For founders
We invest in early stage tech startups based in Indiana. Please review our criteria, then pitch us to start the conversation.
Criteria
If you meet most of the criteria below, Flywheel is likely a fit, and you should send us your pitch.
See Criteria
Stage
Pre-seed or seed. Product is built, and you have early customer traction.
Round Size
Typically raising $100K to $1.5M.
Indiana Nexus
You don’t need to be incorporated in Indiana, but you need a real connection here, often a founder or a majority of the team is based in Indiana.
Team
We invest early, so leadership matters. We look for founders with the drive and clarity to reach product market fit, and we expect a commitment to building a diverse team.
Product
Tech driven and built to scale. We look for innovative products with a clear wedge and defensible differentiation.
Market
Healthy market potential with a clear path to growth. We want to see a real problem, a defined customer, and early signals that demand is there.
Pitch Us
Share a quick overview, your deck, and what you’re raising. If it looks like a fit, we’ll follow up with next steps.
For Investors
Flywheel Fund is the only Indiana focused, early stage venture fund that offers investors diversification, professional management and unparalleled access to deal flow for a low buy in.
Flywheel is a top quartile venture capital fund, where accredited investors pool their money to invest in early-stage tech startups based in Indiana. No prior investing experience is required, but investors
must be accredited (as defined by the SEC) and can invest as little as $10,000/year over three years.
Support to the regional startup ecosystem by investing in local and regional companies
Our portfolio
Our team
Eric Steele
Managing Partner
Eric is currently Managing Partner of the Flywheel Fund. Prior to Flywheel, Eric was with Elevate Ventures. Before transitioning to venture capital, Eric started, scaled and exited several startups in industries ranging from telecommunication, to digital health and e-commerce.
Martina Fausto
Senior Analyst
Martina is the senior analyst at Flywheel Fund. Prior to Flywheel, Martina graduated from the University of Notre Dame where she served as an insights analyst at ND’s IDEA Center and has also worked with global VC/accelerators such as Antler and SOSV’s Mobile-only Accelerator.
Scott Reynolds
General Counsel
Scott began his legal career at large firms in New York and California before relocating to Bloomington. He worked with The Mill to get Flywheel off the ground and has since joined the team. An entrepreneur himself, Scott enjoys enabling founders to innovate and execute.
Office
642 N. Madison St.
Bloomington, IN
47404