Somersault Ventures is a specialized venture capital firm headquartered in San Francisco that seeks to uncover value in highly technical or overlooked "hidden" markets. Founded by a team of experienced operators and investors, the firm rejects mainstream venture trends in favor of a first-principles approach, focusing on sectors that generalist funds often find too niche or complex to scale. They position themselves as an early institutional partner for founders building defensible infrastructure in verticals where deep domain expertise is a prerequisite for entry. The firm is known for its selective investment pace and a strategy that prioritizes durable, long-term leadership over the pursuit of fleeting growth cycles.
In January 2026, Somersault Ventures announced the final closing of its inaugural $20 million vehicle. The fund attracted capital from a diverse base of several dozen limited partners, including global technology entrepreneurs and executives from major firms like Google, Nvidia, and Microsoft, as well as alumni from leading investment banks and consulting firms.
This dedicated seed-stage fund is designed to support a concentrated portfolio of approximately 25 to 30 startups across the United States and Europe. The capital is earmarked for founders solving fundamental problems in overlooked categories, with a particular emphasis on the UC Berkeley ecosystem, which has historically accounted for nearly half of the firm's early deployments.
Leadership
The firm was founded by General Partners Alex Turbanov and Alex Nevinskiy, who previously collaborated as angel investors before formalizing their partnership. Alex Turbanov brings over 15 years of experience in private markets and TMT banking, while Alex Nevinskiy’s venture background spans from hard science and biotech to automated B2B software.
They are joined by Venture Partner Julia Nechaieva, a former classmate of Turbanov at UC Berkeley Haas. Nechaieva brings over 15 years of product leadership experience from Google, YouTube, and Twitch, playing a critical role in the firm’s technical and product-focused due diligence.
Investment Strategy
Somersault Ventures employs a high-conviction investment strategy that favors deep, defensible verticals over broad horizontal opportunities.
They typically lead or participate in seed rounds with initial checks of up to $1 million, maintaining significant reserves of up to $3 million for follow-on participation in subsequent rounds. Their strategy is defined by "product genius" diligence, where they evaluate the founders' ability to create indispensable user experiences in complex markets.
By entering industries with low competition but meaningful upside, the firm aims to build a portfolio of companies that possess significant competitive moats and a clear path to market dominance.
Notable Investments
The firm has already deployed capital into several promising startups including:
Notable Exits
As Somersault Ventures officially closed its inaugural fund in early 2026 and began its primary deployment phase in 2023, there are currently no notable exits to report for the fund's portfolio.
Other
Somersault has a strong affinity for teams with ties to the UC Berkeley Haas ecosystem or those from Central and Eastern European (CEE) immigrant backgrounds.
Their lean, partner-led structure means founders receive direct operational support and product mentorship from leaders who have scaled products at some of the world's largest tech companies.
They are particularly valuable for entrepreneurs building in "unsexy" or high-friction categories that require a partner who values technical depth over immediate social proof or buzzwords.
United States
