FJOR

We’re thrilled to announce that Fjor has ranked in the 99th percentile in the 2024 Revere Benchmarking Survey of 1,400+ seed and emerging funds. Proud of our founders, team, and mission-driven approach that made this possible.

Why are founders often more investible than products or technology? At any given moment, multiple teams of brilliant people across the globe are working on the same market problems or tech-enabled opportunities. Yet, only a handful will succeed. The difference? Founder effectiveness. At Fjor, we believe that more often than not, the game-changing elements in a startup boil down to the founding team’s acumen, resilience, and ability to navigate highs and lows through adaptation and leadership. It’s not just about what’s being built. It’s about the tenacity and vision of the builder. #VentureCapital #FounderEffectiveness #FjorVC #StartupSuccess #FounderFirst

First AGM out of the gate with Charlie Feng, Ryan Chan, CMRP and a few big updates from our fund’s 8 companies! So grateful for all of our founders and investors.

Our first Fjor AGM was nothing short of amazing, and we couldn't be more grateful to our top-tier network of founders and investors who are continually pushing the boundaries of Al and fintech. Our commitment to Fjor’s mission—to reset expectations of what a venture fund can be—is what sets us apart. Charlie exemplified this commitment, flying back and forth to LA twice in two days to be with our team and investors, all while managing a midnight client launch at Agora. As founders deep in the trenches of tech, we don't just balance our dual roles as operators and investors – we leverage them to achieve bigger things, driving greater impact for our portfolio companies and pushing Fjor further. Together, we're building something exceptional. Here’s to the future! 🚀

In life and venture capital, all is not as it seems. In most of our daily living, it’s easy to completely ignore the persistent gap between how we think the world works and how it actually operates. For example, people tend to assume the adoption of groundbreaking technology is always quick, success is overnight, and consumer behaviour is purely rational. In reality, adoption is slow (29% of businesses still don’t have a website, and the US nuclear defence program only stopped using floppy disks in 2019), success requires years of unseen effort, and purchasing decisions are often irrational. But when it comes to our work as investors, this gap between appearances and reality isn’t just a background discrepancy — it’s our greatest opportunity to look for market signals that others have overlooked. In Howard Marks’ principle of second-order thinking, we are taught to look beyond the immediate market effects that everyone anticipates, to the second order effects. But the gap we look for as VCs is not so linear, so addressing it requires a different paradigm entirely — one that delves into the hidden dynamics driving change. Top founders excel in navigating these gaps. They don’t just think about them; they live them. Being deeply embedded in their markets, they are able to see changes in market dynamics and react to opportunities that an outsider would never notice. For investors, these gaps are a place where smart capital can reshape industries, drive outsized returns, and drive change. But spotting the gaps can be hampered by an industry with a lot of noise and a rolling-news level of narrative and content. Being a good gap-finder requires us to be skeptical about the received wisdom of our industry, to search for ground truth, and to try to look beyond hype and apparent consensus. Ultimately, it's about embracing the gaps and turning them into opportunities for transformation. At Fjor, we don’t just follow the obvious signals; we dig deeper to find the overlooked dynamics that drive real change. With our unique blend of founder experience and investment expertise, we’re not just capital providers — we’re partners in navigating the unseen paths that lead to lasting impact. 

Professional services are a craft, and the best investment firms are built not with an exit in mind, but with a lifelong commitment to service. Great firms, like great artisans, aren’t driven by short-term gains—they’re driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence that spans decades. In startups, you aim for customer loyalty that lasts years. In professional services, you strive for relationships that endure for generations. The world may move at a relentless pace, but true craftsmanship remains timeless. It’s about creating moments of value that don’t scale, but resonate deeply with those you serve. We’re thrilled to spend October 22nd with our investors in Los Angeles, and we’re honored to share these handcrafted cups, made by a potter in Ogre, Latvia who has dedicated over 50 years to perfecting her art. Here’s to the lifelong journey of excellence, in both service and craft.

We’re delighted to be hosting some of tech’s most interesting founders and investors at Fjor’s Annual Investor Day in LA. #InvestorDay #FoundersEvent #VentureCapital #FjorVC

AI is rewriting the rules for success, and for startups this is the perfect moment to seize the advantage. Here's why we think startups can outpace giants by building AI-ready organizations from day one. Startups today have a unique opportunity to gain the advantage on established incumbents due to their ability to create organizational structures that are primed to leverage AI from the ground up. Unlike incumbent organizations that are often encumbered by existing frameworks, startups can design their operations with AI at their core, giving them a foundational competitive edge. The present day contrast between companies like Walmart and Amazon exemplifies this difference—while they may offer similar products, their underlying structures, shaped by the available technologies at their inception, have led to drastically different companies and outcomes. In emerging organizations, roles and structure will evolve around AI, and the opportunities for junior employees to rise will differ significantly from traditional pathways. Fjor backed startups like Work Done and Haven Tax, built with a fresh perspective, are particularly exciting because they can innovate organizational design right from the beginning. As we move into a new era, the most valuable skill sets are shifting. Technical expertise, which has been the driving force behind many industries, is no longer the main determinant of success. In the coming decades, broad creativity, and the ability to harness AI to rewire business operations will become more crucial than purely technical skills. This shift in focus will redefine how businesses are built and how they compete in the marketplace.  

How do we pinpoint early stage founder potential at Fjor? First Hand experience. As operating founders ourselves, we've developed a unique perspective that allows us to spot early-stage talent with precision. Here's a few things our team looks at: Founder resilience and realism: We look for founders who can 'run through walls'—those who can handle the inevitable challenges of building a world-tested business. Founders who thrive on optimism or enthusiasm for their product, often lack the realistic approach needed to push through the pain and come out on top. Industry-savvy skepticism: Experience has taught us to look beyond the surface. We quickly identify when traction is more soundbite than substance. Knowing the right metrics and timelines allows us to differentiate between hype and genuine growth, ensuring we back the right talent. Spotting true scalability: Early growth can often be misleading, presenting as success when in reality a startup is just experiencing the benefits of targeting low-hanging fruit. Our background as operating founders prepares us to discern whether early traction is sustainable, ensuring we recognise founders who can genuinely scale and thrive.

How do we pinpoint early stage founder potential at Fjor? First Hand experience. As operating founders ourselves, we've developed a unique perspective that allows us to spot early-stage talent with precision. Here's a few things our team looks at: Founder resilience and realism: We look for founders who can 'run through walls'—those who can handle the inevitable challenges of building a world-tested business. Founders who thrive on optimism or enthusiasm for their product, often lack the realistic approach needed to push through the pain and come out on top. Industry-savvy skepticism: Experience has taught us to look beyond the surface. We quickly identify when traction is more soundbite than substance. Knowing the right metrics and timelines allows us to differentiate between hype and genuine growth, ensuring we back the right talent. Spotting true scalability: Early growth can often be misleading, presenting as success when in reality a startup is just experiencing the benefits of targeting low-hanging fruit. Our background as operating founders prepares us to discern whether early traction is sustainable, ensuring we recognise founders who can genuinely scale and thrive.