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Motivate Capital Management, LLC

SEC exempt reporting adviser (venture capital exemption).

HQ
IL

No contact route found yet.

Motivate Capital Management invests across the earliest stages of a company's lifecycle, backing founders with strong domain knowledge who are tackling real, durable problems. Its team includes Jackson Bubala, a Partner focused on fintech and enterprise software, and Bonnie Kearns, Chief Operations Officer. Its portfolio includes Chime, Public.com, Mesh, Valiot, and Fulcrum.

01 · Says / Does

TagSaysDoesHistorically (to 2020)
StagesPre-seed, SeedNot enough dated dealsSeed, Series A
SectorsAI applicationsNot enough dated dealsEnterprise SaaS, Media, Consumer, Ecommerce, Edtech
RegionsUSNot enough dated dealsCA, IL

Says: what the firm's funds state. Does: from 0 dated deals in the last 24 months.

Historical focus (through 2020), derived from historical deal data.

YearDealsTop sectors
20121Consumer, Edtech
201313Enterprise SaaS, Media, Edtech
20149Hardware, Enterprise SaaS, Data analytics
20156Foodtech, Logistics, HR and future of work
20165Ecommerce, Construction and proptech, Consumer
20175Data analytics, Advanced materials, Ecommerce
20184Construction and proptech, Devtools, Edtech
201917Construction and proptech, Consumer, Fintech
20204AI applications, Consumer, Digital health

Stage mix over time

2012 Seed: 1122013 Seed: 112013 Series A: 2132014 Seed: 52014 Series A: 2142015 Seed: 32015 Series A: 2152016 Seed: 32016 Series A: 1162017 Seed: 42017 Series A: 1172018 Seed: 12018 Series A: 3182019 Pre-seed: 32019 Seed: 102019 Series A: 2192020 Pre-seed: 22020 Seed: 220212223242526
  • Pre-seed
  • Seed
  • Series A
  • Series B
  • Growth
Share of rounds by stage, per year. Striped years have fewer than 3 rounds.Historical focus (through 2020), derived from historical deal data.
Rounds by stage and year
YearPre-seedSeedSeries ASeries BGrowth
201201000
2013011200
201405200
201503200
201603100
201704100
201801300
2019310200
202022000
202100000
202200000
202300000
202400000
202500000
202600000

02 · Fund history

FundYearSizeStatus
Motivate Ventures AI Fund III, LP
approx. 2026Not reportedRaising
Motivate Ventures QP Fund III, LP
approx. 2026Not reportedRaising
Motivate OF I, LP
approx. 2025Not reportedRaising
Motivate Ventures AI Fund II, LP

Motivate invests across the earliest stages, backing pre-seed and seed founders with strong domain knowledge tackling real, durable problems with very high growth potential in large and growing markets. Inferred from the firm's website

2022$19.78M to $50M (Form D)Late investment period
Motivate Ventures QP Fund II, LP

Motivate invests across the earliest stages, backing pre-seed and seed founders with strong domain knowledge tackling real, durable problems with very high growth potential in large and growing markets. Inferred from the firm's website

2022$60.95M to $100M (Form D)Late investment period
MOTIVATE VENTURES QP FUND I, LP2020$26.68M to $42.16M (Form D and SEC adviser filing)Follow-ons only

03 · People across funds

04 · Recent deals

No dated deals found yet.

05 · Latest from the firm

No news from the firm's website yet.

06 · Sources

  1. https://motivate.vc/
  2. https://motivate.vc/portfolio/
  3. https://motivate.vc/about/
  4. https://motivate.vc/portfolio/fulcrum/
  5. https://motivate.vc/portfolio/inca-digital/
  6. https://motivate.vc/portfolio/valiot/

Fund dates and sizes are from SEC Form D filings.

Last verified: Oct 28, 2026