Key Takeaways
- • Atlanta venture capital firm Valor Ventures has added Gary Peat as its third General Partner, expanding the partnership with a seed-stage investor who has roughly 20 years of institutional track record.
- • Valor Fund 2 invests in first professional rounds of scaling platform technologies led by diverse teams at the seed stage across the southeastern United States.
- • Valor's Inclusion Premium strategy cites research from Morgan Stanley, McKinsey and Kauffman Fellows indicating 15-35% greater financial returns for diverse and inclusive teams; 70% of Valor's portfolio is led by underrepresented founders, per the firm.
- • Peat previously held General Partner roles at Council Capital across three funds, with 36 prior investments the firm says are consistent with Valor's strategy.
Summary
Atlanta-based venture capital firm Valor Ventures has named Gary Peat as its third General Partner, according to a Business Wire announcement. The firm, which was founded in 2015 and focuses on first rounds in financial inclusion platform software, describes Peat as bringing more than 20 years of institutional seed-stage investing experience to the partnership.
Valor's current fund, Valor Fund 2, leads first professional rounds in scaling platform technologies led by diverse teams at the seed stage in the southeastern United States. The firm pitches the region as the only one in the country growing at double-digit rates and notes that the Southeast accounts for 40% of the U.S. population and the greatest density of under-represented founders. Valor's Inclusion Premium investing approach is based on research from multiple sources, including Morgan Stanley, McKinsey and Kauffman Fellows, which the firm says shows 15-35% greater financial returns delivered by diverse and inclusive teams. The firm states that 70% of its portfolio is led by underrepresented founders.
Peat began his career in startup investing in 1996 as a Partner at Stonehenge Partners, where he led the seed round of Atlanta-based SecureTax. In 2000 he joined Council Capital in Nashville as a General Partner and served across three funds, including the firm's debut fund, which the release says achieved a top-decile return. Among his cited investments, Peat led the seed round of Lancope, Inc., an ATDC spin-out that Cisco acquired in 2015 and that returned 1X Council Capital's debut fund. He also backed InTouch Health in Council Capital's second fund; that company is under definitive agreement to be acquired by Teladoc for $600 million, per the release.
Lisa Calhoun, General Partner and Founder of Valor, said Peat "brings a strong track record of returns and relationships in Valor's target geography and stage." Valor General Partner Robin Bienfait, who joined in Fund 1 and previously held C-level roles including Chief Innovation Officer at Samsung and CIO and CISO at BlackBerry and AT&T, said Peat's experience is a strong fit with the firm's mandate.
Valor's current fund, Valor Fund 2, leads first professional rounds in scaling platform technologies led by diverse teams at the seed stage in the southeastern United States. The firm pitches the region as the only one in the country growing at double-digit rates and notes that the Southeast accounts for 40% of the U.S. population and the greatest density of under-represented founders. Valor's Inclusion Premium investing approach is based on research from multiple sources, including Morgan Stanley, McKinsey and Kauffman Fellows, which the firm says shows 15-35% greater financial returns delivered by diverse and inclusive teams. The firm states that 70% of its portfolio is led by underrepresented founders.
Peat began his career in startup investing in 1996 as a Partner at Stonehenge Partners, where he led the seed round of Atlanta-based SecureTax. In 2000 he joined Council Capital in Nashville as a General Partner and served across three funds, including the firm's debut fund, which the release says achieved a top-decile return. Among his cited investments, Peat led the seed round of Lancope, Inc., an ATDC spin-out that Cisco acquired in 2015 and that returned 1X Council Capital's debut fund. He also backed InTouch Health in Council Capital's second fund; that company is under definitive agreement to be acquired by Teladoc for $600 million, per the release.
Lisa Calhoun, General Partner and Founder of Valor, said Peat "brings a strong track record of returns and relationships in Valor's target geography and stage." Valor General Partner Robin Bienfait, who joined in Fund 1 and previously held C-level roles including Chief Innovation Officer at Samsung and CIO and CISO at BlackBerry and AT&T, said Peat's experience is a strong fit with the firm's mandate.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.