LvlUp Ventures

🚀 Founders — we’re opening up our Office Hours for an AMA (Ask Me Anything) with one of the most accomplished operators in our network: Todd Bouman. For those who don’t know Todd, he’s led and scaled companies at a level most founders never get to learn from up close. From driving $1B+ buisnesses to reinventing & scaling tech startups, he has lived every stage of the journey you’re navigating. A bit about Todd: 🧠 Former CEO & Chairman at Sharp Electronics Corporation USA (TVs), where he scaled and turned around major product lines. ⚡ VP of Marketing at Samsung Electronics, leading GTM, brand, and global market expansion. 💡 CEO of Proto Hologram, pioneering spatial computing and frontier-tech commercialisation. 📈 Has scaled businesses to $1B+, managed global P&Ls, and driven operational excellence across AI, hardware, and enterprise technology. 🤝 Advisor at LvlUp Ventures, working hands-on with founders across SaaS, AI, hardware, and emerging tech. If you’ve ever wanted direct, unfiltered insight from someone who’s operated at the very top of the enterprise and tech world — this is the session you don’t miss. 👉 Like + Comment “AMA” below to reserve your spot! Everyone who engages gets the private link to join — and priority access to future Office Hours. #Startup #Founders #VentureCapital #VC #AMA #OfficeHours #Entrepreneurship #StartupGrowth #NetworkingEvent #Fundraising #Startups #Investors #LvlUpVentures #Founder #AskMeAnything #StartupCommunity #EarlyStageStartups #Networking #Event

Looking forward to the LvlUp Ventures holiday party this Thursday evening in LA! I'll be there in person, pouring all of our flagships and meeting with the LvlUp team, their LPs, and other founders. These guys have been huge proponents of Otherwise Brewing since investing in us earlier this year: putting in the work to broker introductions, find us leads, and help solve problems. I can't say enough nice things about LvlUp. They have a few spots left if you're interested in attending the party: https://lnkd.in/e7vbY6Jq #LvlUpVentures #VentureCapital #Founders #Investors #Networking #StartupCommunity #TechStartups #CPG #ConsumerBrands #LAStartups #LosAngeles #LAEvents #HolidayParty #UglySweaterParty #Shopline #Pilot #Fundraising #Entrepreneurs #Event #Startups #Innovation #VCNetworking #InvestorEvent #FounderEvent

Great to see tonight’s coverage, including in POLITICO, of our new advisory board appointments at the National Artificial Intelligence Association — an affiliated organization of LvlUp Ventures. NAIA is now the largest AI trade association in the country, proudly calling 1500+ American organizations members including Oracle, Capital One, & Huntington Ingalls. Exciting things ahead as we continue to define American innovation at LvlUp Ventures & National Artificial Intelligence Association. https://lnkd.in/e-Z6xSui

🚀 Seed rounds aren’t what they used to be — Brandon Maier explains the new reality in his HackerNoon feature. In this piece, Brandon takes a sharp look at how the definition of “seed” is shifting — what once was a Series A is now often run as a seed, while the stakes and expectations keep climbing. Some standout takes: 🔷Seed rounds aren’t just about MVPs anymore — companies are showing meaningful traction, revenue, and go-to-market proof at the “seed” stage. 🔷Investors are increasingly treating seed as “ready for serious scaling,” not just experimentation, placing higher demands around clarity, business model, and repeatable growth. 🔷For founders, this means the runway, team, metrics, and visibility expectations are higher than ever — but the opportunity is huge for those who break through. If you’re a founder, investor, or ecosystem builder, this one gives a grounded view on where early-stage is headed and what it takes to win right now. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eSbiVEPD 🎯 Would love to hear your thoughts — How do you see the seed market evolving in your sector? #Startups #VentureCapital #SeedStage #EarlyStage #Fundraising #StartupFunding #Entrepreneurship #Investing #VCCommunity #ScaleUp #Founders #TechStartups #Innovation #SeedRound #SeriesA #Bootstrapping #GrowthStrategy #StartupInsights #HackerNoon

🚀 LvlUp Ventures Q4 2025 Programs Demo Day — Recap & Top 10 Companies What an incredible Demo Day! Thank you to the nearly 200 investors, founders, and community members who joined us live as 50 standout startups pitched across SaaS, AI, CPG, e-commerce, health, sustainability, and more. This was one of our strongest Demo Days yet — fast, sharp, founder-first pitches backed by real traction and serious momentum. A huge thank-you to our investor panelists for bringing world-class insights and thoughtful feedback: Investor Panel: 🔸 Brandon Maier — General Partner, LvlUp Ventures 🔸 AJ Smith — Junior Partner, Outlander VC 🔸 JC Ruffalo — Venture Partner, Cove Fund 🔸 Aaron Golbin — General Partner, LvlUp Ventures 🔸 Ashutosh Kumar - Jha — General Partner, Expert Dojo 🔸 Adam Ned — Principal, LvlUp Ventures 🔸 Todd Bouman — Former CEO, Sharp / Former VP Marketing, Samsung 🔸 Gennady Furman — Angel Investor & Family Office Your expertise made this an exceptional learning and exposure opportunity for every founder in the room. 🎉 Congratulations to Our Top 10 Startups • RZN8 / Resonance Cafe, Inc. Inc. • CloutBank • heyBTW AI • Juris AI • Pollentia • Kitsune Labs • Myndoor • Evntful Ltd • Eden AI • Mucka AI These founders delivered polished, high-clarity pitches backed by traction, execution, and vision. Want to pitch at our next Demo Day? Apply for funding and select one or more of our bootcamps to get started! https://lnkd.in/ee9zRHJE #LvlUpVentures #DemoDay #StartupShowcase #PitchEvent #Founders #Entrepreneurs #Startups #Innovation #TechStartups #SeedStage #PreSeed #VentureCapital #AngelInvesting #DealFlow #InvestorCommunity #SaaS #AI #Ecommerce #CPG #HealthTech #Sustainability #FutureOfTech #FounderLife #BuildInPublic #StartupEcosystem #Bootcamps #Funding #VC

🚀 This Friday at 1:00 PM ET — 50 fast-growing startups take the virtual stage for LvlUp’s November Programs Demo Day. If you haven’t applied to attend yet… now’s the time. Over the past few months, founders across SaaS, AI, e-commerce, health, consumer, CPG, and sustainability have sharpened their stories, validated traction, and built real momentum. Now they’re stepping up for a rapid-fire round of 3-minute pitches showcasing why they're next. 👀 Why you’ll want to be there ✔️ See founders before they hit everyone’s radar ✔️ 100+ operators, angels, VCs, family offices (separate from our investor panelists below) ✔️ Fast, fun, zero-fluff pitches ✔️ A real-time snapshot of where early-stage innovation is heading Whether you're an investor sourcing deal flow or a founder looking for inspiration, this is the room you want to be in. 👉 Apply to attend here: https://lnkd.in/ennscDHB 🔥 Meet the Panelists 🔸 Brandon Maier — General Partner, LvlUp Ventures A multi-time founder and early-stage operator turned investor, Brandon has backed hundreds of companies across Tech and CPG, and is known for his hands-on, founder-first approach to helping companies scale. 🔸 AJ Smith — Junior Partner, Outlander VC An investing partner at OutlanderVC, a top-decile performing venture capital fund that already boasts 18+ unicorns out of ~150 investments, and a portfolio that includes Lyft, Scale, Wish, Postmates, Gusto, ID.me, and more. 🔸 JC Ruffalo — General Partner, Cove Fund Former head of Market Development at Octane OC and a long-time leader in SoCal’s startup ecosystem, JC has evaluated thousands of founders and now invests in high-potential early-stage companies through Cove Fund. 🔸 Aaron Golbin — General Partner, LvlUp Ventures Founder of multiple venture-backed companies and an exited founder, Aaron oversees one of the largest venture ecosystems globally. He has been featured in Forbes three times and brings deep expertise in scaling early-stage teams. 🔸 Ashutosh Kumar - Jha — General Partner, Expert Dojo A global investor focused on early-stage acceleration, Ashutosh works closely with founders through Expert Dojo’s international programs, backing startups across AI, SaaS, fintech, and consumer. 🔸 Adam Ned — Principal, LvlUp Ventures Adam leads investments across LvlUp’s Seed and CPG and manages the firm’s global programs, reviewing thousands of startups annually while supporting founders across fundraising, GTM, and ops. 🔸 Todd Bouman — Former CEO, Sharp; Former VP Marketing, Samsung A seasoned Fortune 500 operator, Todd has led billion-dollar product lines and global teams across consumer electronics, brand strategy, and enterprise growth. #LvlUpVentures #DemoDay #StartupShowcase #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Founders #Innovation #TechStartups #Investors #VentureCapital #DealFlow #AngelInvestor #Seed #PreSeed #EarlyStage #PitchEvent #SaaS #AI #Ecommerce #CPG #Sustainability #HealthTech #Founder #ScaleUp #VCCommunity #Fundraising

To my incredible investor, retailer, and brand-builder friends — I’m excited to share an amazing opportunity to connect with some of the coolest CPG founders and the most enthusiastic investors in the space. 🎉 Our friends at LvlUp Ventures are hosting a special gathering to kick off the holiday season, and it’s truly one of the best rooms you can be in if you love food, innovation, and community! 🧡 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/e7vbY6Jq Hope to see many of you there! #emergingbrands #cpg #investors #VCs #lvlup #losangeles #socal #california #startups #fundraising

Proud to share that our team was selected as a finalist in the Google x LvlUp Ventures "Trailblazer" Pitch Competition out of 250+ participants. We're on a mission to build the wealth management platform that we wanted (and needed) as professionals under 40, so it was great to share that with a wider startup community. It was an honor to pitch alongside so many incredible founders and their companies. Huge thank you to the teams at Google for Startups and LvlUp Ventures (especially Aaron Golbin for the invite!) for building such a strong platform for innovation and investor connection. We've gotten so much out of the LvlUp platform and their partners already and we've only been a part of the program for a handful of weeks. Onward and upward! #startups #venturecapital #angelinvesting #fintech #founder #pitch #competition

Brandon Maier and I are hiring an associate / senior associate as we further expand the team at LvlUp Ventures! We are looking for those as excited about venture capital as they are about “building” (think growing partnerships, strategy, operations, spinning up new programs & funds, and more). We’re seeking PT or FT contractor to hire, any age, startup background, and hunger for growth! If interested, email me at aaron@lvlup.vc or DM here on LinkedIn!

🚀 Founders — we're opening up our Office Hours for an AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Todd Bouman, a CEO and enterprise leader who has held senior roles at Sharp Electronics Corporation USA TVs (Former CEO & Chairman), Samsung Electronics (VP of Marketing), and Proto Hologram (CEO) — and has scaled businesses from $70M to over $1B+, led global P&Ls, and is an advisor at LvlUp Ventures. Todd has built, reinvented, and grown companies across AI, spatial computing, enterprise hardware, and frontier tech. He’s one of those rare leaders who can go from boardroom strategy → operational execution → measurable results. What he’s bringing to the session: 🔥 Scaling from early-stage → unicorn-level revenue 🔥 CEO decision-making during rapid change 🔥 GTM strategy, market expansion & turnarounds 🔥 Fundraising, investor relations & board management 🔥 Operational excellence at global scale If you want direct insights from someone who’s led billion-dollar units and scaled deep-tech startups — this is the AMA you don’t miss. 👉 Like + Comment “AMA” below to get the private link. #Startup #Founders #VentureCapital #VC #AMA #OfficeHours #Entrepreneurship #StartupGrowth #NetworkingEvent #Fundraising #Startups #Investors #LvlUpVentures #Founder #AskMeAnything #StartupCommunity #EarlyStageStartups #Networking #Event