Crosscut Ventures Scout Program

Crosscut Ventures operates a scout program comprising approximately 13-14 entrepreneurs across the country who generate pre-seed deal flow and provide geographic and sector diversity to the firm's investment decision-making. The program directly addresses the venture capital industry's reliance on deal flow at the top of the funnel by distributing capital and decision-making authority to scouts in underserved geographies and networks. This model has become core to Crosscut's strategy for finding founders and companies that wouldn't otherwise access traditional venture capital.

Crosscut Ventures' scout program aims to build a diverse network of entrepreneurs who can source and execute investments in pre-seed and seed stage companies. By empowering scouts with capital and decision-making authority, the program seeks to uncover quality founders and companies that may not have access to traditional venture capital.

Applicants should focus on building a strong network and demonstrating their ability to evaluate startups effectively. A track record in entrepreneurship or early-stage investing is crucial.

Candidates should have a demonstrated ability to evaluate business models and team quality, with geographic or sector expertise preferred. A commitment to making multiple investments per year is also required.

The program is by invitation only, targeting individuals with a track record as entrepreneurs or early-stage investors who have access to networks with deal flow.

Participants receive capital deployment of $200,000+ to invest in pre-seed and seed stage companies, co-investment rights, access to Crosscut's legal and operational resources, and the ability to leverage Crosscut's established reputation.

The program has ongoing recruitment for new scout cohorts based on firm needs.

Scout-backed companies have progressed through pre-seed and seed rounds, with many graduating to Series A and beyond, demonstrating the model's effectiveness in finding quality founders early.