Valor Ventures

Valor Ventures is an Atlanta-based seed-stage venture capital firm founded by Lisa Calhoun, the South's first woman-led institutional VC. The firm describes itself as a "Community of Courage," backing transformational B2B AI and SaaS startups across the 16-state US Central-South region, which it identifies as the country's fastest-growing yet most under-resourced venture capital market. The firm leads seed rounds exclusively in B2B software and AI-driven companies, with target markets spanning Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Charleston, Memphis, and other Southern tech hubs. Fund 3, which closed at $27 million in 2025, is backed by institutional LPs including Delta Airlines, Georgia Tech Foundation, and the Sisters of St. Joseph. Over 70% of the portfolio is led by underrepresented founders. Typical check sizes range from $500K to $3 million, with $1–2 million being most common. Notable portfolio companies include FinQuery, Saile.AI, Visalaw.AI, Allelica, Arpio, STEMuli, and Aetos Imaging. The firm also runs Startup Runway, the country's largest pitch event for underrepresented founders, and produces the Atlanta Startup Podcast.