Pre-seed VC, US
January Ventures
Venture capital firm · Boston · Founded 2018
Quick read
January Ventures is a pre-seed VC firm founded in 2018, headquartered in Boston, MA with a presence in London. Previously known as Jane VC, it backs B2B software founders — especially those from underrepresented backgrounds — at the angel and pre-seed stage in the US and Europe. Fund III began deploying in April 2025, and the firm has made 50+ investments to date across enterprise software, fintech, digital health, and AI.
Key facts
- Founded
- 2018
- Founders
- Maren Bannon, Jennifer Keiser Neundorfer
- Employees
- 10-50
- Sectors
- generalist, saas, fintech, healthcare, ai
- Website
- www.january.ventures/
Investment thesis
January Ventures invests at the angel and pre-seed stage in B2B software startups — primarily future of work, fintech, and digital health — in the US and Europe. The firm deliberately replaces the friends-and-family round by accepting cold applications, backing founders on tenacity rather than pedigree, and prioritising underrepresented founders.
Recent activity
- Apr 2025fundraiseJanuary Ventures opened Fund III for deployment, growing from the $21M Fund II to over $200M in fund size. f4.fund
- Apr 2026investmentPortfolio company Jest raised $7M in seed funding; Pano AI named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list. januaryventures.substack.com
- Feb 2026investmentPortfolio company Statusphere closed an $18M Series A; Flock raised $6M in seed funding; SEAL Robotics closed a $2M pre-seed round. januaryventures.substack.com
- Jan 2026pressJanuary Ventures published its 2025 year-in-review, highlighting portfolio milestones across the year. januaryventures.substack.com
- Nov 2025investmentPortfolio company Fit Collective closed a £3M pre-seed round; Pano AI named to the '50 by 2050' list. January Ventures also fielded its 7th annual founder survey. januaryventures.substack.com
- Sep 2025investmentPortfolio company M7 Health closed a $10M Series A; Oula Health and Sorcero both featured in Inc. 5000. januaryventures.substack.com
- Jul 2025investmentPortfolio company Pano AI closed a $44M Series B; Treefera closed a $30M Series B; Vault Platform was acquired by Diligent. januaryventures.substack.com
- 2025pressManaging Partner Maren Bannon shifted primary social media activity to LinkedIn from X, citing better audience reach and ROI. ideas.everywhere.vc
- Feb 2026investmentJanuary Ventures invested in Flock AI, a business and productivity software company, as part of Fund III's active deployment. f4.fund
- Apr 2025fundraiseFund III opened for deployment in April 2025 and is actively investing across healthcare, manufacturing, AI, and enterprise software. f4.fund
- Nov 2025pressCo-founder Jennifer Neundorfer appeared on TechCrunch's Equity podcast at TechCrunch Disrupt, discussing AI market dynamics, funding trends for underrepresented founders, and venture markets outside San Francisco. techcrunch.com
- Nov 2025investmentAs of November 2025, January Ventures had invested in 46 companies total, with 3 new investments in the prior 12 months. Most recent disclosed deal: led rye.energy's $1.16M seed round alongside CapitalT, with participation from Earth Capital. tracxn.com
Notable investments
- JestSeed ($7M)Apr 2026januaryventures.substack.com
- StatusphereSeries A ($18M)Feb 2026januaryventures.substack.com
- FlockSeed ($6M)Feb 2026januaryventures.substack.com
- SEAL RoboticsPre-Seed ($2M)Feb 2026januaryventures.substack.com
- UltralightSeed ($9.3M)2025linkedin.com
- Fit CollectivePre-Seed (£3M)Nov 2025januaryventures.substack.com
- M7 HealthSeries A ($10M)Sep 2025januaryventures.substack.com
- Pano AISeries B ($44M)Jul 2025januaryventures.substack.com
- Flock AIPre-seedFeb 2026f4.fund
- UltralightSeed2025linkedin.com
- rye.energySeed2025tracxn.com
- Flock AISeedFeb 2026pitchbook.com
Key people
Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.
- Jennifer Keiser Neundorfer · Co-Founder & Managing Partner
- Maren Bannon · Co-Founder & Partner
Sources
- January Ventures – Official Website
- January Ventures – Team
- January Ventures – Tracxn Profile
- January Ventures – PitchBook
- TechCrunch – Jennifer Neundorfer on Equity Podcast
- January Ventures – Investment Thesis & Preferences
- January Ventures – LinkedIn
- Maren Bannon – LinkedIn
- January Ventures – OpenVC
- January Ventures – VC Sheet
- https://superscout.co/investor/january-ventures
- https://ideas.everywhere.vc/p/vc-twitter-is-moving-to-linkedinheres
- https://januaryventures.substack.com/archive
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Frequently asked
What is January Ventures?+
January Ventures is a pre-seed VC firm founded in 2018, headquartered in Boston, MA with a presence in London. Previously known as Jane VC, it backs B2B software founders — especially those from underrepresented backgrounds — at the angel and pre-seed stage in the US and Europe.
Where is January Ventures headquartered?+
January Ventures is headquartered in Boston, United States.
When was January Ventures founded?+
January Ventures was founded in 2018 by Maren Bannon, Jennifer Keiser Neundorfer.
What sectors does January Ventures invest in?+
January Ventures focuses on generalist, saas, fintech, healthcare, ai. They primarily invest in these sectors.
How do I prepare for a meeting with January Ventures?+
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