ff Venture Capital describes itself on its own homepage as a technology venture capital firm in New York City operating since 2008, and on its about page as "a global family of funds" investing across emerging industries with a stated focus on AI, Manufacturing, Energy, Robotics and Security. The firm states an initial investment of $300,000 to $700,000 for 8 to 10 percent of a company at a targeted post-money valuation under $10 million, says it leads rounds and takes board participation, and says it follows on through pre-money valuations of about $50 million. It states four investment criteria: fit with its thematic view, a path to a $100 million revenue run rate, industry expertise and ability to lead, and strong defensive moats. It says it invests in about 5 percent of the roughly 3,000 deals it reviews a year. Alongside capital it offers portfolio companies a platform team, a talent network, roundtable learning communities and access to what it calls its exclusive accounting firm, which it does not name. Its European operation, ffVC Europe, is based in Warsaw and funds Tech and Gaming companies from Series Seed through Series B with investments of PLN 1m to PLN 12m.
2008
John Frankel founds ff Venture Capital, according to his biography on the firm's own team page, which reads "He founded ff Venture Capital in 2008". The homepage carries the line "The most engaged technology venture capital firm in New York City since 2008."
2014
TechCrunch reports on 14 January 2014 that the firm's third fund, ff Rose, and a sister fund, ff Rose Innovate, total $52 million combined.
2016
TechCrunch reports on 5 May 2016 that the firm has raised $53.8 million for its fourth seed-stage venture fund; the Form D for ff Sapphire (IV) Venture Capital Fund, LP was filed the previous day, 4 May 2016.
2016
Form D filings are made for ff Select Opportunity Fund, L.P. on 1 June 2016 and for ff Graphite (V) Venture Capital Fund, L.P. on 30 November 2016.
2018
The Form D/A for ff Graphite (V) Venture Capital Fund, L.P., filed 30 November 2018, reports a $150,000,000 offering with $24,367,500 sold and a date of first sale of 3 January 2017.
2022
Form D for ff Burgundy Venture Capital Fund LP is filed on 27 January 2022, naming ff Venture Capital LLC as sole member of the general partner and John Frankel, Adam Plotkin and Alex Katz as members of the management company.
2022
Form D for ff Blue and Yellow Heritage Fund, L.P. is filed on 13 September 2022, with a D/A one year later; the general partner is ff Blue and Yellow Heritage Fund GP, LLC and the sole member of the general partner is ff Venture Capital LLC.
2023
The firm announces on 1 June 2023 that it has launched ff Red & White, a new 60 million euro fund for Series A and late seed investments in Central European enterprise startups across Germany, Austria, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary, backed by JBIC IG Partners, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Japanese multinational corporations.
2023
The firm opens its first Upstate New York office inside CenterState CEO's The Tech Garden in downtown Syracuse on 12 September 2023, as that location's first in-residence investor alongside the GENIUS NY accelerator; the announcement says the firm had already invested in two GENIUS NY companies, CivRobotics and CarScanner.