Investor Profile: Version One — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Version One Ventures is a Vancouver-based early-stage venture firm founded in 2012 by Boris Wertz, run with investing partner Angela Tran Kingyens. Its pitch is distinctive: back mission-driven founders early in new areas — often before the solution is obvious or the category even has a name. Over fourteen years that instinct produced early cheques into Coinbase and Uniswap when crypto was barely a category.

Thesis. Version One backs "bold, insane, off-the-wall ideas" from founders committed to a vision of how the world should be — the ones others call crazy. The firm's sweet spot is investing at the earliest stages, supporting founders from day one as they define new markets rather than chase trends. Its focus has evolved with the technology cycle: from consumer internet, SaaS and marketplaces toward AI infrastructure and applications, robotics, deep tech and biology.

Sectors and stages. Pre-seed and seed (with follow-on via its opportunities funds) across North America, with deep ties to the Vancouver and Seattle startup ecosystems. Core sectors: SaaS, marketplaces, cryptocurrency, fintech and healthcare, increasingly weighted toward AI, robotics and deep tech.

Fund size and cheque size. In June 2026 the firm closed $108 million across two new funds: Version One Fund V ($78 million for pre-seed and seed) and Opportunities Fund III ($30 million for follow-on investments in its best companies). A previous $100 million pair of funds closed in 2021, and the first fund in 2012 was $18.7 million raised after Wertz's years as an angel. Typical initial cheques are around $500,000–$750,000.

Notable portfolio. The headline names: Coinbase, Uniswap (whose UNI token grew into one of crypto's largest by market value), Ada (AI customer-service automation, 4 billion+ automated interactions), Shippo, Jobber, Headout (20 million+ guests across 81 destinations), Dapper Labs, AngelList, Wattpad, Outreach and Neo Financial. Recent bets include leading a $4.5 million pre-Series A in India's Rio Health and a $4.5 million seed in Pilot Protocol, plus Ether.fi, Moment Energy and Tenderly. Wertz's angel record included exits to Google, Twitter, Salesforce and Groupon.

Partners and people. Founding partner Boris Wertz was previously COO of AbeBooks (acquired by Amazon in 2008) and a board partner at Andreessen Horowitz; Angela Tran Kingyens co-leads the firm. Before the firm, Wertz was behind Vancouver's GrowLab accelerator.

Programs and perks. Rather than an accelerator, Version One publishes knowledge freely: three free ebooks for founders — The Startup Handbook, Understanding Social Platforms and Our Guide to Marketplaces — and a long-running blog on where the firm is investing.

How to apply for funding. Version One publishes no open application form. Founders typically connect through warm introductions in its North American networks — Vancouver, Seattle and the Bay Area — or via the contact routes on versionone.vc. The founders it most wants are not chasing trends but obsess over a problem they understand intimately.