What is Gazelle Ventures?
A Fund Built for Tampa Bay
Gazelle Ventures is a community-powered venture fund designed to do two things at once:
generate venture-level returns and strengthen the Tampa Bay startup ecosystem.
We invest in high-growth, tech-enabled companies based in Tampa Bay and partner closely with founders as they scale. That means capital, yes, but also local hiring support, strategic guidance, and deep connections across the regional ecosystem.
We believe founders shouldn’t have to trade geography for growth. Our model is built to prove that staying local can be a competitive advantage.
Services
What is a Gazelle Company?
High-growth startups, or “gazelles”, are responsible for creating the majority of new jobs in the economy. These companies have the potential to become major employers, wealth creators, and anchors of long-term economic growth.
But in regions like ours, many of these companies face a familiar crossroads: when it’s time to raise capital, the funding often comes with pressure to relocate. As companies move, so do their teams, equity, and future upside.
The result is a cycle where promising startups are built locally, but the long-term benefits of their success accrue elsewhere.
Gazelle Ventures exists to break that cycle.
Local Advantage
We live here, we work here, and we’re deeply embedded in the ecosystem. That local presence gives us what distant funds simply don’t have:
- Better access to founders before rounds are competitive
- On-the-ground visibility into who’s actually executing
- Closer relationships with talent pipelines, universities, and corporate buyers
- A real understanding of cost structures, opportunities, and challenges
This creates a unique opportunity to build a venture fund that benefits from capital efficiency and strengthens the local economy.
Tampa Bay – The Next Breakout Venture Market
Tampa Bay is hitting an inflection point: real momentum, real deal flow, and a cost structure that improves capital efficiency. That combination is rare, and investable.
Forbes #1 Emerging Tech City
growth in advanced industry jobs
in start up capital raised
%
lower operating costs vs. NYC/SF
Strong Population & Business Growth
Tampa Bay continues to attract talent, founders, and operators who are choosing to build long-term careers here. That population growth fuels demand, strengthens teams, and creates a stable foundation for companies that want to grow without relocating.
A Rapidly Expanding Tech & Startup Ecosystem
The region’s startup ecosystem is maturing quickly with more founders, more support, and more attention. As the ecosystem deepens, companies can scale locally instead of being pushed to move elsewhere to find resources..
Lower Operating Costs Than Coastal Markets
Compared to traditional venture hubs,Tampa Bay offers significantly lower costs for talent, office space, and operations. That means longer runways, smarter capital efficiency, and the ability to scale teams locally instead of chasing expensive markets.
Lower burn + stronger community ties isn’t just “nice”, it’s a strategic advantage that can produce better outcomes.
For Investors
Gazelle Ventures is structured to align competitive venture performance with measurable local benefit, through local hiring requirements, accessible minimums, and deep ecosystem integration that strengthens deal flow and de-risks support.
Minimum investment: $25,000
Target fund size: $5–10M
Target performance: 20–25% IRR; 3–4x multiple (targets, not guarantees)
Why we win deals: local focus + ecosystem integration advantages
By investing locally, we believe we can improve outcomes, better access to founders, stronger follow-through, and aligned incentives between capital and community.
For Founders
We partner with Tampa Bay based founders building companies with the potential for sustained, high growth.