.webp)
Daytrip Ventures is a new venture capital fund investing 'pre-scale' seed capital in high-growth companies building in proximity to the New American South.
Daytrip represents a guiding principle for our team, supporters, and portfolio -- consistently showing up each day to create long-term, compounding value.
We can view our lives and work as a series of day trips, a repeated departure from home to see something new while learning along the way. With Daytrip Ventures, we bring together a first-of-its-kind network of local, regional, and nationwide entrepreneurs, operators, and experts who share our Daytrip ethos:
Curiosity: Seeking new inputs
Preparation: Packing ahead
Action: Hitting the road
Connection: Being present for the journey
Integration: Returning home with new information
This is how we compound value long term -- we move and measure progress in day trips, not just periodic heroic leaps. Will we get a flat tire? Maybe. Will we return home changed? Always.
We show up daily because we believe in a better future, one that is bigger than any one of us alone. We hit the road because we could never settle for any less.
The next decade of building companies in the U.S.
Daytrip Ventures aims to be the best partner for pre-scale (pre-Series A) startups building in proximity to outsized market opportunities. We are conveniently headquartered in Nashville, within a day trip of dozens of cities across the New American South -- the fastest growing economy in the U.S.
Following COVID, the venture capital industry at large collectively ‘discovered’ an entire country beyond Silicon Valley filled with economic opportunity.
There are many reasons why Silicon Valley is and always will be the largest center of innovation. However, places like Nashville are conveniently located at the epicenter of the New American South – a region claiming 87% of the nation’s population growth in 2023, a higher share of US GDP than the Northeast (attributed to just 6 states in 2022, even higher when counting the whole region), and a growing list of accolades spanning top global startup ecosystems, universities capturing unicorn market share, Fortune 500 growth, and more.
Daytrip Ventures is our name because it embodies something greater than any one person and any one city. Daytrip is about recognizing and leveraging a proximity advantage to the fastest growing economy in the U.S. Then, having the nerve to pack a bag and go find opportunity. Taking small (and sometimes big) steps every day can lead to bigger and better outcomes for all.
Choosing travel companions wisely
Who we choose as travel companions for our day trips is key. Who do we want to be trapped in a car with for many hours each day? Who do we want to create and share experiences with?
We have much to figure out in the coming years and decades and who we choose to travel with will make all the difference.
These are among the foremost tests the best entrepreneurs pass -- who to build with, whether to operate as a small and integrated team, or to eventually scale as a much larger organization. All of the best decisions are made by leading with curiosity, then following Daytrip's ethos: to prepare, act, connect, and integrate what we learn, doing so with the right companions.
Here is our vision for Daytrip, simply stated:
Daytrip Ventures will invest in the best entrepreneurs building in proximity to the New American South.
Daytrip is building a different kind of network to surface and grow the best ideas, rooted in a shared curiosity about each other and our collective future.
If this is you, we would love to meet you.
In the meantime, thank you for reading. Wishing you the best of luck on your next journey.
Bon voyage.