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Oshiomah Richard Odior

Early Stage VC at Zeal Capital Partners

New York City Metropolitan Area

Overview 

Oshiomah Richard Odior is a seasoned VC and tech ecosystem builder with a strong background in product strategy leadership. He has held key roles at various venture capital firms, including Zeal Capital Partners and Mercury, and has contributed to the growth and development of numerous startups through his investments and advisory positions. With an impressive educational background including an MBA from Northwestern University and London Business School, Odior has made significant contributions to the tech industry by investing in various stages of companies and sectors such as FinTech and SaaS. His roles as a Venture Partner at NextGen Venture Partners and as an Investor in Residence at Techstars highlight his expertise in driving innovation and growth within the startup ecosystem.

Work Experience 

ZC

Zeal Capital Partners

  • Early Stage VC

    2023 - Current

    Investing in early stage companies led by diverse management teams from Pre-seed to Series A and leading our investment strategy for our executive scout program developing the next wave of diverse check-writers.

M

Mercury

  • Venture Advisor

    2020

    Mercury is an early-stage venture capital firm. With over $600 million under management, Mercury focuses on software entrepreneurs and innovation originating in Middle America. Our investment themes target SaaS, Cloud, and Data Science/AI platforms that make the markets and industries of Middle America more competitive and efficient.

Mercury Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm.

mercuryfund.com
NV

NextGen Venture Partners

  • Venture Partner

    2020

    NextGen invests $1 million in seed stage companies and $2 million to $10 million in companies with more than $10 million in revenue.

NextGen Venture Partners invests in seed-stage companies with the participation of their venture partners.

nextgenvp.com
FC

First Close Partners

  • Limited Partner

    2021

    First Close Partners backs venture funds owned by underrepresented managers (“URMs”) -- especially to help them get to a “first close.

First Close Partners backs venture funds owned by underrepresented managers.

firstclosepartners.com
DV

Darkmode Ventures

  • Limited Partner

    2021

    Darkmode Ventures invests in early-stage startups specializing in developer platforms, AI/ML, and modern data stack

FF

Factor Fellowship

  • Advisory Board Member

    2023

    Built by New York’s leading VC firms, the Factor Fellowship connects top talent to startup careers. Together, we are building an innovation economy reflective of NYC’s diversity, hustle, and grit. https://www.factornyc.org/

NU

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

  • Course Leader - Product Strategy

    2020

    Course Leader for Kellogg Executive Education Product Strategy Course and B2B Marketing Course

CT

Cap Table Coalition

  • Investment Committee

    2021

    The Cap Table Coalition is made up of high-growth startups, VC firms, and emerging fund managers who want to work to close the racial wealth gap.

Cap Table Coalition creates investment opportunities for traditionally marginalized investors.

captablecoalition.com
Uo

University of Houston

  • Board of Advisors, Cougar Venture Fund

    2024

    The Cougar Venture Fund (CVF) is the early stage venture capital fund of the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business.

T

Techstars

  • Investor in Residence

    2020 - 2024

    Provide 1:1 guidance to founders with a primary focus on GTM Strategy, Product Strategy , Partnerships, Operations and Fundraising.

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.

techstars.com

Education 

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