise that industry watchers have grown accustomed to seeing in recent years. Caplain insists that's kind of the point. "We're driven by carry," he says, referring to the profits a venture firm makes off its success bets. "We're not asset gatherers" who make a living off management fees.
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