Zuma Ventures

Zuma Ventures operates as a venture studio, a model that distinguishes it from traditional venture capital firms. Established in 2014 by David Carter and Allen Hurff, the firm is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Carter, who serves as CEO, previously co-founded Amplify.LA, while CTO Hurff was the former EVP of engineering at Myspace. The studio's methodology involves conceptualizing and building companies internally, providing technical expertise, technology support, and initial staffing. This approach allows Zuma Ventures to develop ideas from concept to market-ready ventures without the constraints of a typical accelerator's class-based program.

The firm's investment focus is on early-stage companies across a variety of sectors, including consumer and internet services, security and analytics, finance, e-commerce, mobile, and media and entertainment. Rather than investing in external companies, Zuma Ventures builds its own, controlling the development process from the ground up. This 'movie studio' for startups model means they produce fewer companies but maintain deeper involvement in their creation and early-stage growth. The revenue model is based on the successful launch and eventual exit of these internally developed companies.

Since its inception, Zuma Ventures has developed several companies, including WiZR, a business and productivity software company, and Next Trucking, a logistics technology firm. The firm's strategy is to foster these startups until they are ready to operate independently. For instance, their portfolio has seen exits through acquisitions, such as the merger/acquisition of Next Trucking in February 2024.

Keywords: venture studio, startup development, internal incubation, early-stage investment, tech ventures, consumer internet, security analytics, e-commerce finance, mobile technology, media entertainment