Empowering Moonshots: Investing in Innovation and Extraordinary Leadership

We invest at the Seed and early Series A stage, partnering with bold entrepreneurs who are ready to build meaningful companies.

OPPORTUNITY

Product ready to grow into fast-growing markets.

LEADERSHIP

“Trial-by-fire” repeat entrepreneurs.

TAKING AN ACTIVE ROLE

Creating unfair advantages through our experience and networks.

Our Investment Selection Criteria

Our goal is to identify disruptive startups that have the potential for a 10x+ valuation and return a high ROI for our investors. We look at the following criteria when evaluating investment opportunities:

Product or MVP is live with client/customer traction 
Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) of $100K+ 
At least $500K in previously raised capital  
Seed or Series A stage with a line of sight to the next round of financing
Military veteran founders, or other non-traditional founders
Serial entrepreneur founders
Follow-on investment rights

Most of all, we look for extraordinary leadership fit and applicability of our extensive business operating and investment experience and networks to the businesses we invest in.
Read more about those criteria below.

Extraordinary Leadership Fit

Moonshots Capital closely evaluates prospective teams based on their track record, character, and leadership style. 

We seek out battle-tested founders with a proven history of effectiveness, dedication, and resolve. This is why we invest aggressively in companies that are founded by military veterans or have veterans on the founding team. However, we often discover similar leadership qualities in founders of all backgrounds. A track record of leading and exiting startups in the past is a major plus. 

Our ideal founders exhibit genuine passion for their product, and perseverance in seeing it through in the face of setbacks and challenges. Our founders plan strategically and in great detail; they strive for impeccability in execution but remain flexible and open to learning from their mistakes.  

Drawing on our military DNA, we gravitate towards leadership styles based on the principle of service. Servant-leaders approach their business with a sense of duty to perform at their best at all times. They facilitate a culture of loyalty in their team and are themselves loyal; they are guided by integrity in communication and business practices and inspire it in others. 

Providing an Unfair Advantage

We take an active role in the company either by means of a board seat or a formal advisory role. We are industry-agnostic, but primarily invest in sectors where our experience and networks create unfair advantages for founders: 

Dual-use tech (government & defense) 
FinTech 
Cybersecurity 
Consumer Internet
Web3 (typically “picks and shovels”)

We are most effective when our founders are committed to open, bidirectional communication, are receptive to learning opportunities, and actively seek out support. 

Testimonials

Blake Hall

Founder & CEO of ID.me
U.S Army Veteran

“Kelly and Craig are a game-changing the force for any early stage company. Craig has been one of our most effective angel investors and Kelly has served on the board and been my mentor since the first day I met him 6 years ago. I’ve lost track of the number of high-value introductions they’ve made and the amount of advice they’ve provided on critical decisions. I don’t view Kelly just as a board member or as an investor – he is an ID.me co-founder because he is an entrepreneur at heart. My friendship with Kelly is the best relationship I’ve formed since entering the business.”

Ali Golshan

Founder & CEO of Gretel.ai

“Moonshots is the best Seed investor I’ve ever worked with. Kelly has been an invaluable board member and he and the Moonshots team provide value across all elements of building the company – strategy, business development, financing and recruiting. He is immediately responsive and works tirelessly to help us succeed. I’d want Kelly and Moonshots as an investor in any company I ever build.”

Scott Kriz

Founder & CEO of SGNL
Founder & CEO of Bitium (exit to Google)

“Kelly wrote the first check into Bitium and had participated in every round. He is an extremely active board member and adds tremendous value strategically and operationally. He helps us find talent (i.e. Kelly introduced us to our most recent Board member – CIO of New Relic), makes successful business development introductions (too many to count), helped us close Polaris Ventures in our Series A and is a valuable and critical part of every strategic decision we make as an organization. He operates with the passion and drive of a founder, not a typical investor. I personally know many founders who have been backed by Kelly in the past and one of the things that stands out above and beyond any other investor is not only his ability to add value, but his ability to scale this across all of his investments simultaneously. Needless to say, Kelly will be a part of my future ventures”

Berenice Giannini

Founder & CEO of eTailPet (exit to Quilt)

“Moonshots was the lead investor in our first round. The discipline of keeping monthly board meetings enabled us to get out of the weeds and look at things from a strategic level. During the onset of the pandemic, we had an influx of new customers and were underwater resource-wise. Kelly volunteered the Moonshots associate who was very familiar with our company to help our team for a few weeks. That move was brilliant. She was able to hit the ground running, jump in and help lighten our load. Kelly knows what it is like to be on our side of the table and that is invaluable.”

Alex Watson

Founder & CEO of Gretel.ai
Founder & CEO of Harvest AI (exit to Amazon)

“I have worked with, trusted and respected Craig for 7+ years, as we were business partners in our first startup. Craig was the go-to guy and always delivered. I later got to know Kelly during our seed raise at Harvest.ai and immediately invited him to join my board. He helped me to think steps ahead with positioning Harvest.ai and was invaluable in helping me raise our $2M+ seed all the way through our successful exit. From Board management to acquisition strategy and positioning, I leaned on Kelly like a co-founder and he was always there with sound advice. Craig and Kelly are an incredible team and I will absolutely seek out Moonshots Capital on my next venture.”

Andy Kleiman

Founder & CEO of Wonder

“Kelly has been an incredibly valuable advisor to our company since even before Moonshots Capital invested. Introducing talent, business development deals, strategizing about new directions and making direct introductions to additional funding sources – there isn’t anything I’ve asked of Kelly that he hasn’t delivered on. We are lucky to have him as an investor and advisor…”

Gary Hensley

Founder and CEO of Edbacker

“There is one person that I trust implicitly when it comes to helping me and the business grow, and it is Craig Cummings. He has stuck with me through the tough times and seen me through the ups and downs of startup life. He is the first person I call when I need advice or to share good news. His success as an entrepreneur speaks for itself. I have never met a better person professionally and personally. Honored to call him a friend, investor, and advisor”