Overview
Target Investments
DFJ Mercury looks for those people and ideas that can change the world. We believe that the most important ingredient in any start-up is the entrepreneur, and our philosophy is to help entrepreneurs build their businesses even from the very early stages. We will consider any market-driven technology opportunity in information technology, advanced materials and biosciences. We look for three key attributes in a potential investment:
- Founders with extraordinary technical talent
- Capital efficient business model
- Ability to address large markets with a disruptive performance increase or cost decrease
Many of our companies were formed by working with university technology transfer offices and we have a long track record of working with scientists and technical founders to launch new ventures.
Investment Stage & Size
DFJ Mercury’s sole focus is seed and early-stage investing. We initially invest between $100,000 to $1.5 million into an opportunity and will build syndicates for investments needing larger amounts of capital. We typically lead the first round of investment, and expect to invest between $2 million and $5 million over the life of an investment.
Approach
DFJ Mercury will consider an investment even before a business plan or management team is finalized. We believe the role of the venture capitalist is to help nurture entrepreneurs, build management teams, and work closely with them to fully develop their business models and go-to-market strategies. As a seed-stage investor, it is also our role to make strategic introductions to potential partners, customers, and other value-added investors.
