# Blank Slate Ventures

> Blank Slate Ventures is a VC fund backing Software and E-Commerce. See 20 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Chattanooga, United States
- Total investments: 20
- Last investment: Jan 2021
- Lead investor: 10%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/blank-slate-ventures
- Website: http://blankslateventures.com/

Blank Slate Ventures is a seed fund designed specifically for pre-revenue startups in the Chattanooga region. They are looking to invest in teams of entrepreneurs who are building companies that have the potential to disrupt their respective industries.In June 2011, Blank Slate Ventures Fund 1's first investment was made in Quickcue, LLC.They helped the founder take his idea "off of a napkin" and turn it into a real business. In December 2013, Quickcue was sold to OpenTable, Inc.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Blank Slate Ventures. Shizune tracks 2 team members at Blank Slate Ventures. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/blank-slate-ventures?utm_source=investor_profile

## Round sizes

| Stage | Round size |
| --- | --- |
| Seed | $15k–$800k |

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Software | 4 | 20% |
| E-Commerce | 3 | 15% |
| Retail | 2 | 10% |
| Sports | 2 | 10% |
| Medical | 2 | 10% |

47 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed | 15 | 75% |
| Pre-Seed | 1 | 5% |
| Series A | 1 | 5% |
| Series B | 1 | 5% |
| Convertible Note | 1 | 5% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 14 | 70% |
| Canada | 1 | 5% |
| Argentina | 1 | 5% |
| New Zealand | 1 | 5% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lex Tarumianz | Co-Founder & Lead Investor | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/lex-tarumianz-f869 |
| Sheldon Grizzle | Managing Partner & Co-Founder | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sheldon-grizzle |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nilus | Nilus is an impact-driven company that aims to eradicate malnutrition by applying technology to deliver affordable and healthy food to low income people. Nilus is creating a new value chain for the base of the pyramid, based on food rescue, disintermediation and inclusive design. Our vision is to become the largest and most impactful food companyin the Americas, by servicing the more than 360 million people living in poverty. | $650K | Convertible Note | Jan 19, 2021 |  |
| Nilus | Nilus is an impact-driven company that aims to eradicate malnutrition by applying technology to deliver affordable and healthy food to low income people. Nilus is creating a new value chain for the base of the pyramid, based on food rescue, disintermediation and inclusive design. Our vision is to become the largest and most impactful food companyin the Americas, by servicing the more than 360 million people living in poverty. |  | Pre-Seed | Mar 01, 2020 |  |
| Escadrille | Escadrille is an apparel brand that offers a range of high-end cycling and lifestyle apparel items. Its apparel include jersey, aero suit, sorts, vest, and arm warmers that enable cyclists to get the prefect fit product and enjoy the ride. It was launched in January 2013 and is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. | $419.6K | Seed | Dec 31, 2014 |  |
| Advanced Catheter Therapies | Advanced Catheter Therapies, an early stage research and development medical device company, has a portfolio of innovative catheter technologies targeting vascular disease including thrombosis, inflammation, occlusions and restenosis. ACT is developing a revolutionary device for restenosis (re-blockage of blood vessels) and as well as catheters forendovascular debulking (clearing of blocked blood vessels). | $3.4M | Series B | Aug 20, 2014 |  |
| Rezli | Rezli is a content, media, and career-building platform that empowers people of all ages to turn their passion into a career. The platform helps users in building a digital resume or portfolio, sharing stories, and networking with others in the industry as they establish and pursue their dreams. | $800K | Seed | Aug 07, 2014 |  |
| DataFlyte | DataFlyte offers proprietary equipment reads and processes data from AMR-style meters from the air. Its utilities spend hundreds of man-hours collecting monthly meter data by car or truck. It was founded in 2014 and headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. | $600K | Seed | Aug 01, 2014 |  |
| ReadyCart | ReadyCart is a platform that enables creators, networks, agencies and retailers to generate incremental revenue through curated commerce. | $250K | Seed | May 02, 2014 |  |
| Rapid RMS | Rapid RMS is a comprehensive, cloud-based iPad point-of-sale system developed exclusively for liquor and convenience stores by a merchant like you so it’s hassle free, easy to use, inexpensive to operate and completely expandable – with free software upgrades for life! | $350K | Seed | Mar 12, 2014 |  |
| Variable | Variable creates portable colorimeters and spectrophotometers that provides the users with an easy way of color scanning. It creates a color-scanning tool called Color Muse, a colorimeter that provides the users with an easy way of color scanning. The company was founded by George Yu on Dec 7, 2009. | $1.4M | Series A | Feb 25, 2014 |  |
| Quickcue | Quickcue helps empower restaurants to deliver exceptional hospitality to every guest, every visit, and every time, through a powerful iPad-based platform that goes far beyond the operational benefits of managing a waitlist, reservation book, table assignment and guest notifications. Quickcue untethers guests from the lobby; captures specificguest service preferences and provides the host with valuable information that allows the restaurant to tailor every the dining experience.Quickcue’s platform allows hosts to offer their guests added convenience and provides managers and servers with context and insights not possible with paper, pencils or pagers. Insights the entire hospitality staff can use to surprise and delight. | $1.8M | Seed | Nov 01, 2012 |  |

10 of 20 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Chattanooga Renaissance Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/chattanooga-renaissance-fund) — VC Fund, 14 deals together
- [Solidus Company](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/solidus-company) — VC Fund, 8 deals together
- [Lamp Post Group](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/lamp-post-group) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [500 Global](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/500-startups) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Angel Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/angel-ventures-mexico) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Globivest](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/globivest) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

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## FAQ

### What does Blank Slate Ventures invest in?

Blank Slate Ventures invests primarily in Software, E-Commerce and Retail startups, most often at Seed and Pre-Seed stage. Most of the 20 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### What is Blank Slate Ventures's check size?

Blank Slate Ventures typically joins rounds of $15k–$800k at Seed. These ranges are 10th–90th percentile round sizes calculated from confirmed public funding rounds, so they are a realistic guide to the rounds Blank Slate Ventures participates in.

### How do I contact Blank Slate Ventures?

Public channels for Blank Slate Ventures include LinkedIn and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Blank Slate Ventures?

The team at Blank Slate Ventures includes Lex Tarumianz (Co-Founder & Lead Investor) and Sheldon Grizzle (Managing Partner & Co-Founder). The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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