en·tre·pre·neur [ahn-truh-pruh-nur, -noor; Fr. ahn-truh-pruh-nœr] noun: a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

Creating businesses from scratch is very hard work, and to do so successfully requires a unique mix of skills, industry knowledge, personality and perseverance.  We know because we’ve been there and done it.  
 
The entrepreneurs that Castile backs are unique people with widely diverse backgrounds, yet they share a common set of defining characteristics:

• A vision they desperately want to achieve: Vision and passion are not sufficient independent of each other; to make a start-up work they must work in concert with each other
• Unique insights: Whether it’s a cutting-edge technical breakthrough or an unanticipated market opportunity,  Castile’s entrepreneurs see things that others do not
• Charismatic personalities: Disruptive enterprises are not built by a single person; the best entrepreneurs surround themselves with world-class talent and galvanize a team to achieve what others cannot
• Toughness and aptitude to solve hard problems: By definition there will be bumps in the road; effective entrepreneurs know how to maneuver around them

Investment Criteria

We welcome the opportunity to work with people who match the characteristics above and have a great idea.  The criteria we seek in our investments include:

• Big, disruptive idea: We seek opportunities to build large companies that will be disruptive and make a significant market impact
• Markets we know:  We invest in areas where we create unfair advantage via our knowledge, connections and insights
• Core technology or IP that provide sustainable differentiation:  We seek businesses that have the staying power to become large, lasting enterprises
  
• Businesses where we can add value:  We work best in close partnership with our companies where we can fully leverage our collective expertise and resources
• Capital efficiency:  Investment candidates need to have the ability to reach profitability on less than $25 million of invested capital; we look to contribute $5 to 10 million
  
  

Other parameters that guide our investments include:

• Sectors: We invest in technology companies with a current focus on those creating enabling infrastructure for new classes of Internet-related businesses; our target market segments include broadband-enabled businesses, cloud computing and infrastructure, digital media and mobility
  
• Stage: We have a bias to invest in early-stage companies given that we add the most value at the formative stages of a company’s development; that said, we remain nimble to find the best opportunities
  
• Location: We invest primarily in major technology centers the US and the vast majority of our companies reside on either the East or West coasts

Submitting a Plan

Castile welcomes business plans in the form of executive summaries or investor presentations from entrepreneurs seeking funding for businesses within our area of focus. Every inquiry fitting our investment profile will receive a response. Email your information to plans@castileventures.com.