# Slater Technology Fund

> Slater Technology Fund is Rhode Island's largest and most active seed-stage venture investor - an evergreen, not-for-profit fund that has put $44 million into roughly 144 early-stage software, energy, and life-sciences companies since 2000. Those bets have pulled in more than $1.15 billion in follow-on private capital, produced 38 acquisitions and liquidity events, and generated over 10,000 person-years of local employment.

- **Founded:** 2000
- **Headquarters:** Providence, Rhode Island, United States
- **Founders:** Thorne Sparkman (Managing Director)
- **Team size:** ~24 employees (incl. advisors and board)
- **Products:** Seed & Early-Stage Investment, Founder Support & Advisory, Ecosystem Connection, SSBCI Capital Management
- **Notable:** Invested ~$44.1 million across ~144 Rhode Island startups since 2000, Companies attracted more than $1.15 billion in follow-on private capital, 38 acquisitions and liquidity events among portfolio companies

## Products & services

- **Seed & Early-Stage Investment** — Leads or co-invests in seed and early-stage technology ventures, particularly in software, energy, and life sciences, with a focus on university-affiliated and locally committed companies.
- **Founder Support & Advisory** — Partners with entrepreneurs to provide operating experience, perspective, and hands-on guidance beyond capital, drawing on a bench of venture advisors.
- **Ecosystem Connection** — Facilitates connections between founders, research institutions, and private investors through networking events and panel discussions.
- **SSBCI Capital Management** — Manages and allocates $12M of State Small Business Credit Initiative funding awarded to R.I. Commerce for venture development.

## Achievements

- Invested ~$44.1 million across ~144 Rhode Island startups since 2000
- Companies attracted more than $1.15 billion in follow-on private capital
- 38 acquisitions and liquidity events among portfolio companies
- Generated over 10,000 person-years (10,657 jobs cited) of local employment
- Slater-backed companies produced over $900 million in wages
- 60 university-affiliated companies funded (Brown, URI, NUWC)
- Recognized as Rhode Island's largest and most active seed-stage venture fund
- Awarded $12M by R.I. Commerce in 2023 to continue venture development

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Released a 25-Year Impact Report: $44.1M invested, $1.15B in follow-on capital, 38 exits, 10,657 jobs.
- **2026-03** — Managing Director Thorne Sparkman urged Rhode Island to increase support for the state's innovation economy (Boston Globe).
- **2024** — Combined record year: ~$2.3M into ten companies from Slater plus ~$1.4M from sister fund RightHill Ventures.
- **2023-09** — R.I. Commerce awarded Slater $12M to manage for venture development under SSBCI.

## Links

- Website: https://slaterfund.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/slater-technology-fund
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/slaterfund

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/slater-technology-fund
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-15