Jim Cohen
General Partner at Fitz Gate Ventures
Houston, Texas
Overview
Work Experience
Co-Founder and General Partner
2015 - Current
Fitz Gate Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm currently investing out of its third fund, with Rice University as one of its anchor investors. Fitz Gate III invests anywhere in the U.S. but has a special focus on the New York and Texas ecosystems where Fitz Gate’s GPs have deep networks and teach venture capital investing at the Princeton University Graduate School and Rice University Jones School of Business. Fitz Gate brings a unique strategic advantage to its portfolio companies by leveraging its proprietary “Friends of Fitz” network, comprised of hundreds of venture capitalists, startup founders, educators, senior executives and subject matter experts. Fitz Gate writes initial checks of $500K - $2M, reserving for follow-on rounds, and while Fitz III is a generalist fund, it does have a sub-focus on deep tech/hard tech. Fitz Gate will lead rounds, co-invest with other funds or invest alone. World class investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia, Bessemer, Canaan, Eli Lilly, Temasek/Xora, Blackrock, Glaxo, Bezos Expeditions, Merck, Fidelity, MIT Engine Fund, Morgan Stanley, Blackstone, First Round, Zoom, KKR, Fusion Fund, Formula One, Koch Disruptive Technologies, Fidelity, Astra Zeneca, Porsche and others have invested in follow-on rounds in Fitz Gate portfolio companies.
Fitz Gate is an early stage, network-driven venture capital firm.
Lecturer, Princeton University Graduate School
2018
I teach a seminar on startups and venture capital finance to Princeton University graduate students and was awarded the Clio Award in 2022 from the Princeton University Graduate School in recognition of the value of this seminar to Princeton graduate students.
Adjunct Professor
2018
I teach a class in the business school on venture capital investing. Students (both MBAs and undergraduates) are taught how to evaluate startups for investment and how to write investment memos.
Mentor
2022
Techstars NYC supports founders with world-class resources that help them grow and scale.
Techstars is an accelerator that provides pre-seed investment and mentoring for various early stage startups.
Raised $108,919,999.00 from SVB Financial Group and Foundry Group.
Investor
2016
Smartasset is the third most capital efficient fintech company to reach unicorn status ($1bb+ valuation). Smartasset connects customers to financial advisors and financial products to ensure their financial security.
SmartAsset is an online destination for financial advice that powers SmartAdvisor, a marketplace connecting consumers to financial advisors.
Raised $161,431,095.00 from FJ Labs.
Investor and Board Observer
2017
Overtime is a digital sports media company that creates short form content and builds disruptive new sports leagues aimed globally at the next generation of sports fans and athletes.
Overtime is a sports network that produces several sports-focused series and short-form content for the next generation of sports fans.
Raised $215,070,000.00 from Liberty Media, Blackstone Group, Counterpoint Global, Winslow Capital, Bezos Expeditions and Sapphire Sport.
Investor and Board Observer
2017
Optimal Dynamics provides advanced AI driven logistics and supply chain optimization solutions. Based on 30 years of R&D and Princeton University.
Optimal Dynamics is a SaaS company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to disrupt the logistics industry.
Raised $55,795,000.00 from Activate Capital Partners, The Westly Group and Bessemer Venture Partners.
Investor and Board Observer
2020
Celestial AI is the creator of the Photonic Fabric™, which unleashes advancements in AI.
Celestial AI develops an optical interconnect technology platform for data center and AI computing solutions.
Raised $338,874,997.00 from Samsung Catalyst Fund, IAG Capital Partners, Smart Global Holdings, Tyche Partners, M Ventures, AMD Ventures, Temasek Holdings, US Innovative Technology Fund, Porsche Automobil Holding and Koch Disruptive Technologies.
Investor
2020
Verge develops therapeutics for serious genetic diseases using human genomics and machine learning.
Verge Genomics uses machine learning and human genomics to accelerate drug discovery.
Raised $134,120,000.00 from Tenmile.
Investor
2017
Quantum Circuits is building revolutionary quantum computing systems using advanced superconducting technology. IP spun out of Yale University.
Quantum Circuits is developing and commercializing quantum computing technology that utilizes superconducting quantum circuits.
Raised $78,000,000.00 from F-Prime Capital, Tribeca Venture Partners, Fitz Gate Ventures, Hither Creek Ventures, Canaan Partners, Sequoia Capital, ARCH Venture Partners, IQT, Connecticut Innovations and OUP (Osage University Partners).