Our Manifesto
We know what it’s like to start as outsiders. To navigate the gatekeepers, barriers, and ceilings along the way. Building companies and growing brands isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s an endlessly challenging and lonely journey, even more so for those who don’t fit the typical mold.
That’s why we’ve dedicated ourselves to being more than a source of capital for early-stage companies. We want to be true confidantes to every founder in the Fuel family. We stand in your corner, not your kitchen. We leverage our resources, connections, experience, and expertise to carve a shortcut for you - so your energy is spent on building the future, instead of knocking on doors. We don't always take board seats, but we always answer your texts.
With Fuel, what you see is what you get. And what we say is what we mean. We’re not big on pretense; we much prefer to keep things real. If we think you’re capable of changing the world, we’ll do everything possible to help you do it.
The ideas that will define our future and shape our world can come from anywhere. In fact, we believe they will come from everywhere. We find it unacceptable that a great idea can fall through the cracks simply because the founder doesn’t look the part. The biggest ideas too often face the biggest barriers to entry, so we give every founder and company a hard look and a fair shake. Really. We look at everything but narrow the Fuel family down to the best of the best. Then, we immediately get to work, hustling for them.
Plenty of people talk about hustle - we actually live it. It’s the only thing we know. Every day, our team demonstrates this hustle - along with a considerable dose of operational experience and drive for excellence - all focused on helping our founders succeed.
Our goal? To open doors for founders who have the potential to change the world, and provide them with more value than capital could buy.
Our Principles
Founders First, Always. This is not about us. It’s about you. When we choose to invest in a founder, we choose that person, that team. We know that if we put you - the founder - first, our mutual returns will be outsized.
Carving shortcuts is what we do. We know what you're experiencing because we’ve walked in your shoes. We’ve been there and have dealt with hiring our first 5 employees, managing board dynamics, building brands, raising money, and scaling companies. We'll share our lessons learned so you get there faster.
Relentlessly pursuing the edge. We are work horses by nature. We didn't start as insiders; we worked hard to muscle our way through barriers and open up our own opportunities. We will immediately get to work, doing the same for you. We vow never to get in your way; we are here to offer real help when it’s truly needed.
We don't shy away from hard. We have experienced it all - rejection, sacrifice, and adversity - so not much phases us. We stand in our founders' corner through it all - the good and, more importantly, the bad.
