Who We Are
“Point of Sail” is a term used by sailors to describe a boat’s direction relative to the wind. Many entrepreneurs find themselves steering directly into headwinds of choppy capital markets with the need for value-add sources of growth capital. We help entrepreneurs accelerate growth and get to the windward side of their business with capital and operating expertise.
We are passionate about working closely with Founders, financing and operating companies built on values, purpose, and adding meaningful value beyond capital. We care about resiliency in entrepreneurship and profitable growth.
What We Do
At Wheelhouse, we’re a modern venture debt and private equity firm that knows your business deserves more than a check. Our partners have exceptional experience in venture lending, private equity, and deep operating digital marketing expertise.
We don’t just provide capital; we fuel your growth, right from the start, by leveraging our digital marketing prowess to help you accelerate your path to success.
“There is not a problem we have not either seen or caused in one of our own companies that you won’t encounter as you grow your business. ”
Unlike traditional venture debt firms that rely on financial engineering and terms to differentiate, Wheelhouse’s proprietary digital marketing capabilities in SEO, PR, Paid Search, and Data Science help our portfolio accelerate profitable growth.
How We Do It
We offer modern venture debt financing coupled with mentoring and digital marketing insights, playbooks, and (optional) direct services to help you accelerate growth. Our Partners not only have deep experience in Venture debt and private equity, but we own and operate our own companies and digital marketing agencies. We don’t mandate or arrogate how you run your business; we partner to help you scale.
What We Invest In
Modern Venture Debt Lending
Our lending strategy focuses on investing in companies with experienced management teams that prioritize growth through direct online channels in areas such as SaaS, fintech, direct-to-consumer, b2b2c, and e-commerce. Our emphasis is on the early identification of clear metrics leading to repeatable algorithms for growth, a second-order product-market fit, and a path to sustained profitability.
Own and Operate Investments
In addition to our venture debt strategy, we selectively invest and acquire companies that we own and operate. Our focus is on e-commerce companies with differentiated subscription products or services that may have expanded prematurely or lack digital marketing expertise to grow profitability. Many of these companies have an opportunity to scale in traditional channels.
For details about our investment process and operational involvement, get in touch with us.