FOCUSED CAPITAL WITH A DISCIPLINED APPROACH

196 Ventures backs early-stage entrepreneurs and companies building technology that expands progression across the learning continuum—from the classroom to the workplace, the living room, and the playing field. With a presence in Boston and Tokyo, we help founders scale across borders with capital, strategy, and operator support. But how did we get here?

We built our platform and started investing together in 2018 with the belief that the tools that enhance human potential are built on a global basis. We felt that understanding the end markets utilizing these tools would build a valuable pool of knowledge as investors and company builders. We formed 196 Ventures to refine the work we have already done, and the success we have already achieved in helping our founders and investors generate outcomes.

While our name has recently changed, our thesis has not. Why 196 Ventures? There are 196 countries in the world (we see you Kosovo). And in 196 BCE, a decree was inscribed on what we now call the Rosetta Stone — a single message written in three languages so that it could be understood across cultures and generations. Issued during the reign of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, the inscription became one of the most important bridges between worlds ever created, ultimately unlocking humanity’s understanding of ancient Egyptian civilization. At 196 Ventures, we’re drawing inspiration from that moment. Our name reflects the power of translation — between ideas and execution, education and work, the U.S. and Japan — building enduring bridges that make knowledge, opportunity, and innovation universally accessible.