Drive Capital, a Columbus, Ohio-based venture capital firm, has achieved significant success after overcoming internal challenges, including a co-founder split. The firm recently returned $500 million to investors and boasts top-quartile fund performance with over 4x net returns on its most mature funds.
Drive Capital differentiates itself by focusing on companies outside Silicon Valley, investing in sectors often overlooked by coastal VCs, such as autonomous welding and next-generation dental insurance. This contrarian strategy has led to investments in successful companies like Duolingo and Vast Data.
The firm's success has validated Columbus as a growing tech hub, attracting attention from tech leaders like Peter Thiel, who are establishing new ventures in the area.