Burnt Island Ventures

A specialist early stage fund for the water sector.

Burnt Island Ventures seeks to invest in emerging companies that develops solutions to water problems. Global remit, anticipate 80% of the portfolio in the US.

The fund applies a wide interpretation of water with a team and network whose expertise encompasses a variety of verticals.

The ideal ticket size is specified ranging from $350k-750k, but initial checks ranges from $200k-$2m. Limit of 20% of the fund in 1 company.

Burnt Island Ventures is looking for five core characteristics in the companies it backs:

1. We’re looking for founders with uncommon insight in to some niche of the market that very few people know about, founders that have lived and breathed their problem and industry for years.
2. Companies in water are driven by pain. By miserable customers. Great founders diagnose and understand that pain by spending real time with their customers, and identifying a small group whose problem they are going to solve first.
3. Anyone can build the thing. Even if only very few can build the thing, it’s the business around the thing that counts. Great startups sweat the details, from first conversation to end-of life, to make sure the value they promise is delivered.
4. Water is slow. Always has been, and you would be foolish not to act as if it always will be. Customer acquisition is usually hard, so pricing has to be carefully thought out ahead of time. Slow isn’t a problem if you build to take account of it.
5. We wish this wasn’t true, but quality of leadership communication matters. Their charisma, their thoughtfulness, the way they tell their story.