Pinnacle Ventures

Pinnacle Ventures is a Burlingame, California-based investment firm founded in 2002 that specializes in providing both venture debt and venture equity financing to high-growth companies across the United States. Led by principals Kenneth R. Pelowski and Robert N. Savoie, the firm operates as investment manager and adviser to a family of venture debt and equity funds — including Pinnacle Ventures Debt Fund III, whose limited partners include The Prudential Insurance Company of America. While sector-agnostic, Pinnacle concentrates its activity in clean technology, healthcare, and information technology, with particular emphasis on internet, mobile, media, enterprise, and software companies. Pinnacle writes venture-debt checks from $500,000 up to $25 million and venture-equity checks up to $15 million, offering founders flexible growth-capital solutions that complement equity rounds without undue dilution. Across 177 investments in 137 unique portfolio companies, the firm has produced 2 unicorns and 98 exits — a strong track record for a venture-debt-led platform. Notable portfolio companies include One Medical, Bonobos, and Kabam. The firm's most recent disclosed investment was a $50 million Series C round in VOOX in January 2025, and its most recent exit was Lotame, acquired by Publicis Groupe in March 2025. Pinnacle's dual debt-plus-equity model is central to its value proposition: by combining venture loans with equity participations, the firm can tailor capital structures to each company's growth trajectory and founder preferences. This flexibility positions Pinnacle as a complement to traditional equity-only VCs and allows founders to preserve dilution while accessing growth runway. The firm's long operating history since 2002 gives it a broad perspective across market cycles.