The Halo Funds

The Halo Fund is an early-stage venture capital fund focused on high-growth investments at the front edge of business and technological innovation in California. We invest in companies led by extraordinary people who are pursuing opportunities in consumer products, life sciences, information and clean technology.

 

The first Halo Fund (Halo I) was raised in 2000. Since then, two additional funds have been raised with current investments being made out of the third fund (Halo III).

The members of our partnership are successful investors and entrepreneurs who are also members of The Angels' Forum (TAF). Our investors have built ventures from the ground up, raised private capital and managed public companies. In addition, Halo's team represents decades of venture capital investing experience. Background information is provided on each member of The Halo Fund Management Committee.


The Halo Funds leverage an exclusive relationship with TAF to pre-screen the majority of our dealflow.  Most Halo investments are initially screened by TAF, which evaluates thousands of start-up ventures every year. The most promising of these investment opportunities are further evaluated through Halo Fund’s due diligence process. The partnership then makes an independent investment decision based on venture capital criteria.

 
The Halo Fund Advantage
Entrepreneur-Centric
The key to building successful new companies is entrepreneurs. Halo works with portfolio entrepreneurs as value-added board members by mentoring, coaching, and helping to recruit people to fill out the executive team. Halo intends to continue to be a firm of choice for early-stage entrepreneurs seeking funding; and to be known to entrepreneurs as being helpful, open, honest, respectful, responsive and decisive.
  
Experience Across Industry Cycles
The Halo team collectively has 85 years of early venture investing experience. Our partners have lived through many industry cycles across many different sectors of technology and across many functional roles. Each of our partners also has significant investing experience in his or her primary area of expertise. They also have operational experience working with or in small start-ups as well as large companies.

 Operating Experience and Expertise
The seven members of the team include three former public company CEOs and a renowned venture capitalist.  Some are former corporate executives and experienced sales & marketing experts.  Each of the partners has both business and personal experience as users of technology: an important element of their ability to identify, evaluate and invest in promising technologies at the beginning.

 

 

Quality Co-investors

The Halo Fund has and will continue to co‑invest with venture capital firms, private equity firms, corporate venture funds, and other angel investors.  These other investors are appreciative of Halo's early involvement and guidance in portfolio companies.  Some of Silicon Valley’s top venture capital funds that have subsequently invested in past Halo Funds portfolio companies include Kleiner Perkins, USVP, Mayfield, Mohr Davidow, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Onset Ventures and Sequoia.

 

Active Angel Participation/Mentoring
Many of the portfolio companies have chosen Halo and TAF over other funding methods because of its active mentoring role. The members of Halo and TAF regularly review and  reevaluate the operating plans and progress of our portfolio companies to determine how specific  members of the group can assist portfolio companies in meeting challenges and achieving operating milestones.  The Fund members will serve as a corporate Board director or observer, while other  members of Halo or TAF may work intensely with the company.