# David Griest

> David Griest is a Series A investor at SJF Ventures (Seattle) backing Software and Logistics. See 15 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [SJF Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sjf-ventures)
- Location: Seattle, United States
- Total investments: 15
- Last investment: May 2025
- Lead investor: 60%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-griest-6334241

David Griest is a Series A investor at SJF Ventures in Seattle focused on Software and Logistics. David Griest is based out of Seattle, Washington and is the Managing Director of SJF Ventures. David previously worked at Croft & Bender as a Associate. David Griest attended the Yale School of Management.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Software | 4 | 27% |
| Logistics | 4 | 27% |
| Supply Chain Management | 4 | 27% |
| SaaS | 2 | 13% |
| Shipping | 2 | 13% |

29 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 8 | 53% |
| Series B | 2 | 13% |
| Series C | 2 | 13% |
| Series D | 1 | 7% |
| Funding Round | 1 | 7% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tradeverifyd | Tradeverifyd is an innovative AI-driven platform that automatically identifies and mitigates supply chain risks. | $4M | Series A | May 21, 2025 |  |
| Mercado Labs | Mercado is a supply chain company that features a cloud-based platform that helps businesses to connect to everyone involved in their supply chain. Its platform connects teams, business departments, suppliers, partners, and service providers. The company was founded in 2018 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. |  | Series A | Dec 16, 2021 |  |
| Perishable Shipping Solutions | Perishable Shipping Solutions provides pick & pack e-commerce order fulfillment services for food and beverage brands requiring temperature-controlled storage and shipping. PSS operates from bicoastal facilities; its offerings include environmentally responsible packaging and dedicated customer success teams. | $8.7M | Series A | Aug 19, 2020 |  |
| ShipMonk | ShipMonk offers direct-to-consumer fulfillment and technology tools for e-commerce companies. Its tools are intended to provide personal and attentive fulfillment and inventory management technologies for today's global economy, enabling small and midsized companies to focus on building their brand and achieving growth. It was founded in2014 and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. | $10M | Series A | Oct 29, 2018 |  |
| Novinium | Novinium maximizes the ROI of cable-reliability programs with rehabilitation solutions that result in less cable being replaced, reduce hazard exposure, require shorter outages, and offer up to a 40-year warranty. Whether performing turnkey rehabilitation or tailored rejuvenation, only Novinium, with its proprietary technology and processflexibility, delivers more rehabilitation at the lowest total cost per foot.Underground cable rejuvenation goes by several names, including chemical restoration, dielectric enhancement, cable treatment, and silicone injection. Whatever the name, Novinium and its partners deliver the most advanced formulations and methods for extending the reliable life of underground cable. They offer a full spectrum of cable-rejuvenation technologies to provide the highest level of circuit system reliability — always with the least capital intensity and the most advantageous life-cycle cost.All of the commercially significant cable-rejuvenation technologies in use around the world were invented by Novinium founders and their Novinium teammates. The Novinium team brings together the industry’s most experienced cable-rejuvenation specialists.That experience, combined with unrelenting process and technology improvements, means that circuit owners benefit from improved circuit reliability and the lowest capital cost. Their customers see immediate, tangible results: capital investments in their technologies have saved over US$1 billion globally, and that number grows every day.Circuit owners around the world have come to rely upon the rejuvenation technology and advancements invented by their experts. Only Novinium can offer circuit owners access to the most knowledgeable rehabilitation team in the world. Providing twice the life and twice the reliability for your cables, Novinium offers circuit owners a portfolio of injection fluids and injection processes that can be tailored to your needs. |  |  | Mar 24, 2015 |  |
| HYLA Mobile | HYLA Mobile is a provider of mobile device trade-in and reuse solutions it enables information access for new users. The company provides products and services that capture, extend and optimize the life and value of used mobile devices. It was founded in 2009 and headquartered in Farmers Branch, Texas. | $105M | Series C | Oct 28, 2013 |  |
| Optoro | Optoro is a technology company that connects a seamless online returns experience with efficient supply chain processing and resale. From providing an online portal to improve customer returns to technology that streamlines processing by routing inventory to its next best home, the company offers solutions for retailers and brands looking toimprove outcomes across all points in the returns process. | $7.5M | Series A | Jan 16, 2013 |  |
| Optoro | Optoro is a technology company that connects a seamless online returns experience with efficient supply chain processing and resale. From providing an online portal to improve customer returns to technology that streamlines processing by routing inventory to its next best home, the company offers solutions for retailers and brands looking toimprove outcomes across all points in the returns process. | $1.9M | Series A | Jan 21, 2011 |  |
| HYLA Mobile | HYLA Mobile is a provider of mobile device trade-in and reuse solutions it enables information access for new users. The company provides products and services that capture, extend and optimize the life and value of used mobile devices. It was founded in 2009 and headquartered in Farmers Branch, Texas. |  | Series A | Jun 24, 2010 |  |
| Rustic Crust | Rustic Crust is a New Hampshire based bakery specializing in all natural, Old World crusts and flatbreads that are as convenient as they are delicious. Founded in 1996 as Ever Better Eating, they offer a variety of ready-made crusts and frozen topped flatbread pizzas, each crafted with dough formed by hand, allowed to slowly ferment, doubleproofed, and baked in custom ovens for rich flavor. | $1.5M | Series B | Sep 25, 2007 |  |

10 of 15 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Grotech Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/grotech-ventures) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Supply Chain Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/supply-chain-vent) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [OPENAIR Equity Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/openair-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [QED Investors](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/qed-investors) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Chrysalis Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/chrysalis-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [FIRSTavenue](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/first-avenue-partners) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## About SJF Ventures

VC Fund · Durham, United States

SJF Ventures is a venture capital partnership with offices in Durham, New York and San Francisco. Through its investment funds, the firm provides equity financings from $1MM to $10MM, solo or in syndicates, to companies seeking growth capital.As a venture fund, SJF Ventures focuses on the resource efficiency, sustainability andtechnology-enhanced services sectors. Representative investment areas include efficiency and infrastructure, asset recovery including reuse and recycling, sustainable agriculture and food safety, health and wellness technology, education technology and digital media and marketing services.When assessing investment opportunities, SJF Ventures is highly selective in identifying teams, markets and business models that can achieve rapid sales, strong profitability, and premium exits. In addition, SJF looks to partner with entrepreneurs who are committed to positively impacting the world through the businesses that they are creating.

5 contacts available at SJF Ventures.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alan Kelley | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alan-kelley |
| David Griest | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/david-griest |
| Emma Sissman | Director, Portfolio Acceleration | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/emma-sissman |
| Jackie Lipkin | Principal | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/jackie-lipkin-56c4 |
| Rick Defieux | Co-Founder & Investment Committee Chair | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/rick-defieux |

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### Similar stage
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- [General Catalyst](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/general-catalyst-partners) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does David Griest invest in?

David Griest invests primarily in Software, Logistics and Supply Chain Management startups, most often at Series A and Series B stage. Most of the 15 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did David Griest last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for David Griest closed in May 2025. Shizune tracks 15 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### 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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