Sunset Ventures

Sunset Ventures is a Los Angeles and San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded in 2022, specializing in pre-seed and seed-stage investments across AI, fintech, gaming, and web3. The firm deploys $75K to $400K per deal (sweet spot $150K) into founders building companies that redefine how consumers live, work, and play. Understanding treasury management and cash flow management is valuable for any founder.

Managing Partner Brandon Hoffman brings experience from Samsung NEXT and Diverse Angels, and is also founder of Emerging LA, a 14,000+ member community connecting Los Angeles founders, investors, and operators. This community focus shapes Sunset Ventures' approach: they invest in people as much as ideas, and their portfolio companies benefit from an engaged network of LA tech ecosystem participants.

This guide covers Sunset Ventures' investment thesis, portfolio examples like Kindo and Glide Finance, check size expectations, and practical advice for pitching your early-stage company.

Sunset Ventures operates at the earliest stages of venture investing, typically writing their first check before product-market fit is established. This requires founders who can clearly articulate both the problem and their unique approach to solving it.

Understanding Sunset Ventures' specific focus areas and investment criteria is essential for any founder targeting the LA tech ecosystem. The firm has built a reputation for supporting founders who operate at the intersection of multiple emerging technology categories.

Sunset Ventures invests at the pre-seed and seed stages in companies building at the intersection of consumer technology and emerging platforms. Their thesis centers on founders who understand how consumer behavior is shifting and are building products for the next generation of users. Understanding net revenue retention benchmarks is valuable for any founder.

The firm's sector interests span AI and generative technologies, AR/VR experiences, gaming and esports ecosystems, web3 and blockchain applications, cloud infrastructure, consumer internet platforms, e-commerce tools, fintech services, and the creator/passion economy.

Sunset Ventures particularly gravitates toward companies operating in the Los Angeles and Southern California ecosystem, though they consider opportunities globally. Their geographic focus reflects Brandon Hoffman's deep roots in the LA tech community and the region's strengths in entertainment, gaming, and creator-economy startups.

What sets Sunset Ventures apart is their community-embedded approach. As founder of Emerging LA, Brandon has built extensive relationships across the LA investor and founder ecosystem. Portfolio companies gain access to this network alongside capital.

The firm's $75K to $400K check size reflects their focus on earliest-stage companies where capital requirements are modest but the potential for outsized returns remains high. They typically write the first institutional check, which means founders work directly with the GP from day one.

Sunset Ventures evaluates opportunities based on founder quality, market timing, and whether the company is building something that will matter in five to ten years. They prefer founders with deep domain expertise and a clear vision for how their market will evolve.

Sunset Ventures has deployed capital across more than 26 companies since founding in 2022, maintaining an active pre-seed and seed practice in the Los Angeles area and beyond. Understanding consumer retention and LTV:CAC is valuable for any founder.

Notable recent activity includes their seed investment in Kindo, an enterprise AI security platform that went on to raise a $21M Series A in 2024. Sunset Ventures' early support for Kindo demonstrates their thesis of backing AI-native companies before the market fully understands their potential.

The firm's investment activity spans multiple sectors consistent with their thesis. Their portfolio includes companies in AI (Capitol AI), fintech (Glide Finance), business productivity software (Kindo), and gaming infrastructure.

Sunset Ventures participates across stages from pre-seed through Series A, though their core focus remains earliest-stage checks. They've shown willingness to follow on in successful portfolio companies, as seen with Kindo's seed-to-Series A trajectory.

The LA tech ecosystem has benefited from Sunset Ventures' community building alongside their capital deployment. The firm's embedded position in the Emerging LA community creates deal flow advantages while providing portfolio companies with warm introductions to other investors and operators.

Sunset Ventures' portfolio demonstrates their thesis of investing in early-stage consumer and enterprise technology companies. Their investments span AI security, fintech infrastructure, gaming, and productivity tools.

Kindo is perhaps their highest-profile success. The LA-based enterprise AI security platform seed-funded by Sunset Ventures went on to raise a $21M Series A in 2024, demonstrating the firm's ability to identify AI-native opportunities before the market widely recognized the enterprise AI security category.

Glide Finance represents Sunset Ventures' fintech focus, building tools that help consumers and businesses manage financial complexity in an increasingly digital-first world.

Capitol AI reflects the firm's interest in AI applications for specific verticals, providing intelligent tools tailored to particular industries.

The firm's portfolio also includes b-12, which received a $500K seed investment in September 2025, along with numerous other early-stage companies across gaming, consumer internet, and web3 categories.

Portfolio companies benefit from Sunset Ventures' network through Emerging LA, gaining introductions to other investors, potential customers, and hiring connections within the Southern California tech ecosystem.

Sunset Ventures evaluates potential investments based on founder quality, market timing, and whether the company is building for a future that will look different than today. The firm's earliest-stage focus means they often bet on teams rather than fully validated products.

Founder domain expertise is critical. Sunset Ventures looks for entrepreneurs who deeply understand their market, have experienced the problem firsthand, and can articulate both the current state and their vision for how it will evolve.

Market timing matters significantly. The firm prefers companies building for shifts already underway rather than markets that need to be created. This means founders should be able to point to specific signals that the market is moving in their direction.

Team composition influences decisions. Sunset Ventures favors founders who can attract talent, demonstrate operational capability, and build the complementary skills needed to execute on their vision.

Product differentiation must be clear and defensible. Whether through proprietary technology, exclusive partnerships, or unique positioning, founders should articulate what makes their approach difficult to replicate.

Founder alignment with capital use is evaluated. Sunset Ventures wants to see that founders understand how to deploy capital efficiently and have realistic milestones for their current stage.

Warm introductions remain the most effective path to Sunset Ventures. The firm is most receptive to founders recommended by portfolio CEOs, other investors in the LA ecosystem, or trusted members of the entrepreneurial community who can vouch for founder quality.

The Emerging LA community represents a natural gateway. Founders active in the LA tech ecosystem who attend events, engage with other members, and demonstrate genuine community involvement are more likely to receive consideration than cold Outreach.

Sunset Ventures accepts cold submissions, though the firm's community-embedded model means warm paths typically receive faster attention. If cold emailing, founders should lead with their differentiation, traction metrics, and why they're specifically targeting Sunset based on sector fit.

When preparing to pitch Sunset Ventures, founders should articulate the problem they're solving, their specific solution, team background, current traction, and clear use of capital. The firm writes early-stage checks, so traction may be modest but the story must be compelling.

Brandon Hoffman evaluates opportunities personally. Founders should be ready for direct conversations that test both their conviction and their willingness to hear critical feedback. The LA tech community is relationship-driven, and how founders engage during the process matters.

Following up without being pushy is appropriate. Sunset Ventures' early-stage focus means they often stay engaged with interesting founders over months before a formal opportunity emerges.

Even at the earliest stage, Sunset Ventures expects founders to have a solid handle on their unit economics and capital efficiency. Pre-seed and seed companies may not have extensive financial histories, but founders must demonstrate they understand their business mechanics.

Key metrics for Sunset Ventures include customer acquisition costs, lifetime value, burn rate, runway, and the path to either profitability or the next funding round. Founders should be prepared to explain their assumptions and demonstrate they've stress-tested their models.

Financial projections should be grounded in evidence. Sunset Ventures will challenge optimistic forecasts and expects founders to have considered downside scenarios. Be ready to defend your assumptions with data from comparable companies or early traction signals.

Working with a fractional CFO can strengthen your pitch significantly. Professional financial guidance helps founders build accurate projections, prepare investor-ready financials, and confidently walk through due diligence questions.

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Understanding your key performance indicators is essential when pitching to early-stage investors like Sunset Ventures. The firm looks for founders who track the metrics that matter most to their business and can explain trends in their performance.

Whether you're preparing to pitch Sunset Ventures or other early-stage VCs, having professional financials sets you apart from the competition. Our team has helped companies raise capital with clear financial narratives that resonate with investors.

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