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Learn which startups Bread and Butter Ventures invests in, what size check sizes they write, and who their partners are (e.g. Mary (Himinkool) Grove).
Bread and Butter Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing globally in seed-stage companies. It focuses on Food Tech, Health Tech, and Enterprise SaaS, backing innovators developing software and hardware solutions for critical economic sectors. The firm leverages Minnesota's corporate networks and industry insights to enhance portfolio growth.
Managing Partners Brett Brohl and Mary Grove co-founded the firm, recognizing Minnesota's innovation legacy and corporate ecosystem. Brohl, a seasoned entrepreneur, and Grove, from Google and Revolution, identified the region's unique strategic advantages. This insight led them to establish a venture platform, channeling local strengths into promising early-stage ventures.
The firm partners with entrepreneurs building foundational technologies within its core sectors, aiming for market transformation. Bread and Butter Ventures offers support beyond capital, connecting founders with industry resources and operational guidance. Its vision is to empower intelligent startup scaling, cultivating impactful solutions for critical economic backbone sectors.
Key people at Bread and Butter Ventures.
Bread & Butter Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Minnesota, known as the Bread and Butter State. The firm invests globally, focusing on technology-driven startups primarily in food technology, digital health, and enterprise software sectors. Their investment philosophy centers on backing companies that leverage software and hardware innovations to transform the food system (excluding consumer packaged goods), democratize access to quality healthcare through strong unit economics, and power enterprise businesses that drive economic growth and job creation. Bread & Butter Ventures actively supports founders post-investment by connecting them with industry networks and resources to scale their businesses[1][2][3].
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Bread & Butter Ventures leverages Minnesota’s dense concentration of Fortune 500 companies—including Target, 3M, General Mills, and Mayo Clinic—to gain insights into enterprise operations and customer pain points. The firm’s partners use this vantage point to help startups navigate complex decision-making and build relationships that facilitate adoption at scale. Over time, Bread & Butter Ventures has evolved to focus on sectors where Minnesota’s industrial strengths provide a competitive edge, such as food and agriculture technology, health tech, and enterprise software[1][2][5].
Bread & Butter Ventures rides the wave of digital transformation in traditional industries such as food production, healthcare, and enterprise operations. The timing is favorable due to increasing demand for tech-enabled solutions that improve efficiency, transparency, and accessibility in these sectors. Market forces such as supply chain disruptions, rising healthcare costs, and the need for sustainable food systems create fertile ground for innovation. By focusing on software and hardware that address these challenges, the firm influences the broader ecosystem by enabling startups to scale solutions that can reshape how food and healthcare systems operate globally[1][2].
Looking ahead, Bread & Butter Ventures is well-positioned to capitalize on ongoing trends in food tech, digital health, and enterprise software, especially as these sectors continue to integrate AI, data analytics, and automation. Their strong regional network combined with a global investment outlook suggests they will continue to identify and nurture startups that address critical industry pain points. The firm’s influence is likely to grow as it helps bridge the gap between innovative startups and large enterprise customers, fostering scalable solutions that drive systemic change in food and health industries.
This trajectory aligns with their mission to democratize access to quality care and build the future of enterprise systems, reinforcing their role as a key player in early-stage venture capital focused on impactful technology.
Key people at Bread and Butter Ventures.