Orange County’s First Venture Studio OC4 Announces Launch and Investments
Well-known southern California entrepreneur Carey Ransom and his co-founders, who have collectively built several successful companies and raised hundreds of millions in capital, have announced the official launch of Orange County’s first venture studio and investments made in several companies.
Ransom is a longtime tech company entrepreneur, investor, advisor and board member of several southern California startups and community organizations, and is the former Chief Operating Officer of Aspiration, Chief Product Officer at Experian Consumer Services, Chief Marketing Officer at Payoff (now Happy Money), and Chief Executive Officer at RealPractice.
“As the venture capital industry has shifted, more capital is reserved for later stage companies. Early stage companies need to re-think their early strategies for success and we believe the venture studio model is a key part of that. Startups need much more than capital and a few good advisors that mainly sit on the sidelines, to help take them to the next level. OC4 not only provides capital, but also a full-service venture studio to help develop, build and scale a startup in any area of need. We believe in a team approach to building tech companies, and surrounding the companies with our team of relevant experts to join the team and get in the weeds with them every step of the way.” said Ransom
Similar to other known venture studios around the country, such as Pioneer Square Labs and High Alpha, OC4 provides SoCal entrepreneurs with both funding and a hands-on approach to venture building. OC4 also works closely with other investors and support organizations to build a more collaborative and connected startup community. In its first quarter, OC4 has already invested up to $750k in several promising data-centric SaaS startups such as Chatterworks, Spoonful, Cheese and two companies that will be announced shortly.
“Southern California is full of great entrepreneurs, talent and opportunity. It offers the ability to scale fast and has an overall nicer quality of living than anywhere else in the world. I believe this is becoming the next breeding ground for innovative tech startups”- Silicon Valley and OC4 Investor
Unlike traditional accelerators and incubators, the OC4 Venture Studio will be heavily involved in the portfolio company’s product market fit, go-to market strategy and various additional aspects that are crucial in the early days of a startup. They will continue to support the company as needed throughout its lifecycle.
“I have been approached by several VCs in both SoCal and the Bay Area, but the OC4 team offers a unique blend of experience and grittiness to get things done. They have built and scaled tech companies before and have created a unique model to help early stage startups like mine to avoid common pitfalls.” – Shafiur Rahman, founder of Chatterworks
Ransom and his team are working with prominent investors and entrepreneurs in the community to create a new generation of high growth companies within the Southern California startup ecosystem. OC4 not only invests, but also integrates existing talent, and recruits new companies and talent from around the country. As Silicon Beach continues to churn out globally known tech companies, OC4’ s mission is to bring the same momentum and scalability to the rest of southern California.
