Twelve19 Ventures

Twelve19 Ventures is a seed-stage, technology-focused venture capital firm founded in 2014 and based in Des Moines, Iowa. The firm makes angel, seed and venture investments in early-stage and growth companies led by strong, innovative entrepreneurs and management teams, primarily backing United States-based startups at the seed round, generally as a co-investor. While broadly active across enterprise applications, high tech and consumer sectors, its portfolio shows particular weight in software, SaaS, mobile and transportation and automotive themes, with enterprise applications and high tech as the two largest categories. Twelve19 has invested in roughly 28 companies and built a notable track record for a small firm, with its portfolio producing one unicorn, one IPO and seven acquisitions; named holdings include Plastiq, Density, Talla, Superhuman, Common, Mazen Animal Health and Koloni, with a more recent investment in BetterYou. The firm is effectively a solo operation led by Managing Partner Jason DeStigter, who is also Managing Partner at Summit Equity Group and holds roles across affiliated companies including Lomont Investment, Lomont Molding and KPI Acquisition Co. Twelve19 does not publicly disclose its fund size or typical cheque ranges, consistent with its lean, founder-led structure operating from Iowa rather than a coastal venture hub. By backing seed-stage founders from the Midwest while reaching nationally, Twelve19 Ventures has assembled a compact but high-performing early-stage technology portfolio.