Sultan Ventures

Sultan Ventures is a boutique early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2009 and based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was co-founded by managing partners Omar Sultan and Tarik Sultan, with Dr. Aya Sultan as a founding partner; Meli James serves as Head of New Ventures, directed the XLR8UH accelerator, and is President of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association. The firm is largely sector-agnostic but concentrates on pre-seed and seed financing rounds alongside preferred investment partners, typically as a co-investor. Its sector interests span healthcare, biotech, edtech, fintech, entertainment, information technology, aviation, energy, food and beverage, and consumer products. Sultan Ventures looks for visionary founders building sustainable businesses, placing heavy emphasis on education and strong team dynamics, and provides due diligence, deal sourcing, capital-raise and business-planning support through its network of experts and investors. It operates XLR8UH, an award-winning venture accelerator investing in University of Hawaii entrepreneurs and technologies that Forbes named among the top 30 US accelerators, and manages the Upside Fund, which can invest up to $600K in companies using University of Hawaii intellectual property. As of 2016 it had invested in around 23 companies, with notable holdings including RedVox Infrasound, MeetingSift and SimpliFed. The firm has expanded internationally through the acquisition of Acasia Group, targeting opportunities in the Middle East and Africa. By anchoring itself in Hawaii's university and startup ecosystem, Sultan Ventures backs founders and commercializes academic innovation.