Ground Up Ventures

Ground Up Ventures is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2017 by Cory Moelis and David Stark, with operations spanning the United States and Israel. The firm is sector-agnostic and invests $500K to $1.5M in early-stage startups, positioning itself as a deeply hands-on partner that works alongside founders from the earliest days of company building. Beyond capital, the firm provides extensive platform support — including customer and hiring introductions, strategic advice, and creative problem-solving — drawing on a strong network cultivated across both US and Israeli tech ecosystems. It also publishes a monthly Partner Picks Newsletter for founders and runs a program called Liftoff, aimed at supporting early-stage company development. Notable portfolio companies include EliseAI, Portless, Tolstoy, BuildOps, Dandelion Energy, BrightHire, Accrue Savings, Starcloud, Triple Whale, and Tulu, among others spanning B2B SaaS, consumer tech, proptech, fintech, and eCommerce infrastructure.