About Us

Venture First provides capital and financial services to growth-focused companies.

VF manages 5 funds and a suite of SPVs. Financial services, including CFO Services, Accounting, Valuation, and Transaction Support nurture the ecosystem.

By the Numbers

We measure our success by our impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Clients Serviced (US)
1 +
Active Growth Stage Clients (CFO)
1
Cities Served Globally
1 +
Employees Supported
1 +

Efficient. Knowledgeable. Quality-Obsessed.

We believe in long-term partnership. We typically charge competitive rates for our services and often include long-term equity or bonus incentives for complete alignment. In our experience, this is how winning teams are formed and long-term alliances are established.

Venture First is Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Through partnership, we’ve fostered and supported a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem in an ongoing effort to drive innovation. 

Venture First is more than the sum of its investments and services. Entrepreneurs who are growing their companies are supported by our technologies and methodologies. We enable investors who provide capital for these endeavors. By facilitating the network of people who make new visions thrive, we enable the commerce that fuels these activities.

Venture First provides a range of financial services, including transaction stewardship, intensive CFO leadership, insightful valuation analysis, detailed accounting, market intelligence, and a highly curated family of specialty funds. Over time, we will continue to add new offerings to further support this venture ecosystem.

Our Geographic Footprint

International CLIENT Portfolio Includes:
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, U.K. and Peru

Our history

We’ve only been around for a decade and a half, but we’ve been busy.

2009

Founder and CEO, John Shumate, began valuing venture stage companies from his hospital bed to pay the bills when he was receiving a stem cell transplant. 

2013

CEOs and VCs liked John’s work and business grows. Will Baumgardner joined Venture First as first employee.

2014

Client CEO asked John to serve as fractional CFO. This was the genesis for our CFO Services vertical and the beginning of a 5-year partnership with our first client company.

2016

Accounting services were added to Venture First’s product offering to fully integrate client’s needs and increase efficiency in CFO reporting.

2017

Depth of valuation products expanded with hiring of first practice-lead; Venture First secures first office space in NuLu, entrepreneurial hub of Louisville.

2019

Venture First launched a portfolio of targeted niche funds to fill funding gaps and to reward forward-thinking investors in the venture and alternatives markets.

2021

The company kicked off its private equity digital transformation strategy with the acquisition of Dealer Trade Network.

2022

The company’s private equity strategy took off with the G&G Fitness structured recapitalization.

2023

Venture First acquired Scottsdale Construction Systems and pushed to disrupt the residential and light commercial construction industries.

2024

Venture first is continuing to expand its partner network through the operation of 5 funds, 8 Special purpose vehicles, 30+ current services clients, and a growing investor network.

The Latest Letter From Our CEO, John Shumate

Build Something Exceptional