We’re
Vermilion
Cliffs Ventures.

We back technical founders building technical products from developer tools to infrastructure, AI to security.

We’re ex-operators who’ve been in the room as companies went from early builds to billion-dollar exits. We know what it’s like to pitch without polish, to build without sleep, and to bet on yourself when no one else is buying in yet.

We write meaningful checks at pre-seed and seed. But capital’s just the starting point. We’re here to help you figure out GTM, hire your first marketing lead, write your launch post, and get your first customer to become a champion.

We’re not tourists. We’ve lived this.

Learn our story

Ashley Smith

Founder, General Partner

Operator turned investor with exits at Twilio, Parse, GitHub, and GitLab. Former CMO. Built GTM from zero to IPO and back again. Has strong opinions and stronger from anywhere Wi-Fi.

Our advisors

Named for the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, our fund takes a rugged approach to venture and is anything but traditional. Vermilion exists to help founders build and scale the early GTM engine for their business.

David Brown

Operator turned investor with exits at Twilio, Parse, GitHub, and GitLab.

Emily Davis

Operator turned investor with exits at Twilio, Parse, GitHub, and GitLab.

Michael Johnson

Operator turned investor with exits at Twilio, Parse, GitHub, and GitLab.

Jane Smith

Operator turned investor with exits at Twilio, Parse, GitHub, and GitLab.

John Doe

Operator turned investor with exits at Twilio, Parse, GitHub, and GitLab.

Backed by

Our Story

We back technical founders building technical products from developer tools to infrastructure, data, AI, to security.

We’re ex-operators who’ve been in the room as companies went from early builds to billion-dollar exits. We know what it’s like to pitch without polish, to build without sleep, and to bet on yourself when no one else is buying in yet.

We write $200K–$500K checks at pre-seed and seed. But capital’s just the starting point. We’re here to help you figure out GTM, hire your first marketing lead, write your launch post, and get your first customer to give a damn.

We’re not tourists. We’ve lived this.

Our BELIEFS

We believe the next generation of category-defining software won’t be born in pitch decks. It’ll be hacked together in VSCode at 2 a.m. by someone who deeply understands the problem they’re solving.

Pre-Seed
and Seed

We’re often the first yes—
and we like it that way.

Product-first
Founders

We invest in people who build. Engineers, designers, product-obsessed founders with a point of view.

Category-Defining
Products

Think AI infrastructure, developer workflows, security primitives, or whatever layer needs to exist next.

Vision,
Then Traction

You don’t need revenue to impress us. You need conviction, clarity, and curiosity.

Hands-On Help,
Not Just Capital

We’re not on your board because we like Zoom calls. We’re here to help you build something that lasts.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get the latest news and insights directly to your inbox.

About
Portfolio
Careers
Changelog

© 2025 Vermilion Cliffs Ventures

All Rights Reserved