VC Spotlight: Elizabeth Street Ventures
On Elizabeth Street, they don’t chase the crowd. They watch it move, note the gaps, then build where no one’s looking, but everyone will follow. That’s the magic trick of Elizabeth Street Ventures. Founded in 2018 by Ben Sontheimer and William McClelland, this New York outfit doesn't wait for consensus. They bet on consumer truths before they trend. They write early checks, $250K to $2M, to founders with what they call “insight and magnetism.” Think less pitch deck polish, more raw instinct, deep domain chops, and gravitational pull. The result? A portfolio that doesn’t scream hype, it whispers scale.
Ben Sontheimer walks in with 20 years of public and private market hits, from Capital IQ to LendingClub. He built Vault Partners to $250M AUM and helped Javelin grow from an $800K experiment to a $300M player. You don’t get that kind of track record by following the herd. William McClelland, his partner in this venture, brings edge and operational fire. Yale dual-degree. Lehman alum. Former GP at Grace Beauty Capital where he got in early on Rothy’s, Supergoop!, and Parachute Home. One reads the market like a bond trader, the other like a brand whisperer.
This is not just two suits with capital. Elizabeth Street backs brands that become habits, companies that surprise and stick. That means early checks into ThirdLove, Wonderbelly, Ten Thousand, and Hangout. It means catching Rothy’s before it hit unicorn status, spotting Museum of Ice Cream before it became a selfie empire, and going deep on experiential commerce before the term made a deck. When others talk DTC, they talk digital gravity, consumer fintech, fashion tech, wellness, F&B innovation, and software with street smarts. And they don’t just bet. They build. Strategic intros. Board guidance. Operating insight from partners like Rachael Ulman, Lance Rosen, and Eric Brinker, each one a heavy in their lane.
This isn’t a firm chasing TikTok trends or crypto swings. It’s a SoHo-based vanguard hunting durable consumer shifts, retail digitization, sustainability, the Experience Economy. And while others still think inclusivity is a slide at the end, more than half of Elizabeth Street’s recent investments back female founders. Not for optics, for alpha.
You want in? Their portfolio companies are hiring across product, engineering, ops, and growth. Wonderbelly. OROS. Banyan. Hangout. Tiny Organics. If you’ve got taste, timing, and talent, they’ve got the runway.
OROS – https://www.oros.com/careers-at-oros-noise-vibration/oros.com
Banyan – https://jobs.groupbanyan.com/
Tiny Organics – https://wellfound.com/company/tiny-organics/jobswellfound.com
Follow this firm. Study their founders. Track their plays.
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