Ballast Equity Partners Fund I

About Ballast Equity Partners Fund I

Ballast Equity Partners Fund I is a venture capital firm based in United States, focusing on Pre-Seed stage investments. The fund actively supports founders building innovative solutions in Deep Tech, SaaS, providing strategic guidance and capital to help startups scale.

Investment Focus

Location / RegionUnited States

Funding StagePre Seed

Industry Focus

Deep Tech

Saas

Investor Signals Profile

active

Sweet Spot

Series B+ VC-backed founder needing secondary liquidity

secondary liquidity

venture secondaries

LP/GP solutions

growth equity

sector agnostic

Bullish Signals

20+ yrs venture investing experienceexternal

Covers LP, GP & founder liquidityexternal

Direct deals $500k–$10mmexternal

Fund interests up to $20mmexternal

NAV loans & carry advances offeredwebsite

Fund life stage agnosticwebsite

Unfunded swaps & strip sales availablewebsite

Preferred return structures for GPswebsite

Serves emerging & tenured GPs alikewebsite

Preferred shares, common & options coveredwebsite

Contrarian Signals

Not a primary VC — liquidity onlyexternal

Biotech excluded entirelyexternal

Passive portfolio management approachexternal

Founder Do's

Hold Series B+ VC-backed equity

Need partial or full liquidity

Open to tender offer structuring

Sector agnostic (excl. biotech)

Employees/mgmt teams seeking liquidity programs

Founder Don'ts

Biotech founders — excluded

Pre-Series B — too early

Seeking primary capital investment

Key GPs & Partners

Jon Popielarski

Managing Partner

experienceddata-drivencollaborative

David Martirano

Managing Partner

experiencedcollaborativeecosystem-focused

Ben Challgren

General Partner

venturegrowth equitysecondaries

Kathleen Keegan

Senior Associate

venturesecondaries

Emily Nolte

Finance Manager

financeoperations

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Fund Overview

Fund Size$93M

Saves0

Website

Key People

Jon Opielarski, David Martirano

Jon PopielarskiManaging Partner

David MartiranoManaging Partner

Ben ChallgrenGeneral Partner

Kathleen KeeganSenior Associate

Emily NolteFinance Manager