1776 Ventures

Founded in 2013 by Donna Harris and Evan Burfield, 1776 Ventures was a venture capital firm and global incubator based in Washington, D.C. Its mission was to help startups in challenging, regulated sectors—such as education, energy, health, transportation, and smart cities—navigate complex regulatory hurdles and scale their businesses. The firm operated a network of campuses and ran the "Challenge Cup," a global pitch competition. In 2017, 1776 Ventures was acquired by Revolution LLC, the investment firm founded by Steve Case. In 2021, the entity merged with SEED SPOT, a non-profit organization that supports social impact entrepreneurs, effectively rebranding its operations under the SEED SPOT name.