# John Shumate

> John Shumate is the founder, chairman and CEO of Venture First, a Louisville-based alternative investment and financial-services group. Based in Boston and also spending time in Louisville, he combines valuation, CFO and transaction work with fund investing, including general-partner roles at Whiskey Capital Finance Co. and Strike Ventures.

- **Role:** Founder, Chairman & CEO at Venture First
- **Organizations:** Venture First, Whiskey Capital Finance Co., Strike Ventures, bCatalyst, Dealer Trade Network, Untitled, Forecastr, G&G Fitness, Capture Higher Ed, Speed Art Museum, Francis Parker School
- **Education:** BS in Economics, concentrations in Finance and Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Founded Venture First in 2009., General partner at Whiskey Capital Finance Co. and Strike Ventures., 2019 Louisville Business First Most Admired CEO honoree.

## Career timeline

- **2009** — Established Venture First.
- **2016** — End of the six-year bootstrapped period he described in December 2017.
- **2017** — Reported raising capital to accelerate Venture First’s growth.
- **2018** — Whiskey Capital began lending to the American craft whiskey industry.
- **2019** — Recognized as a Louisville Business First Most Admired CEO honoree.
- **2023** — Venture First and TYP64 announced the acquisition of Scottsdale Construction Systems in December.
- **2024** — Published an April CEO letter describing Venture First’s hybrid services and investing approach.

## Achievements

- Founded Venture First in 2009.
- General partner at Whiskey Capital Finance Co. and Strike Ventures.
- 2019 Louisville Business First Most Admired CEO honoree.
- Has served on boards including Forecastr, Dealer Trade Network, Untitled, G&G Fitness and Capture Higher Ed.

## Latest updates

- **2024-04** — Published a CEO letter on Venture First’s financial-services and alternative-investment model.
- **2023-12** — Venture First and TYP64 announced the acquisition of Australian-based Scottsdale Construction Systems.

## Links

- Website: https://venturefirst.com/team/john-shumate/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shumate
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/schumate_john

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-shumate
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-09