Future Perfect Ventures Research
Investment Thesis
Future Perfect Ventures (FPV) is one of the earliest dedicated blockchain and cryptocurrency venture capital funds, pioneering investments in decentralized technology since 2014. Founded by Jalak Jobanputra, FPV invests with the conviction that blockchain technology will fundamentally transform how value is transferred, particularly in emerging markets and underbanked regions. Rather than chasing hype cycles (notably avoiding the ICO bubble), FPV uses structured equity and protocol-value token approaches to build sustainable blockchain ecosystems.
The fund's core thesis centers on the transformative potential of decentralized technologies to democratize financial access and enable cross-border value transfer. FPV specifically targets opportunities at the intersection of blockchain adoption in emerging economies (Africa, India, Latin America) where traditional financial infrastructure gaps create opportunities for blockchain-native solutions.
Sector and Technology Focus
FPV's investment focus spans multiple sectors within the decentralized technology ecosystem:
Primary Sectors:
- Blockchain infrastructure and protocols
- Cryptocurrency and digital assets
- Financial services and fintech built on blockchain
- Supply chain and logistics using blockchain for transparency
- Identity and authentication solutions
- Cross-border payment systems
Technology Tags:
- Blockchain and cryptocurrency
- Distributed ledgers and consensus mechanisms
- Smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps)
- IoT (Internet of Things) integrated with blockchain
- Artificial Intelligence and machine learning for blockchain optimization
- Protocol-based token economics
Stage Focus
Future Perfect Ventures focuses primarily on early-stage companies:
- Pre-Seed: $500K-$2M for teams with novel blockchain concepts and initial prototypes
- Seed: $1M-$3M for companies with working products and initial adoption signals
- Series A: Selective investments in portfolio follow-ons and exceptional opportunities
The fund prefers to be among the first institutional investors and often leads seed rounds. Their investment approach emphasizes strong founding teams, defensible technical innovation, and clear value creation through decentralization.
Check Size and Investment Range
Typical investment checks: $500,000 - $5,000,000
- Pre-seed: $500K-$2M
- Seed: $1M-$3M
- Series A follow-ons: $2M-$5M or higher for exceptional portfolio companies
Based on available data, FPV's checkSizeMin is approximately $500K and checkSizeMax is approximately $5M, with most investments clustering in the $1M-$3M range for seed-stage companies.
Recent Investment Activity
FPV has maintained consistent investment activity through 2023-2025:
Notable Recent Investments:
- Capstack Technologies (Pre-Seed, July 2023) - $6M round
- Glystn (June 2023) - blockchain music/audio
- PYOR (May 2023, India)
Co-Investment Patterns: FPV regularly co-invests with networks including Gaingels, Selah Ventures, Uncorrelated Ventures, and Valor Equity Partners. Recent funding participation patterns suggest ongoing active deployment from current funds.
Portfolio Highlights
FPV's portfolio includes some of the blockchain industry's most established companies:
Protocol-Level Investments:
- The Graph Protocol - leading indexing protocol for blockchain data
- Bitcoin - early portfolio company (protocol)
- Solana - high-performance blockchain platform
- Blockchain.com - cryptocurrency wallet and exchange platform
Infrastructure and Services:
- Blockstream - Bitcoin sidechain and blockchain infrastructure
- The Muse - decentralized content platform
- BlockFills - blockchain-based settlement services
- Civic Technologies - decentralized identity solutions
- Everledger - blockchain supply chain transparency
Financial Services and Payments:
- Abra - cross-border cryptocurrency platform
- BitPesa - Africa-focused remittance and payments (now Africa's Exchange)
- Current - blockchain-based financial services
Venture-Backed Companies:
- Andela - developer talent platform with blockchain integration
- Maven - developer tools and services
- Carbon - enterprise blockchain solutions
Notable Exits and Achievements:
- Multiple portfolio companies have achieved unicorn status
- Successful exits through acquisitions and strategic partnerships
- Several portfolio companies are now major industry infrastructure providers
Team and Leadership
Jalak Jobanputra - Founder & Managing Partner
- Venture capitalist since 1999, active blockchain investor since 2013
- Early adopter of cryptocurrency who believed in blockchain's transformative potential
- Founded FPV in 2014 to capitalize on emerging decentralized technology trends
- Deep experience in technology, having been a Web 1.0 entrepreneur
- Born in Nairobi, Kenya; brings emerging market perspective to investing
- Has invested across US, India, Europe, Latin America, and Africa
- Recognized as a thought leader in crypto and blockchain venture investing
- Featured in Forbes' "50 Over 50" investment category (August 2024)
- Active speaker and advisor on venture capital trends and blockchain innovation
Notable Team Members & Advisors:
- Sarah Kunst - Venture partner (mid-2015+), expanded FPV's seed-stage investment activities
- Multiple advisors with backgrounds in blockchain development, product, and business
Geographic Focus
FPV's investment mandate emphasizes global reach with particular concentration in:
Primary Geographies:
- United States (especially tech hubs)
- Africa - primary focus for blockchain-enabled financial inclusion and emerging market opportunities
- India - significant investment focus for blockchain adoption and fintech
- Latin America - expansion efforts in payments, remittances, and financial services
- Europe - selective blockchain infrastructure investments
- Asia-Pacific - protocol and infrastructure investments
The geographic thesis reflects FPV's core belief that blockchain's highest impact comes from solving financial inclusion in underbanked markets where traditional infrastructure is limited.
Decision Process and Investment Philosophy
Decision Approach: FPV operates as a partnership-driven fund with Jalak Jobanputra and key advisors driving investment decisions. The partnership structure enables deep technical due diligence and strong founder engagement.
Decision Timeline: Typically 2-4 weeks from initial pitch to investment decision for promising opportunities, with faster decisions for referred entrepreneurs.
Investment Approach:
- Structured equity and token-based approaches
- Partnership with founders to build sustainable ecosystems
- Long-term view (10+ year horizon typical for venture investing)
- Technical due diligence emphasis given blockchain complexity
- Value creation through protocol design and tokenomics, not just equity ownership
Founder and Company Preferences
FPV seeks:
- Technical founders with deep blockchain and cryptography expertise
- Mission-aligned teams committed to decentralization and financial inclusion
- Clear value propositions that solve real problems via blockchain (not blockchain for its own sake)
- Global mindset with understanding of emerging markets
- Experienced teams with previous exits or shipping experience
Anti-preferences:
- Pure speculative token plays without underlying utility
- Blockchain solutions to non-problems
- Teams lacking technical depth
- Overreliance on hype cycles rather than fundamentals
Fund Status and Deployment
FPV continues to be actively deploying capital into blockchain and decentralized technology opportunities. The fund maintains consistent investment activity with deals closing throughout 2023-2025.
Fund Environment:
- Operating in a maturing crypto venture ecosystem (post-2017 ICO bubble lessons)
- Positioned as elder statesman among blockchain VCs (founded 2014)
- Leveraging extensive portfolio network and industry relationships
- Selective in deployment given macro crypto volatility and regulatory uncertainty
Notable Attributes and Differentiation
- Pioneering Status: One of the first dedicated blockchain VC funds (founded 2014)
- Bubble Avoidance: Successfully avoided ICO bubble by maintaining equity-based investment thesis
- Emerging Market Focus: Unique emphasis on blockchain's potential for financial inclusion in Africa, India, Latin America
- Protocol Investment: Deep protocol-level investments (Solana, The Graph, Bitcoin) alongside company investments
- Founder-Centric: Jalak Jobanputra's personal involvement in sourcing and decision-making
- Global Perspective: Founder's emerging market background informs geographic strategy
- Long-Term Conviction: Maintained focus on blockchain for 10+ years despite market cycles
Investment Activity Timeline
2014: Foundation of Future Perfect Ventures 2016-2017: ICO boom period - FPV notably maintains equity-only investment discipline 2018-2020: Institutional adoption phase - FPV focuses on protocol layer and infrastructure 2020-2023: Blockchain maturation - FPV invests across expanded ecosystem 2023-2025: Current deployment period with active investments in emerging markets and blockchain infrastructure
Summary
Future Perfect Ventures is a pioneering, founder-led venture capital fund focused on blockchain technology's potential to democratize financial access globally. With deep conviction in decentralized technologies and a commitment to emerging market opportunities, FPV has built a diverse portfolio spanning protocols, infrastructure, and financial services. The fund's 10+ year track record of maintaining investment thesis discipline through multiple market cycles demonstrates conviction and differentiated perspective in the volatile blockchain venture ecosystem.