We proved that mission-driven investments deliver superior returns.
Catamount was a hands-on partner that invested in markets we knew and loved: education, healthy living, and sustainability. We found that the more authentic the mission, the more customers related to the product, the more they repeat purchased, and the more the company thrived.
Our world-class entrepreneurs thrived by attracting top executive talent, leading value-add investors and outstanding partners.
About Catamount
Catamount Ventures invested in early-stage, mission-oriented companies with the potential to dominate categories. We took a leadership position in positive social change and the sustainable revolution, anticipating their powerful impact on world economies and global lifestyles. We managed four successful funds that produced outstanding historic returns.
Catamount Fund IV increasingly focused on education initiatives which led Jed to subsequently co-found Owl Ventures, now the largest venture capital firm in the world focused on the education technology market. Jed served as a managing director for Owl Funds I and II, and to date, the funds have invested in more than 50 companies internationally, reached 8,300 higher education institutions in 222 countries.
What we believed
We believed in the relentless pursuit of outstanding entrepreneurs and ideas, a disciplined approach to creating disruptive technology companies, and the continuous development of firm talent.
We believed in fair dealing and direct communication. We identified problems early, crafted solutions cooperatively, and implemented changes quickly and with compassion.
We believed in fostering long-term relationships with our partners, and because of our experience and judgment, we hoped to always be an entrepreneur’s first call for advice.
Our impact
Meet Jed Smith
Founder & Managing Director
Jed Smith founded Catamount Ventures in 2000, with four funds and over $200 million committed capital invested in over 45 companies. Subsequent to Catamount, Jed co-founded Owl Ventures, the world's premier education technology venture capital fund. Jed was Managing Director in the first two Owl funds, and the firm has now gone on to raise over $1 billion, investing in dozens of companies and giving millions of people access to education opportunities.
Giving back to those less fortunate and leveling the playing field by providing access to opportunities has been at the core of Jed's work. And he’s dedicated his career to supporting visionary entrepreneurs to build mission-driven businesses with lasting value.
Jed considers himself an entrepreneur first and an investor second. Before launching Catamount and Owl, Jed was the founder of drugstore.com (NASDAQ: DSCM) in 1997. Working out of the Kleiner Perkins offices, Jed learned from the best and partnered with Dave Whorton to launch the company. The drugstore.com board included the best of the best, including John Doerr, Brook Byers, Howard Schultz, Jeff Bezos and Melinda Gates.
Jed began his career in technology, working for Tom Siebel and, later, Marc Benioff at Oracle Corporation. After that, he co-founded and spent four years at Cybersmith, a retail store chain that showcased the latest advances in IT and multimedia software. He was also vice president of sales at Tribe Computer Works, a networking hardware and software company.
Jed has advised many private companies and currently serves on the boards of several Catamount-funded companies: Linden Lab, Banyan Water, Amour Vert, and Revolution Foods. He is also president of two family-owned businesses, the Brookline Booksmith and Wellfleet Market.
He’s served on the boards of education and non-profit institutions, including the Board of Trustees of Middlebury College, the Monterey Institute for International Studies, the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, and Shackleton Schools. In November 2022, Jed was elected to serve on the board of Marin Municipal Water District, where he will spend four years as a powerful steward of the District’s unique land and water needs.
Jed earned a BA from Middlebury College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in Mill Valley, California with his wife Caitlin and three amazing kids, Quinn, Annabel, and Lilah.
Mark Silverman joined Jed at Catamount in 2006 and serves as a Managing Director for Funds III & IV.
Our spirit animal: The Catamount
Like an entrepreneur, the Catamount strikes out alone, seeking its way in the face of constant challenges and harsh realities. Ultimately, by working in partnership with the environment, they don’t just survive—they thrive.
The Catamount symbolizes our company’s energy and ideology: collaboration, tenacity, a quiet strength, and deep respect for the world we share.