Founders researching Base10 Partners funding should know two things: it is San Francisco-based (not London, despite some listings), and it invests in "automation for the real economy" — backing companies solving problems for the 99%. Founded in 2018 by Adeyemi Ajao and TJ Nahigian, the firm reached $2.6 billion in AUM after closing $850 million in new capital in 2025 — an early-stage seed/Series A fund plus a Series B vehicle — making it the largest Black-led venture firm and the first to surpass $1B in AUM (2022).
Thesis and focus: how to get funding from Base10 Partners
The firm backs technology that automates work in the real economy — fintech, logistics, food, retail, healthcare, transportation, construction, real estate, agriculture and waste management — at seed, Series A and Series B. Its earliest vehicle, Fund I, was $137 million (2018). Cheque guidance from the 2018 launch coverage cites $500K–$5M per early-stage investment (historical; current stated size not verified).
Notable portfolio
Verified names include Nubank, Brex, Instacart, Notion, Motive, WeTravel, Blank Street, Lexroom and HappyRobot.
Partners and the Advancement Initiative
Co-founders and managing partners Adeyemi Ajao and TJ Nahigian lead the firm. Distinctively, the firm's Advancement Initiative donates up to 50% of carried interest to scholarships and HBCU endowments, partnering with CodePath — selected by Anthropic as a flagship economic-mobility partner.
How to apply for funding
No public pitch portal was found on base10.vc; founders contact the firm via the website. The best-fit pitch is automation for a real-economy vertical with a clear ROI story for frontline industries — and founders who care about the firm's mission will find a values-aligned partner.
The "real economy" thesis is visible in the portfolio: Nubank brought digital banking to Latin America's underbanked, Brex rebuilt corporate finance workflows, and Motive digitised trucking operations — each automating work in massive, unglamorous industries. The Advancement Initiative, donating up to half of carried interest to scholarships and HBCU endowments with partner CodePath, makes Base10 one of the few mega-firms structurally sharing upside with the next generation of founders. Adeyemi Ajao's own journey — including co-founding Tuenti — grounds the firm's founder empathy.
Why it matters for founders
Base10 Partners pairs top-tier scale ($2.6B AUM) with a genuinely differentiated mission. If you are automating logistics, construction, food, retail or another real-economy vertical, this is a specialist with both the capital and the conviction — approach with a crisp ROI narrative for your industry.