Hawke Ventures Announces New Venture Fund

Hawke Ventures, the venture capital division associated with the marketing consultancy Hawke Media, has officially announced the successful closure of its inaugural $5.6 million venture fund.

Focus on Marketing Technology

Drew Leahy, the Managing Partner, noted that the firm’s specialization in marketing technology may not currently align with prevailing investment trends among other venture capital firms.

“While some investors are distancing themselves from martech, it remains a core area of expertise for us,” Leahy explained. “Even major corporations, such as Walmart, are fundamentally martech companies in today’s landscape.”

Investment Strategy

Although the categorization may be debated, the crucial role of marketing and advertising within the internet’s leading platforms is undeniable. Hawke’s investment strategy involves providing funding rounds ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, with potential for subsequent investments.

Fund Origins and Leadership

Leahy, formerly the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of SnapSuits.com, stated that the fund’s creation stemmed from his prior angel investing activities conducted through Hawke Media. This initiative was developed in collaboration with Erik Huberman, the CEO, and Tony Delmercado, the COO, to facilitate larger investments.

Network and Limited Partners

Beyond capital provision, the firm offers access to a network comprising 51 limited partners who contributed to the fund. These LPs include notable figures such as Michael Brown, founder of Deathwish Coffee; Jack Kassan, founder of MVMT Watches; Jeff Nicholson, a former executive at VaynerMedia; Holly and Rodney Pete, a celebrity couple with backgrounds in acting and professional football, respectively; Jill Zarin, known from “The Real Housewives of New York City”; Xavier Kochhar, founder of Video Genome Product; and Jon Vein, founder of MarketShare.

A Different Venture Approach

Rather than seeking to fund the next industry giant like Facebook or Google, Leahy articulated a distinct objective: “Our aim is to establish a unique venture firm, prioritizing the development of practical technology for our own use, rather than predicting the next big trend.”

This approach centers on solutions tailored for small and medium businesses.

Target Market

“We are specifically focused on the small- and medium-sized business martech sector, not enterprise-level solutions,” Leahy clarified. “We are seeking technologies capable of attracting hundreds of thousands of users.”

Early Investments

Initial investments include Postscript, an SMS marketing company, and Yaguara, an analytics company that was subsequently acquired by Chord.

Postscript Partnership

Alex Beller, President of Postscript, stated: “Hawke Ventures was among our earliest investors and has provided support since our inception. The entire Hawke organization has consistently added value, and we are pleased to continue our partnership as we develop the leading platform for Conversational Commerce.”