Investor Profile: North Island Ventures — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

For founders building in crypto, North Island Ventures funding is worth understanding early: this New York firm backs early-stage teams working on Web3 infrastructure and applications, and it looks for founders who can turn a new technical capability into a lasting platform. If you are wondering how to get funding from North Island Ventures, fit with its crypto thesis matters more than a polished pitch alone, because it is a specialist investor, not a generalist fund.

Investment thesis

North Island Ventures, also known as NIV, was founded in 2020 on the belief that crypto is the next great enabling technology, following the computer, the internet and the smartphone. The firm argues that enabling technologies give entrepreneurs new capabilities to combine into applications that could not previously exist, and that crypto adds automated trust, open platform design, native incentivisation, privacy protection, censorship resistance and community governance. Its aim is to give extraordinary founders experienced, grounded capital to build revolutionary platforms.

Sectors, stages and cheque size

NIV invests in early-stage crypto and Web3 companies and protocols, including DeFi, NFTs, digital identity, blockchain cybersecurity, cross-chain interoperability and DeSci, as well as blockchain, cryptocurrency, fintech and enterprise software. Its second fund, NIV Fund II, closed in September 2022 with $125 million in commitments, aiming to make 30 to 40 early-stage investments with initial investments from $250,000 to $3 million. At that time its total assets under management were approximately $300 million. A current fund size is not publicly disclosed.

Notable portfolio

The firm's announced investments include Axelar, a cross-chain interoperability network, BCB Group, a crypto payments provider, Dapper Labs, Flow, ImmuneFi, a bug-bounty and security platform for Web3, and Polymer Labs. Together they show the breadth of the thesis: infrastructure that lets chains and applications work together, payments rails, consumer crypto products and security tooling. No complete current portfolio list was published in the material reviewed here.

Partners and team

NIV was founded by Travis Scher, James Hutchins and Glenn Hutchins. Travis Scher and James Hutchins are Co-Founders and Managing Partners, while Glenn Hutchins is Co-Founder and Chairman, having previously co-founded the private equity firm Silver Lake. The wider team includes Mario Stefanidis, Senior Analyst, and Shivank Kumar, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer.

Programmes and founder support

No standalone accelerator programme, cohort or credits scheme run by North Island Ventures was verified in the sources reviewed here, so none is claimed. Its described support is that of an early-stage investor: partnering from the idea stage through launch, product-market fit and maturity, drawing on its network, research capability and experience. Any credits or perks are not publicly disclosed.

How to apply for funding from North Island Ventures

North Island Ventures does not publish a public application form or a pitch email on the pages of its official website reviewed for this profile, so there is no open form to complete. Founders should start at northisland.ventures, review its thesis and team pages, and seek a warm introduction through a portfolio founder, co-investor or another trusted contact in crypto. When approaching the firm, lead with the specific capability your product unlocks, why it could not exist without crypto infrastructure, and evidence of technical depth or early traction.