"Tapad's growth would not be possible without Swell. They were with us since the beginning and played a critical strategic role in our growth and success. As investors with a powerful network — they helped us build a team comprised entirely of the top 1% of talent in the industry. Bottom line: they work hard, they work smart, and they get results. They're the best in the business."

Are Traasdahl, Crisp Founder & CEO
Tapad Founder & CEO / Acquired for $360M

“Swell is relentless when it comes to giving founders the edge. From my perspective of building a company to a strong exit, and as a venture investor, not all VC money is equivalent. Swell has a trained eye for finding and recognizing greatness in hiring, and I have seen their impact on early stage companies firsthand. They should be a go-to venture firm for any founder raising a Seed round.”

Geoff Judge, 24/7 Real Media Founder
(iNovia Capital, Former Partner)

“Swell is different. As both an entrepreneur and the founder of a VC firm, I know the importance of having the best partners with skin in the game. It’s priceless. No other VC combines investing and recruiting A-players like they do.”

Lewis Gersh, PebblePost, Founder & CEO
(Metamorphic Ventures, Founder)

“Swell VC is fully aligned with our growth strategy. Their recruiting game is top notch, they bring real value to the table.”

Michael Katz, mParticle, Founder & CEO

About

Swell Partners is a preseed and seed stage venture capital firm based in New York City that is obsessed with helping portfolio companies build world-class teams in order to give them the competitive edge.

Swell backs extraordinary founders building category-creating companies and gives them an unfair recruiting advantage. You can think of Swell as a next-gen venture firm with the DNA of a world-class talent agency. Early stage and founder-driven, Swell VC typically invests in preseed and seed stage companies across multiple sectors.

For the last decade, Swell VC founders Rusty Ralston and Jay Patil have played a key role in the expansion of the New York City tech ecosystem through their investments and startup recruiting practice.

Previously, as early employees of a venture-backed talent assessment machine learning startup, they learned the importance of recruiting and how a winning culture can determine the outcome of a company. With this serving as the foundation, Swell has solidified a track record of investing in and building some of New York City’s most recent success stories.

“You win with people” is not a cliche — it is the definition of Swell’s approach with founders and the core philosophy on shaping industry winners. Swell has established an elite talent network comprised of sales, business development, product, and marketing executives who have scaled startups from inception to acquisition and/or IPO. As the best candidates are never looking, Swell helps portfolio companies access top-performing talent that appears hidden or unavailable. Swell VC is a true partner and extension of the team that adds material value where founders need it most: people.