RRE Ventures is an American

Venture capital Venture capital (VC) is a form of private equity financing provided by firms or funds to start-up company, startup, early-stage, and emerging companies, that have been deemed to have high growth potential or that have demonstrated high growth in ...

firm based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The firm primarily invests in

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

, series A and series B rounds and focuses on companies operating in the

software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

, communications,

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

, 3D printing and

financial services Financial services are service (economics), economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of tertiary sector of the economy, service sector activities, especially as concerns finan ...

sectors.

Background

Stuart Ellman and James D. Robinson IV were classmates at Harvard Business School where they came up with the idea of starting a venture capital firm. In 1994 they founded RRE Ventures with Robinson's father, James D. Robinson III who was the

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

and CEO of American Express from 1977 until his retirement in 1993. The name of the firm is derived from the first letter of each co-founder's surname. The firm focuses on investing in early stage companies. RRE has been a significant investor in Chinese companies. At one time RRE had made millions from a sale to Ping An Insurance but did not know how to get the proceeds out of China. Laughable suggestions included buying a large Diamond or bringing a duffel bag full of cash to Hong Kong to exchange for HKD. In the end, RRE set up two subsidiaries in Hong Kong and

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory, and the largest by population. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located so ...

as a solution. As of 2020, RRE ventures has raised $2 billion in capital. It has made over 400 investments across 26 states in the US and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

with over 60 exits. Notable investments include Business Insider, BuzzFeed, Datadog, Giphy and Venmo.

References

External links

www.rre.com
(Company Website) {{authority control American companies established in 1994 Financial services companies based in New York City Financial services companies established in 1994 Investment companies based in New York City Venture capital firms of the United States