JD Vance, who on Monday was named Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election, has had a number of careers throughout his life. He currently serves as the junior Senator from Ohio. He has been a best-selling author. And once, briefly, he opted to try his luck as a venture capitalist.
Over the course of six years, Vance worked at three different VC firms, which wasn’t long enough to truly be a success or a failure in the job.
He started as a junior investor with the Peter Thiel-backed Mithril Capital in 2016, right after his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, was released. In 2017, he joined Revolution, a VC-firm cofounded by former AOL CEO Steve Case. (That company was born out of Case’s bus tour designed to highlight startup opportunities in the heartland of America and other non-Silicon Valley cities.)
And in 2020, JD Vance launched his own venture firm, called Narya Ventures, alongside Colin Greenspon. He stayed until 2022, when he decided to run for office. Before he left, though, Narya raised more than $93 million from investors including Thiel and Google’s Eric Schmidt.
Vance only served on one board during his time with the company—AppHarvest, a food production company operating indoor farming in Appalachia. The company went bankrupt in 2023, two years after Vance had left the board.
Overall, according to Pitchbook, Vance was listed as lead partner on nine deals: In 2018, he was an investor in Losant, an enterprise IoT platform; Engage Talent, a recruiting company; DemandJump, a marketing strategy company; Aatmunn, an industrial technology firm; Lumenari, a now-defunct materials discovery company; and The Minte, a housekeeping company that has since been acquired. The following year, he led deals in AppHarvest and Chassi, an AI firm.
While he’s no longer a venture capitalist, Vance has seemingly continued to invest in lots of companies. His financial disclosure report from the U.S. Senate shows holdings in more than 100 companies, including Anduril Industries (Palmer Luckey’s defense company), Peanut Butter Inc. (a student loan-assistance company), and sneaker-exchange company StockX.
Most of the investments are between $1,000 and $15,000 per company, though he had a larger stake (between $15,001 and $50,000) in four businesses—Memoir, a photo sharing app; Rumble, a rights-management video platform; biotech company Beren Therapeutics; and Hallow, maker of a prayer and meditation app.
Here’s a full list of the companies where Vance holds nonpublic stock, as of October 30, 2023, as taken from his financial disclosure report. There’s a wide variety of companies, from biotechs to apps to clothing-resale companies, though it’s unclear just how much of each he owns.
Investments of over $15,000
Beren Therapeutics P.B.C., Biotechnology company
Chapter, App developer – photo sharing
Hallow, App developer – meditation, prayer and sleep
Rumble, Rights management video platform (investment is between $115,000 and $300,000, according to the documents)
Investments of $15,000 or less
120 Water Audit, LLC, Water and wastewater program management and compliance
75F, Inc., Commercial building automation
8th Stage, Inc., Payment and ownership platform
Abartys Health LLC, Healthcare data management
AcreTrader, an online farmland investment company
ALTality, Inc., Immersive augmented reality technology
Americademy, Inc., Educational software design/development
AmplifyBio, LLC, a biotechnology company focusing on cell and gene therapies
Amplion, Inc., Precision medicine intelligence platform
Anduril Industries, Inc., National security hardware and software products
ANVL, Inc., Safety, quality, and operations data and insights
Atlas Space Operations, Communications and data services
Atomos Nuclear and Space Corporation, Orbital transfer vehicle development
Aurora Insights, Wireless industry data solutions
Back to the Roots, Organic food and gardening
BacklotCars, Auto dealer services
Bidr Inc., Fundraising auction platform
Bionaut Labs, LTD, Remote-controlled robotics development
Blokable, Inc., Vertically-integrated modular multifamily housing developer
Brace Software, Inc., Financial services software design and development
Branch Financial, Inc., Nondepository credit intermediation
CareAcademy.co, Inc., Online caregiver training provider
Caribu, Inc., Video calling app developer
Catalyst IT Services, Inc., Software engineering services
Chase Therapeutics Corporation, Early-stage, product-based specialty pharmaceuticals
Collective Hotels and Retreats, Inc., Experiential travel services
DeepConvo Inc., Voice-based telehealth interface developer
DemandJump Inc., Content marketing and attribution platform
Dispatchlt, Inc., Delivery management software developer
Edisun Microgrids, Inc., Energy storage technology developer
EIE Materials, Inc., Nanotechnology and LED phosphors
Energy Intelligence, Inc., Energy information services
Ethex Software Inc., Decentralized exchange
FiscalNote, Inc., Global policy and market intelligence information services
FlavorCloud, Inc., Cross-border inventory carrier network
Fluree, PBC, Software developer
Flytedesk Inc., Campus advertising network
Foxtrot Ventures, Incorporated, Mobile app developer
Freightwaves Inc., Logistics benchmarking, analytics, monitoring, and forecasting
FTC Holdings LLC, Travel and tourism services
Gathering, Inc., Financial services technology development
Global Uprising, PBC, Outdoor gear design and sales
Glow Technologies, Inc., Podcast membership marketing services
GoGuardian Holdings, Inc., Educational software developer
Gramercy Technologies, Inc., Software design and development
Guardhat, Inc., Intelligent safety system development
Hatch Technologies, Inc., Application software design and development
HealthCare Interactive, Inc., Online dementia care training, certification, and credentialing
Hermeus Corporation, Hypersonic aircraft developer
Huge Legal Technology Company, Inc., Trust and estate planning software developer
ICX Media, Inc., Video intelligence services
IdealSpot, Inc., Market research services
Immersive Tech, Inc., Virtual reality experience developer
Inscope Medical Solutions, Inc., Intubation technology developer
Insightin Health, Inc., Medical services technology developer
JMM Partners DE, Inc., Recruiting software developer
K4Connect, Inc., Healthcare software developer
Kidizen, Inc., Clothing resale platform
Kiswe Mobile Inc., Live-streaming technology developer
Kriya Therapies, a biotechnology company focusing on gene therapies
Ledger Investing, Inc., Online investing marketplace
LifeLoop, LLC, Assisted living community management software developer
LockerDome, Inc., AI technology developer
Losant loT, Inc., Internet technology developer
Lunar Labs, Inc., Mobile data services
Lynk Global, Inc., Satellite-to-mobile phone technology developer
MANTL, Inc., Workflow management and automation software developer
MCH Ventures, Inc., Healthcare software development
Medici Technologies, LLC, Sensor development and data analytics services
Megh Computing, Inc., Streaming analytics and AI acceleration development
Mend Tech, Inc., Mobile app development
Mint Apartment Cleaning, Inc., Housekeeping services provider
Mixtroz, LLC, Networking platform developer
Neighbor Storage, Inc., Peer-to-peer storage unit platform
Neighborhood Goods, Inc., Consumer goods retail – department store
NeoLight, LLC, Neonatal phototherapy system development
NeuScience, Inc., Cancer therapeutics development
Nickson, Inc., Home furniture rental
Off the Record, Inc., Legal technology platform developer
Ordway Labs, Inc., Billing and revenue automation software development
PartySlate, Inc., Digital event planning platform developer
PatientOne, Inc., Medical risk management
Peanut Butter, Inc., Student loan assistance services
Pop Biotechnologies, LLC, Liposome technology and nanomedicine development
POPS! Diabetes Care, Inc., Virtual healthcare platform development
Pryon Incorporated, Health and safety AI technology development
Qwick, Inc., On-demand food service staffing platform development
Raptor Acquisition Holdings, LLC, Merger, acquisition, corporate finance, and capital raising advisory services
Ready Responders, Inc., Virtual emergency healthcare services platform
Replica, Inc., Urban planning data platform
SaaS Industries, Inc., Accelerator process, toolchain, and software platform development
Scholly, Inc., Scholarship platform development
ShearShare, Inc., Salon and barbershop booth rental app developer
Sisu Global Health Inc., Medical device design and development
Slingshot Aerospace, Inc., Space simulation and analytics solutions
Smartwyre, Inc., Agricultural supply software development
Sole Power, LLC, Real time location and safety remote management platform development
Soundways, Inc., Recording, streaming, and gaming audio solutions developer
SparkCharge, Inc., Electric vehicle charging technology development
StockX, Inc., Online clothing reseller and marketplace
Stord, Inc., Cloud-based supply chain software development
Structural, Inc., Infrastructure repair and enhancement services provider
Summersalt, an online clothing retailer
Tap Projects, Inc., Computer software and app development
The Next One’s On Me, Inc., Digital gifting platform
Thrive Global Holdings, Inc., Wellness and performance solutions developer
Understory, Inc., Smart weather station microgrid development
Vemos, LLC, Event management platform development
Visage Enterprise, Inc., Financial services technology development – payroll
Waymark, Inc., Digital advertising and video production
We Quilt, Inc., Audio social wellness network developer
WealthForge Holdings, Inc., Alternative investment platform
WhyHotel, Inc., Hospitality services provider
WireWheel, Inc., Privacy and data protection platform development
World View Enterprises, Inc., Near-space technology application development
World Waters Holdings, LLC, Beverage manufacturing and distribution
Xendoo, Inc., Online bookkeeping and accounting services provider
ZenBusiness PBC, Business startup services provider
Zylo, Inc., Saas management platform development
Other investments
In addition to the above business investments, Vance holds positions in a number of public companies, including between $50,000 and $100,000 in Walmart. He also holds between $100,000 and $250,000 in gold and the same amount in Bitcoin.