Kristina Chapple w/ 11 Tribes | Investing in Founders, Not Just Companies

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Kristina Chapple has a refreshing take on startup funding that might just transform venture capital as we know it. Fresh from raising $46 million for 11 Tribes Ventures second fund, she's on a mission that extends far beyond traditional investment metrics.

While most VCs focus exclusively on financial outcomes, Kristina's team is pioneering a dual approach that places equal emphasis on what happens to the founders themselves. "What's the state of our founders' most precious relationships when they walk from their company?" she asks. "If they're married, are they still together with that spouse? If they have kids, do their kids know them? What's their health like—physical, mental, spiritual?" These questions reflect 11 Tribes' commitment to measuring and supporting what they call the "founder outcome," born from the team's personal experiences with the often devastating personal toll of entrepreneurship.

This isn't just feel-good investing—it's strategic. Kristina believes that by dedicating resources to founders' wellbeing, the financial outcomes naturally follow. Her fund targets companies positioned for exits in the $75-300 million range, deliberately seeking founders who have been "haunted by a problem" rather than those who simply spot market opportunities. And instead of concentrating in traditional tech hubs, 11 Tribes is bringing capital to overlooked ecosystems like Charleston, Atlanta, Nashville, and Tulsa, where committed entrepreneurs are building solutions to problems they deeply understand.

Kristina represents what she calls "a new wave of venture capital entering the market post-2020"—one that's more aligned with founders as whole people, not just vehicles for returns. For entrepreneurs who've worried that raising capital means sacrificing everything else, her approach offers a c

MPCC Business and Community Expo 9/18/25

Please join us for our 15th annual Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce Business and Community Expo, driven by Crews Subaru at the Omar Shrine Convention Center. 

New this year--a job fair, our Building Business Podcast will be live onsite, and more.

Don't miss out on the Super Bowl of Networking @ Omar Shrine 11:00 am - 5:00

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Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton,

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Art Director: Taylor Ion

CAMA President: Margaret Stypa
Score by: The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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