Gaingels
Venture capital firm investing alongside LGBTQ+ and allied founders/investors; participated in Solideon's oversubscribed $5M+ pre-seed round (July 2024).
A venture syndicate — not a traditional single-GP fund — legally headquartered in Burlington, VT (confirmed via ~90 SEC Form D filings from Gaingels-affiliated SPVs through July 2026; a visible New York presence via team/event branding led several directories to mislabel it NYC-headquartered). Co-founded in 2014 by David Beatty and Paul Grossinger as a small angel group, relaunched as a formal syndicate around 2016-2018; Managing Director Lorenzo Thione has been a public face of the firm's LGBTQIA+/allied-capital mandate. Pools a large network of accredited investors to co-invest deal-by-deal alongside lead VCs, placing network members into board/advisory/C-suite roles rather than acting as a passive check-writer. Reported cumulative deployment has grown from ~$100M across ~160 companies (2021) to $1B+ across 2,600+ rounds (as of a January 2026 report).
Overview
- Firm
- Gaingels
- Headquarters
- Burlington, VT
- Founded
- 2014
- AUM
- $1B+ deployed across 2,600+ investment rounds (as of Jan 2026, per aggregator reporting — not a traditional fund AUM since Gaingels operates as a syndicate)
- Stages
- Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth
- Thesis
- "Foster diversity and equity in the startup ecosystem by paying attention to where venture capital is coming from and who is writing the checks" (Managing Director Lorenzo Thione).
- X / Twitter
- x.com/gaingelsvc
- Website
- gaingels.com/
Portfolio companies2
Partners3
- FounderDavid BeattyCo-founder and Managing Partner of Gaingels, the LGBTQIA+-focused venture investment syndicate he built with Paul Grossinger starting in 2014.
- FounderPaul GrossingerCo-founder of Gaingels, the LGBTQIA+-focused venture investment syndicate, and a serial founder of earlier angel-investing vehicles including Blue Jay Syndicate and A-Level Capital.
- FounderLorenzo ThioneManaging Director of Gaingels; also a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and co-founder of Powerset (acquired by Microsoft, 2008).
Frequently asked
- What is Gaingels?
- "Foster diversity and equity in the startup ecosystem by paying attention to where venture capital is coming from and who is writing the checks" (Managing Director Lorenzo Thione).
- How much does Gaingels manage?
- Gaingels manages $1B+ deployed across 2,600+ investment rounds (as of Jan 2026, per aggregator reporting — not a traditional fund AUM since Gaingels operates as a syndicate) in assets, and was founded in 2014.
- What stages does Gaingels invest at?
- Gaingels invests at Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth.
Tags
Sources & citations2
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Gaingels fosters diversity and equity in the startup ecosystem by paying attention to where venture capital is coming from and who is writing the checks
Built In NYC: How Gaingels Is Fostering LGBTQ+ Representation in Venture CapitalVerified2026-08-09 - 2
Gaingels-affiliated SEC Form D filer lists its business address as 3 Main Street, Suite 214, Burlington, VT
SEC EDGAR: SEC EDGAR company search: GaingelsVerified2026-08-09