The Origin Story

In 2015, Krishna Visvanathan and Scott Sage set out on a “there’s got to be a better way” adventure. Their vision was simple but bold: to build a venture firm that would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with early-stage founders—not just as investors, but as true partners through the hardest and most defining moments of company building.

That idea became Crane.

Our values

Our values define how we work—with each other and with founders. They are not abstract statements, but behaviors you can see, feel, and point to in how we show up every day.

First to believe. Last to leave.

This isn’t a tagline—it’s our operating system. We back founders early and deeply. When the path gets hard, complicated, or even ugly, we lean in harder. We stay in the trenches through pivots, near-deaths, and breakout moments.

Unwavering Support. We commit from day one—backing founders and teammates with steadfast, hands-on support.

Going Beyond. We don’t just give advice; we work side-by-side to help navigate challenges and unlock solutions.

Completer–Finisher. We see every project through—no matter the obstacles, complications, or outcomes.

Genius knows no borders.

We believe in relentless clarity and bold thinking. We break problems into their simplest truths, reject easy answers, and raise the bar—then raise it again.

Relentless. “Good enough” isn’t in our vocabulary. We push ourselves, our founders, and our ideas further.

Persistent. When it gets tough, we don’t quit. We dig deeper until the job is done.

Creative. We challenge convention and turn fresh ideas into game-changing solutions.

Building blocks of the future.

We know the best growth is personal. When people stretch beyond their comfort zones, breakthroughs happen. We create space for founders and our team to evolve.

Growth Oriented. We push ourselves—and each other—toward personal growth as the foundation of collective success.

Curious. We never stop asking “why?”, “what if?”, and “imagine this.” Curiosity fuels insight and innovation.

Self-Aware. We reflect, adapt, and grow—because better awareness makes us better partners.

Human first.

Technology may change the world, but people shape it. We lead with empathy, honesty, and humility, creating a culture where everyone feels safe to be heard and bold enough to take risks.

Humbly Confident. Confidence rooted in humility—always delivered with empathy and respect.

Courageous. We face difficult truths and make bold choices, creating space for tough conversations and brave action.

Selfless. We put founders and teammates first, measuring our success by the growth and achievements of others.

What founders say

“Crane believed in us from the very beginning. They’re not just investors; they’re true partners — supporting us in GTM areas like sales strategy and key hiring decisions. They understand our business, see the big picture and have helped us to make critical decisions. Crane’s unwavering support is helping us build a category-defining company in AI data management.”

Eric Landau
Co-Founder & CEO

“Crane gets it—building something revolutionary requires bod, visionary backing. They’ve supported Gable not just financially, but strategically and operationally, enabling us to address fundamental gaps in data governance and quality.”

Chad Sanderson
Co-Founder & CEO

“From the outset, Crane aligned perfectly with Qovery‘s mission to empower developers. A big thanks to the Crane team — Qovery wouldn’t be where it is today without your strong operations and strateg ic support.”

Romaric Philogène
Co-Founder & CEO

“Crane invested in us at the earliest, riskiest stage, believing deeply in our mission of transforming identity security. Their deep cybersecurity expertise and strategic insights have accelerated our growth far beyond capital alone.”

Wes Mullins 
Founder & CEO

“As an early-stage founder tackling complex problems in brain healthcare, I needed a partner who believed deeply in our potential. Crane’s blend of technical acumen, strategic analysis, and relentless optimism made them the ideal investor from day one for CoMind and for my newest company, Flux.”

James Dacombe 
Founder & CEO

“Crane has been one of our most trusted advisors from day one. They have deep experience in building companies from zero and have been through the wringer. We feel comfortable to approach them when we need support, both in good and bad times. If you can get a term sheet from Crane, you should take it”

AW de Vries 
Co-founder

“Crane has been more than just an investor—they’ve been true partners in innovation. From the earliest days, they’ve provided strategic guidance, critical introductions, and non-stop support, helping Gigs build the operating system for mobile services.”

Dennis Bauer 
Co-founder, President

Backing brilliance — and building it together

GTM excellence

At the heart of Crane’s value-add is go-to-market excellence. More than capital, founders need clear positioning, sharp messaging, and repeatable sales motions to win. Crane brings this to life through the hands-on expertise of three world-class executives—Rav Dhaliwal, Ben Wright, and Richard Snee—who together bring decades of experience across companies of every shape and size. From messaging and marketing to sales and customer success, they help founders get to market—and stay there.

Building community & advisory networks

Ayala Ples leads Crane’s platform effort, creating the connective tissue that makes our community thrive. She builds meaningful bridges between our founders, curates opportunities with the broader external ecosystem, and drives our CXO and CISO advisory groups. The result: a dynamic community where knowledge flows, doors open, and founders have the right advisors in their corner at the right time.