Portfolio & Focus Areas
The five systems we are building toward.
We invest in the infrastructure of well-being across rural New England and the Midwest. Here is where we focus, and why.
Childcare & Aging Care
The care economy is collapsing at both ends. Childcare deserts strand working families; an aging population faces inadequate support at home and in community. We back founders building scalable, community-rooted models — from workforce development in care fields to new financing vehicles for care infrastructure — that treat care as the economic driver it is.
What we look for
- Founder is native to or deeply embedded in the community
- Clear theory of change with measurable community impact
- Financial model that does not depend on extraction
- Scalable through replication or network effects, not just growth
Archetypes we'd back
- A worker-owned childcare cooperative
- A capital stack builder for elder care facilities in rural communities
- A workforce development platform for care workers
Asset & Wealth Building
Wealth is built through ownership. Sonder VC backs models that move equity into the hands of communities that have been systematically excluded — from worker-owned enterprises to community land trusts, from shared-equity homeownership to new savings and investment products designed for people traditional finance ignores.
What we look for
- Founder is native to or deeply embedded in the community
- Clear theory of change with measurable community impact
- Financial model that does not depend on extraction
- Scalable through replication or network effects, not just growth
Archetypes we'd back
- A community land trust scaling shared-equity homeownership
- A CDFI-aligned savings product for first-generation wealth builders
- A worker buyout fund for retiring small business owners
Community-Driven Technology
The best technology for a community is built by and with that community. We invest in founders developing tools — civic tech, mutual aid platforms, local data infrastructure, cooperative digital systems — that serve people who have been left behind by platforms optimized for scale and extraction.
What we look for
- Founder is native to or deeply embedded in the community
- Clear theory of change with measurable community impact
- Financial model that does not depend on extraction
- Scalable through replication or network effects, not just growth
Archetypes we'd back
- A civic tech platform for participatory municipal budgeting
- A local data cooperative
- An open-source platform for rural mutual aid networks
Civic & Housing Innovation
The housing crisis is a governance crisis. Sonder VC backs founders reimagining how communities shelter themselves and make collective decisions: new models for community land ownership, anti-displacement tools, participatory governance platforms, and approaches to Heir's Properties and long-term stewardship of community assets.
What we look for
- Founder is native to or deeply embedded in the community
- Clear theory of change with measurable community impact
- Financial model that does not depend on extraction
- Scalable through replication or network effects, not just growth
Archetypes we'd back
- A Heir's Properties legal-financial platform
- An anti-displacement tech tool for community organizations
- A community-controlled housing trust infrastructure provider
Resilient Regional Industries
Rural New England and the Midwest run on industries that are too often overlooked: agriculture and food systems, sustainable forestry, local manufacturing, and regional supply chains. We back founders strengthening these economic foundations — creating jobs, keeping wealth local, and building industries that can weather the next disruption.
What we look for
- Founder is native to or deeply embedded in the community
- Clear theory of change with measurable community impact
- Financial model that does not depend on extraction
- Scalable through replication or network effects, not just growth
Archetypes we'd back
- A regional food hub with shared ownership
- A sustainable forestry management cooperative
- A rural supply chain resilience platform
Investments
Sonder VC is actively sourcing and evaluating investments in each of our five focus areas. As we close our first fund and make investments, portfolio companies will be featured here.
Interested in being considered? Get in touch →