As Operate kicks off its 3rd fund in 3 years, increased opportunities lead to expanding its team
COSTA MESA, California, July 26, 2022 — Operate, a Southern California-focused Venture Studio and affiliated venture capital funds, announces the addition of Lou Sokolovskiy as Venture Partner. Mr. Sokolovskiy has previously advised Operate, and is increasing his involvement as Operate kicks off its 3rd fund since 2020.
Mr. Sokolovskiy is a serial entrepreneur with multiple technology ventures, as well as extensive experience in private equity markets and transactions. He is the Managing Partner of Genero Capital Partners, as well as the founder of national capital markets networking organization Opus Connect. He has raised capital, facilitated transactions and advised on dozens of other companies as well.
“Joining Operate is an exciting opportunity because of the increased activity in Southern California in technology startups in recent years, and their involvement at the earliest stages – where the most value is created,” said Sokolovskiy. “Most investors are not experienced and comfortable investing in these early companies, and Operate’s hands-on approach of capital and a studio team makes it much more accessible. It’s a win-win for investors and entrepreneurs alike.”
Operate’s previous funds have 8 and 13 early-stage technology startup investments, respectively, and they have also helped companies raise capital through nearly 10 SPVs in the last 2 years. With 25 companies in their portfolio, founders are choosing Operate to be a critical partner in their early startup journey. Founded in 2020 by serial entrepreneurs Carey Ransom and Kyle Kamrooz, Operate’s mission is to work closely with early founders to help them more efficiently and consistently build their companies and succeed. As previously announced, Operate has also recently added talented leaders in areas of Growth, Technology, Design, Research and People, in addition to the team already in place.
“We are so privileged to have Lou join our team as Venture Partner,” said Carey Ransom, President of Operate. “He shares our enthusiasm for building more breakout companies, with a focus on Southern California, as well as including more investors in this ecosystem. It’s an exciting time here for innovation and investment in it.”
Mr. Sokolovskiy will assist the team with capital raising and founder sourcing for Operate Fund III, an early-stage venture capital fund that will invest into high potential founders, as well as internally created studio companies through Operate. He can be reached at Lou@operatestudio.com.
About Operate
Founded in 2020, Operate is on a mission to partner with startup founders to build & scale software companies that change how the world works. Operate is a new kind of early-stage venture studio that believes founders need more than capital and advice to be successful. In addition to investing capital (now launching Operate Fund III), Operate embeds its team of top-tier operators into startups to give them a higher probability of success, and helps execute their vision to make an even bigger impact. With 25 companies in its portfolio, many are breaking out with rapidly growing revenue, customers bases and world-class co-investors, including A16Z, Greycroft and Precursor among 20+ VC funds, strategic corporate investors and numerous well-known angel investors. Learn more about Operate on the web, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Contact the team at erika@operatestudio.com.
