Rev1 Ventures achieved its goal of generating $2 billion in economic impact to the Columbus region — thanks to the capital attracted, revenue generated and exits of its startup clients.
The investor startup studio, which has $90 million in capital under management, also revealed in its 2018 Startup Impact report that it has invested in its 100th business.
In 2018 alone, Rev1:
- Invested more than $13 million in a record 36 companies; more than half of those are follow-on funding to growing companies.
- Clients generated more than $123 million in revenue and attracted more than $157 million in capital to the region.
- Portfolio companies also drove $181.5 million in exits, including the $100 million Amicus Therapeutics acquisition of Celenex and Sarepta Therapeutics’ deal with gene therapy spinoff Myonexus, which included an upfront payment of $60 million.
“We see this as just the beginning,” Rev1 CEO Tom Walker said in a statement. “Our mission as we move forward is to expand the capital available in the region while we continue to attract diverse talent and deepen corporate connections and ensure the region has the proper physical infrastructure to support the innovators, startups and scale-ups.”
Rev1 also continues its collaborations with 50 private and public sector partners, including The Ohio State University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and OhioHealth, as well as Rev1’s state economic development partner, Ohio Third Frontier. Since 2013, these partnerships have driven more than 60 investments in 37 spinouts.
With its commitment to corporate innovation, Rev1 has grown to six dedicated corporate partner programs/funds, including State Auto, The J.M. Smucker Co. and Safelite AutoGlass. This has resulted in more than 220 corporate introductions for Rev1 startups.
The diversity of the Rev1 portfolio is another achievement that the organization is dedicated to continuing to improve.
“Half of the investments we made in 2018 and 38 percent of the capital invested were in companies with a woman or minority founder or inventor,” COO Kristy Campbell said in a statement. “Those numbers are powerful and speak for the opportunity in front of us.”
Rev1 was named the fourth most active seed investor in the U.S., and Columbus tops the list of top metros for VC funding to female founders, according to PitchBook.
