Obvious Ventures, the venture capital firm started by Twitter and Medium co-founder Ev Williams, has raised a total of $77.7 million for its inaugural fund, Obvious Ventures I, according to a regulatory document filed today.
Obvious Ventures, which counts longtime tech entrepreneur James Joaquin and executive-turned-investor Vishal Vasishth as co-founders, was unveiled in December 2014 with the aim of investing in startups that could have a “sustainable positive impact” on the world.
(And if you’re getting the sense that history is repeating itself here, it kind of is — Obvious Ventures is the third entrepreneurial effort from Ev Williams with the word “obvious” in its name. If it ain’t broke, etc.)
As my colleague Ryan Lawler wrote a few months ago at the firm’s official launch, Obvious Ventures is focusing on funding startups across three main themes: “sustainable systems” such as technologies for conserving and maximizing natural resources; “people power” such as personal development and productivity software; and “healthy living” such as consumer-oriented fitness and well-being apps.
Obvious has already disclosed investments in a number of companies, including plant-based protein food company Beyond Meat, energy-efficiency startup Flux, augmented reality company Magic Leap, and next-generation HR software firm ZenPayroll, to name a few.
I’ve emailed Ev Williams for more details on Obvious Ventures’ future plans in light of the filing, and will be sure to report back with anything additional info I receive.