Start Fund

Start Fund functions as a multi-donor pooled fund, providing rapid, flexible humanitarian financing. It channels resources to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) addressing under-the-radar, small-to-medium crises, including chronic emergency spikes and anticipatory actions. This mechanism facilitates swift resource deployment, mitigating escalating humanitarian needs.

Established by the Start Network, the fund arose from a critical insight: traditional aid often lacked the speed and flexibility for rapidly evolving, smaller crises or proactive prevention. The Network created an agile, collaborative funding vehicle to bypass bureaucratic delays, enabling immediate responses and anticipating future needs.

Frontline local and international NGOs utilize Start Fund financing for urgent relief and preparedness activities. The organization envisions a humanitarian sector marked by effective, localized, and timely crisis responses. Its mission centers on empowering rapid, pre-emptive action, reducing suffering through a more adaptive aid model.

High-Level Overview

Start Fund is not a joint venture, but rather an innovative venture capital fund structure developed by Decile Group to democratize access to professional fund management for emerging managers, angel groups, accelerators, and domain experts. Its mission is to lower the barriers to entry for launching venture capital funds by streamlining legal, operational, and regulatory complexities, while embedding institutional-grade oversight and transparency. The investment philosophy centers on enabling managers to build legitimate track records by deploying capital across multiple startups—typically 8–12 portfolio companies per fund—across diverse sectors and stages. Start Fund’s impact on the startup ecosystem is significant: it empowers a broader range of investors to participate in early-stage funding, increases the flow of capital to innovative founders, and fosters a more inclusive and dynamic venture landscape.

Origin Story

Start Fund was created by Decile Group, a firm with deep experience in launching and supporting venture capital managers, having helped form over 600 funds through its VC Lab accelerator program. The structure emerged from Decile’s recognition that traditional fund formation was prohibitively expensive, complex, and slow—especially for first-time or smaller managers. By leveraging their operational expertise and feedback from hundreds of emerging managers, Decile designed Start Fund as a modern, single-entity solution that eliminates the need for the traditional three-entity structure (Fund, GP, ManCo). This innovation allows managers to focus on sourcing and supporting startups rather than navigating legal and administrative hurdles. Over time, Start Fund has evolved to serve a wide range of profiles—from angel groups seeking professionalization to domain experts monetizing their networks—while maintaining institutional credibility and regulatory compliance.

Core Differentiators

• Streamlined Structure: Operates as a single-entity fund, drastically reducing legal complexity, regulatory filings, and operational overhead compared to traditional VC funds.
• Accessibility: Enables managers to launch funds with lower capital requirements and accept smaller LP commitments (as low as $10,000), making venture investing more inclusive.
• Institutional Oversight: Embeds professional-grade investment committee oversight and transparent economics, ensuring credibility and alignment with best practices.
• Fund Continuity Guarantee: Unique safety feature that protects managers and LPs by ensuring fund continuity even if the manager exits or faces challenges.
• Flexibility & Portability: Designed for managers testing venture capital as a career or building a track record, with a clear pathway to evolve into a traditional fund structure as the manager scales.
• Operational Infrastructure: Provides comprehensive back-office support, including administration, compliance, and reporting, allowing managers to focus on investing.

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Start Fund is riding the trend of democratization in venture capital, where technology and operational innovation are breaking down historical barriers to entry. The timing is critical: as the startup ecosystem grows more global and diverse, there is increasing demand for new sources of capital and fresh perspectives in early-stage investing. Start Fund’s model aligns with the rise of micro-funds, angel syndicates, and domain-driven investing, enabling a wider array of talent to participate in venture. By lowering the cost and complexity of fund formation, Start Fund is helping to decentralize capital allocation, support underrepresented founders, and accelerate innovation across sectors. Its influence is evident in the growing number of emerging managers who are able to launch and scale funds that might otherwise have been impossible under traditional frameworks.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Start Fund is poised to play an increasingly central role in shaping the future of venture capital, particularly as the industry continues to evolve toward more accessible, transparent, and efficient models. As more managers seek to professionalize their investing activities and as LPs demand greater flexibility and lower minimums, Start Fund’s streamlined approach will likely become a standard for early-stage fund formation. The next phase may see further integration of technology—such as AI-driven portfolio management and enhanced investor reporting—as well as expansion into new geographies and asset classes. Ultimately, Start Fund’s influence will be measured not just by the number of funds it enables, but by the diversity of founders and ideas it helps bring to life. In a world where innovation is increasingly decentralized, Start Fund is a catalyst for a more open and dynamic startup ecosystem.