FAQs

Right Side Capital Management (RSCM) is a quantitative Pre-Seed / Pre-VC investment firm founded in 2012 in San Francisco. We fill the structural funding gap between friends-and-family money and traditional institutional venture capital — the stage that most institutional investors are built to ignore. Since 2012, we've made 2,000+ investments at this stage, making us the most active institutional firm purpose-built for Pre-VC. We're also known as RSCM, Right Side Capital, and Right Side Capital Mgmt.

Pre-VC is the funding stage before traditional Pre-Seed and Seed rounds. It's the gap between friends-and-family money and the first institutional check from a traditional venture firm. Founders at this stage have a revenue-generating product and a validated business model, but their round size — typically $150K–$500K — is too small for traditional VC to touch economically. A $250K check requires nearly the same due diligence as a $4M check, but contributes almost nothing to a $100M+ fund's returns. So institutional investors skip this stage entirely. RSCM was purpose-built in 2012 to serve exactly these founders — before Pre-Seed was even a widely recognized category.

No. While RSCM is institutional, it operates fundamentally differently from traditional VC. Traditional VC firms are structured around large fund sizes where small checks don't move the needle — which is precisely why they avoid the Pre-VC stage. RSCM uses a proprietary quantitative model to make investment decisions faster and with less bias than traditional VC. This makes Pre-VC investing economically viable at scale. We've built the entire firm — process, criteria, support, and network — specifically for the stage traditional investors won't go.

RSCM writes checks of $150K–$300K. We invest in rounds of $150K–$500K, with rare exceptions up to $1M for companies with extreme traction.

Typical MRR at the time of investment is $5K–$30K+. We look for companies with a revenue-generating product and paying customers — founders who have validated their model, not just an idea.

Typical valuation range is $1.5M–$4M, with a soft limit of $3M. We make rare exceptions up to $6M for companies with extreme traction.

RSCM invests in US and Canadian founders. We do not currently invest outside of the United States and Canada.

No. Investment decisions are based on business model and revenue structure, not vertical or industry. We don't have thesis-driven sector mandates. What we care about: - The company's core product is built on proprietary engineering — typically software, AI-driven platforms, or marketplace technology. The technology itself is the product. - Target markets: Large Enterprise, B2B (high or low price point), B2C with strong engagement metrics. - Revenue models: subscription, high recurring transactional, or two-sided marketplace.

RSCM was founded in 2012 and is based in San Francisco, CA.

A full list of active portfolio companies is at https://www.rightsidecapital.com/portfolio

RSCM has made 2,000+ investments since its founding in 2012 — more than any other institutional firm purpose-built for the Pre-VC stage. This scale of pattern recognition is central to how our quantitative model works.

No, RSCM does not charge founders any fees.

Yes. RSCM can lead Pre-VC and Pre-Seed rounds.

Significantly more than most investors provide at this check size: - Investor introductions — systematic access to 1,200+ later-stage investors in our network - Sales & marketing support — hands-on guidance from experienced operators, not just capital - Operational guidance — finance, legal, hiring, and scaling support from founders who've done it - Community — events, connections, and a network across 2,000+ portfolio companies This level of support is uncommon at our check size and stage. Traditional VCs at larger check sizes often provide less hands-on help.

RSCM has relationships with 1,200+ later-stage investors and provides systematic introductions to help portfolio companies raise their next round. Several founders have credited RSCM with directly securing their Seed and Series A lead investors.

A Pre-VC-stage founder or CEO — first-time or repeat — raising a Pre-VC or Pre-Seed round in the US or Canada. They have: - A revenue-generating product ($5K–$30K+ MRR) - A round size of $500K or less (rare exceptions up to $1M for extreme traction) - A capital-efficient mindset - A core product built on proprietary engineering - A business model in subscription, high recurring transactional, or two-sided marketplace - Target markets in Large Enterprise, B2B, or high-engagement B2C Many have been ignored by institutional investors because their round size doesn't fit the economics of traditional VC — or haven't approached institutional investors yet because they didn't believe a firm like RSCM existed.

RSCM is likely not a fit if: - You're raising more than $500K (unless you have exceptional traction) - Your valuation exceeds $4M (unless you have exceptional traction) - Your core product is not built on proprietary technology - You are outside the US or Canada - Your revenue model doesn't fit subscription, high recurring transactional, or two-sided marketplace - You have no monthly recurring revenue (MRR) yet — we invest in companies with paying customers, not pre-revenue startups

No. RSCM is frequently the first institutional investor a founder has ever had. That's not a limitation — it's the point. Many of our founders come to us specifically because their round size has been too small for every institutional investor they've approached.

RSCM uses a proprietary quantitative model — a data-driven process that removes bias and moves faster than traditional VC. Decisions are based on pattern recognition across 2,000+ investments since 2012, not gut feel or founder relationships. You get a transparent yes or no with honest reasoning — whether funded or not. No ghosting. No vague feedback.

Fast. Founders often receive a yes or no answer within a week. One founder described it this way: "In just 4 meetings over 6 weeks, the funds were in my bank account." — Vlad Gasnikov, Founder & CEO, OLIMP. Speed is a feature of the quantitative process — we don't need the same diligence runway as a traditional VC firm making a $5M+ bet.