J2 Ventures, a rapidly growing venture-capital firm, announced a strategic investment from JPMorgan Chase & Co. as the first veteran led VC fund selected to be a part of the bank’s Project Spark Initiative, a national program aimed at providing capital to venture funds managed by emerging alternative managers that have served in the U.S. Military.
“One of the most meaningful things is that our co-investors are often just traditional top tier Silicon Valley Venture Capital firms, which signals a comfort with the government as a startup partner that we only see accelerating.”
“As part of our Project Spark initiative, we are fully committed to the representation of diverse managers in the alternatives industry and we’re excited to extend this to the Veteran VC community,” said Jamie Kramer, Project Spark Investment Committee Chairwoman and head of Alternative Solutions Group at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. “The J2 Ventures team is a dynamic duo with a compelling combination of investment, operating, and niche sector expertise. We are excited to see their success.”
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The J.P. Morgan funding comes following a standout year for J2 Ventures, founded in 2020 by U.S. Army veteran Alexander Harstrick and Jonathan Bronson, Ph.D. The firm secured their first dedicated capital raise less than a year ago and currently manages ~$100M. J2 Ventures’ focused mission is to invest in leading edge deep technology companies and help them scale in both the government and private sectors.
“We are proud to partner with J.P. Morgan and are thrilled by the confidence the organization has in our fund,” said Alexander Harstrick, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at J2 Ventures. “We have been squarely focused on creating a fund that harnesses the power of technology to tackle global issues like disparities in healthcare, supply chain management and security. The support from J.P. Morgan signals an exciting path forward for J2.”
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J2 Ventures launched after noticing a significant gap between traditional venture capital and technology startups who want to work with the military and government writ large. “The U.S. Government has provided critical support for the research and development of almost every major technological innovation going back to at least World War I,” said Jonathan Bronson, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Managing Partner of J2 Ventures. “Over the last decade this trend has only picked up steam. We knew we needed to create a fund that understood the value the U.S. government can provide to startups who are looking to build transformational technologies.”
J2 Ventures’ current fund includes a mix of prominent high-net-worth individuals as well as institutions across the United States. The firm’s investments include personal health wearable Oura Ring, emerging med-tech innovator Tasso Inc., fusion radar sensor maker Plato Systems as well as a variety of enviable startups that have already garnered significant government interest and funding. Mr. Harstrick further noted that “One of the most meaningful things is that our co-investors are often just traditional top tier Silicon Valley Venture Capital firms, which signals a comfort with the government as a startup partner that we only see accelerating.”
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