VentureSouth breaks investor return records in 2021

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Greenville-based Venture South invested more than $10 million in 30 early-stage companies across the Southeast in 2021.

Eleven of those investments were new to the Venture South portfolio including South Carolina’s AmplifiedAg and Case Status; North Carolina’s Bio 54, Coworks, CureMint, Plantd, Redbud Labs, Trio Labs and TruColors; and Virginia’s Babylon Micro-Farms and One Digital Trust. 

The group also broke its record for investor returns, with the exit of companies like electric bus and battery company Proterra, which generated proceeds for Venture South investors when it went public in June.

Overall Venture South investments returned $20 million in proceeds for investors.

VentureSouth also expanded its footprint with new groups in the Pee Dee, North Carolina’s Research Triangle, and in Richmond, Va., while launching its fourth angel investment fund. The organization’s number of overall members surpassed 400 for the first time.

“2021 was another record-breaking year for VentureSouth,” Managing Director Charlie Banks said in a news release. “We continued to expand our investor base and improve on all key metrics. We believe this is a testament to both the appealing early-stage investment opportunities in the Southeast and the resilient infrastructure we have built at VentureSouth. Most importantly, we were thrilled to return significant capital to our investors this year. Not only do these returns provide more capital for our region’s early-stage companies, it successfully raises the profile of the early-stage investment asset class in the Southeast.”