StartFast Ventures

StartFast Ventures is an early-stage venture firm founded in 2012 and based in Syracuse, New York, with a thesis of backing B2B SaaS founders outside the major US startup hubs, from Charlotte to Phoenix to Buffalo and beyond. It originated as the StartFast Venture Accelerator, co-founded in 2011 by Chuck Stormon, and is led by Managing Partner Nasir Ali, who spent two decades building Upstate New York's high-growth entrepreneurial ecosystem; General Partner Olivia Goldstein brings a decade of B2B software experience. The firm invests at Seed and Series A with checks of $500K to $2M, and explicitly both leads and co-invests. StartFast Fund I, which ran from 2012 to 2020, returned a 33% IRR and a 3.4x MOIC; Fund II has shown multiple up-rounds and early exits; and Fund III is a $100M vehicle focused on B2B AI startups across fintech, cybersecurity, healthcare and commerce. As of October 2025 the firm had invested in roughly 52 companies, including Blackbird.AI, CodeCombat, Kanarys, KredosAI, which it led, and SelectFI, its most recent investment on October 31, 2025. StartFast has recorded two exits, the latest being Patient Pattern in March 2023. By concentrating on capital-efficient B2B SaaS and AI founders in underserved geographies and pairing accelerator roots with a willingness to lead rounds, the firm positions itself as an early, hands-on backer of companies building outside the coastal venture centers.