Fortson VC is a newly launched venture capital firm based in Seattle, Washington, focused on backing bold early-stage software founders. Officially spun out in 2025 from a family office-backed investment arm formerly known as Arnold Venture Group, Fortson is led by veteran tech investor Cole Younger, who has been deeply embedded in the Pacific Northwest startup ecosystem for years. With a strong emphasis on founder quality and product originality, Fortson aims to support the next wave of intelligent software companies - startups building products that anticipate user needs, operate with greater intelligence, and minimise friction in increasingly complex digital environments.
Fortson VC invests in early-stage B2B software startups, specifically targeting companies from pre-seed through Series A. While the firm is particularly committed to the Pacific Northwest as a geographic thesis, it remains open to investments across North America.
Fortson prioritizes founders who are non-traditional, high-variance thinkers - those who operate with strong internal conviction and are often overlooked by more conventional investors. The firm is especially drawn to software companies leveraging machine learning, systems thinking, and intuitive UX to create intelligent, adaptive tools for business users.
In 2025, Fortson VC announced the close of its $50 million debut fund, Fortson Gen I, which will be used to invest in a portfolio of 25 to 30 early-stage companies. The fund plans to deploy initial check sizes between $500,000 and $1 million, with room for follow-on participation in high-performing companies. The fund represents a continuation, and expansion, of Younger’s previous investing work under Arnold Venture Group, but Fortson now operates as a fully independent and standalone VC firm.
The fund will concentrate primarily on B2B software opportunities, especially those building category-defining products with high technical differentiation and strong founder-market fit. Younger sees Fortson’s edge in identifying and supporting "non-linear founders" - individuals who may not follow conventional paths but show extraordinary potential to build original, enduring companies. With its focus on backing outliers, Fortson Gen I is positioned to become a founder-first capital partner that leans into complexity, creativity, and conviction at the earliest stages of company formation.
Leadership
Fortson VC is led by Cole Younger, who began his investing career at Pacific Horizon Ventures and later founded Vintage Lane Venture Partners, an advisory firm focused on early-stage venture investing. He is well-known in the Seattle startup community and has previously backed companies such as SheerID, Copper Banking, and Easy Metrics. Younger brings both institutional investment experience and deep founder empathy to his role at Fortson.
Investment Strategy
Fortson’s investment strategy blends a regional focus with thematic conviction. The firm emphasizes software products that integrate intelligence - either through automation, predictive capabilities, or intuitive user design - into everyday workflows.
Fortson is committed to backing builders who create software that "adapts, anticipates, and reduces user friction," as Younger describes it. Rather than chasing buzzwords, the firm looks for long-term defensibility and founder obsession as key signals of future success.
Notable Investments
While still in its early days, Fortson VC has positioned itself as part of a growing wave of next-generation venture firms emerging in the Pacific Northwest, alongside players like Founders’ Co-op, Flying Fish, and Graham & Walker. Fortson brings to this ecosystem a sharp, founder-driven ethos and a commitment to original software thinking.
