What we look for

We offer the following as a useful guide for entrepreneurs about what we look for in our investment process.

Tell a Compelling Story - Tell a story about how your company is effectively building an outstanding team, leveraging technology to create a highly attractive product or service, and taking advantage of changes in market and/or public sector forces.

Be Early (Not Seed) Stage – Be a company that has already produced a product/service, reached or achieved visibility to at least $1 million in annual revenues, and demonstrated the ability to use capital efficiently. We actively track but do not invest in companies that are short of these milestones.

Target High Growth & Returns – Focus on scalable, capital efficient business models that can effectively utilize venture capital financing to generate high levels of growth and high returns to investors.

Leverage & Measure Mission – Leverage your mission to create competitive advantages for your company (recruitment, marketing, partnerships) and clearly measure the economic, social and environmental value generated through the improvements your core products/services create.

Investment Process Overview

1. Place & Stage

  • US based (but can focus on global markets/problems)
  • early stage
  • post product
  • post revenue & <$25mm valuation

2. Selection

  • Outstanding team
  • Clear mission
  • Big market undergoing changes
  • Technology leveraged with capital efficiency
  • Clear growth/exit (sale, IPO)

3. Investment

  • $1-2mm first investment;$4-6mm over multiple rounds
  • Syndicate (CLC can lead or follow)
  • Board representation (Member or Observer)
  • Compact/Side letter (defines the mission, metrics, accountability systems and reporting to turn mission into competitive advantage)

4. Support

  • Goals set for for CLC’s value add
  • Active business development (across For profit, Nonprofit and Government)
  • Marketing/Distribution: leverage our network and tell the story to reach a wider community
  • Leadership Development/Support:Community / network: online and in person, “Leadership Advisory Network”
City Light Capital

News

ClimaCab Assets Sold to Crosspoint Solutions

The assets relating to the Climacab product produced by Glacier Bay were sold to Crosspoint Solutions LLC of Indianapolis IN for an undisclosed sum.  Glacier [...]

READ MORE

City Light Capital

Blog

Wireless Generation & Writer Express: “teacher developed content” brought to scale through acquistion of nonprofit education innovation

In October of 2009 a leading education company called Wireless Generation acquired the assets of a non-profit organization called the Writers Express (WEX).  http://www.wgen.net/assets/pdf/releases/2009/WEX_Announcement.pdf We at [...]

READ MORE

ImageSpan: ‘Visions of America: Photographing Democracy’

Portfolio

ImageSpan: ‘Visions of America: Photographing Democracy’

Online Photo-Historian Joseph Sohm selects ImageSpan LicenseStream to maximize the value of his portfolio including his new book, “Visions of America: Photographing Democracy”.

READ MORE

Personal Story: Bill Lyons, Venture Partner

People

Personal Story: Bill Lyons, Venture Partner

I am a Venture Partner at City Light Capital focused on our energy and the environment investment sector.  I have known Josh Cohen since before [...]

READ MORE