SLA Ventures is unique in we invest a much larger percentage of our own money into our syndicated deals (10% vs the standard 1-2%) and only syndicate deals where our investment is at least $25,000 (representing about 1/3 of all deals we invest in). This aligns our interests with our backers by:
- Ensuring we have a substantial personal investment in our syndicated deals.
- Ensuring we only syndicate deals for which we have the highest conviction.
We exercise discipline to our investment thesis which allows us to focus on companies with the following qualities:
- Leadership teams with a proven track record of entrepreneurial success and grit.
- Leadership teams incentivized heavily through stock, not through salary.
- History of meeting or exceeding prior projections.
- Focus on operational rigor and capital efficiency.
- Scalable product that can thrive in a highly competitive market.
Shane Adams (Founder of SLA Ventures) - I am the Founder & CEO of Sagacious Consultants, a healthcare consulting firm, where we bootstrapped to 275 employees, operated in 40+ states and did over $50m in annual revenue until our acquisition in October, 2015 by the worlds largest consulting firm, Accenture (NYSE: ACN). Since, I've served as a Managing Director and advisor to ensure a smooth integration and a continuing of our existing vision.
Over the past four years, I've specialized and invested in 40+ startups in the B2B/B2C, SaaS, marketplaces and service based industries. My most notable exits have been:
- FitMob - acquired by ClassPass
- Ticketbis - acquired by eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY)
- Filament Labs - acquired by athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN)
- TurboAppeal - acquired by Paradigm Tax Group
I will only syndicate deals for which I am personally investing at least $25,000. This represents about 1/3 of all deals I invest in.
