- Founder-focused early-stage venture capital firm Corigin Ventures announced it launched a $36.05 million second fund
Corigin Ventures — a founder-focused early-stage venture capital firm — announced the final closing of its second fund with total equity commitments of $36.05 million. The venture firm also revealed that Aubrie Pagano has joined as a partner.
As a partner at the firm, Pagano will be heavily involved in advancing Corigin’s proven investment strategy, including sourcing new opportunities and working closely with founders to unlock their businesses’ potential. And in connection with Pagano’s hiring, the firm also announced it promoted Daniel Fetner to Principal and Eric Schoenbach to Associate.
Corigin Ventures plans to use the fund to continue making lead investments in seed-stage high-growth startups that are layering innovative technology over daily life experiences and helping to enhance how people live and businesses operate. And Corigin plans to make $500,000 to $1,000,000 investments in promising young companies.
Pagano is a successful entrepreneur and early-stage investor with a track record of recognizing and capitalizing on market opportunities. And Pagano cofounded Bow & Drape in 2012 and sold it to WIN Brands Group in late 2019. While scaling Bow & Drape, Pagano invested as a partner alongside a group of female operators at XFactor Ventures — which is a micro-fund that makes early-stage investments in companies with billion-dollar market opportunities that have at least one female founder. In that role, she led XFactor Ventures’ investments in Tinted, Choosy, Court Buddy, Maude, Steward, and Balloon.
Before launching Bow & Drape, Pagano worked in corporate strategy at Fidelity Investments. She holds a BA from Harvard College and has been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30, PayPal’s 30 under 30 Makers + Shakers, and LinkedIn’s Next Wave of Professionals Under 35.
Corigin Ventures has a history of backing startups and reshaping real-world experiences, including Compass, Transfix, Latch, Wheels Up, Imperfect Foods and Bowery Valuation. And the firm’s investment strategy is focused on targeting businesses whose technology is fundamentally changing industries and people’s lives for the better.
Key Quotes:
“The final closing of our second fund, the growing and increasingly diversified makeup of our investor base, and the addition of an exceptional person and investor in Aubrie reflect the progressive evolution of our differentiated firm. We are at the forefront of identifying areas in the physical world that can be enhanced by digital technology, and look forward to using our fresh capital and talent to fund companies that are creating these efficiencies and generating real value.”
-Corigin Ventures General Partner Ryan Freedman
“Aubrie is a proven talent who seamlessly blends a founder’s mentality and energy with the sophistication and poise of a seasoned investor. It is this rare combination of attributes that we seek in all our partners, because it enables us to offer startups the type of counsel and support that is highly conducive to building sustainable businesses. As we continue to put capital from our second fund to work, Aubrie’s perspectives, diligence and relationships should prove to be powerful.”
-Corigin Ventures general partner David Goldberg
“Relationships and reputation matter, and the firm is widely recognized among the growing founder community as assiduous thinkers, good actors, honest contributors and true partners. Ryan and David were both founders as well, so they know how to assess and support talented entrepreneurs. Moreover, we share common values grounded in doing what’s right for our partners, the environment and the community at large.”
-Aubrie Pagano
