What it is

Fortify Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2011 to give the DC startup ecosystem capital and operational support. It started as a generalist investor and has narrowed its focus to technology that improves human performance, backing products that measurably help people feel, function and perform better. The firm reports more than 40 investments, more than 10 exits and over 15 years of activity. Its Fund II began deploying GP capital in December 2024. General partners are Jamie Marraccini, Adam Fazackerley and Simon Rakoff.

What it invests in

Fortify's stated focus areas include metabolic health, sleep, stress, recovery, fertility, brain performance, mental health and clinically backed supplements, with an emphasis on consumer products where physical hardware meets software. It does not invest in biotech, pharma, medical devices, enterprise infrastructure or clinical workflow tools.

  • Stage: post-product but pre-product-market fit, typically pre-seed or seed.
  • Check size: first checks of $100K to $2M, with smaller explorer investments before deeper commitments.
  • What it looks for: founder quality, product clarity, commercial execution, and plans for distribution, retention and monetization from the start. Differentiated hardware is preferred; software is considered when tied to real behavior and data.
  • Round terms: it will lead or follow, but avoids rolling rounds without a defined milestone.

More is on the firm's about page and portfolio page.

Distilled Intelligence and earlier programs

Fortify organizes Distilled Intelligence, a three-day summit for early-stage startups, operators and investors. The third edition, DI 3.0, ran October 14 to 16, 2025 at Lansdowne Resort in Loudoun County, Virginia, with about 100 startups, more than 300 investors and over $1M in funding from Fortify. For founders, hotel and meals were covered. Earlier, Fortify ran The Fort, a DC incubator launched in 2012 with a first cohort of 17 companies, and an Investor Day showcase in 2013.

How to engage

Founders can submit a pitch through the firm's Pitch Us form or reach the team through the contact page. Watch the Distilled Intelligence site for future application windows.

Why it matters in the DMV ecosystem

Fortify has invested from DC since 2011, and its summit brings a large group of investors to Northern Virginia each year. For DMV founders building consumer health and performance products, it is a specialized source of first checks and investor introductions.