The out-of-office replies are winding down. Calendars are filling back up. That conversation we said we’d revisit “after summer”? It’s time.
Welcome to September.
At DVRGNT Ventures, we’re heading into fall with a clear focus: paying closer attention to where founders are building, what they understand about their markets, and how we can help more people discover their work.
This month, we have two places to direct that attention: the new Great 38™ website and the Borderless Pitch Contest.
A new home for The Great 38™
We’re excited to share the new Great 38™ website.
The Great 38™ is central to how DVRGNT thinks about opportunity: looking across the South, Midwest, Mountain West, and Southwest for founders, markets, and regional strengths that deserve closer attention. Our investment lens centers on proximity to real problems, customer demand, and the insight a founder brings from working inside a market. Explore DVRGNT’s thesis.
As you plan the months ahead, we invite you to spend some time with The Great 38™. Bring it into your conversations with founders, colleagues, and ecosystem partners. Ask what becomes visible when you look more closely at a region—and who you should meet there.
For founders, that might mean putting your local knowledge at the center of your story. For investors and operators, it might mean making room for a company or community outside your usual network.
Visit the new Great 38™ website
Founders: check out the Borderless Pitch Contest
If you’re building a venture and thinking about how to tell its story, put Borderless on your radar.
The Borderless Pitch Contest is designed for early-stage founders and teams building across markets, communities, and categories. It offers a setting to present a venture, receive strategic feedback, and connect with investors, mentors, and fellow builders. The published pitch dates are October 12–13, 2026. See the contest details.
Our invitation this month is simple: explore the contest, learn how it works, and share it with a founder who should know about it. Visit the site for the published timeline and any updates.
As you look, consider your own story: What problem are you solving? Who needs your solution? What have you learned from the people you serve? What support would help you take the next step?
Explore the Borderless Pitch Contest
OGs & LPs: Start LA Tech Week with a Real Conversation
As we head back into a season of building and reconnecting, join us for OGs & LPs, an opening gathering for LA Tech Week 2026 in Venice Beach.
We’re bringing together founders, funders, LP-adjacent stakeholders, and community-facing operators for a rooftop-and-suites experience centered on thoughtful conversation and intentional connection.
Expect curated conversations across capital, culture, and company-building, alongside live programming, our barber-chair interview series, and dedicated photo moments. The setting makes room to settle into a conversation, exchange perspectives, and explore where a relationship could lead.
Come with something you’re building, a question you’re working through, or someone you’d like to meet. We’re creating a room where those conversations have space to grow.
Join us at OGs & LPs on Tuesday, Oct 13th 6-9pm PT
Take one conversation forward
September is a good moment to follow through. Reconnect with the founder you met this summer. Make the introduction you’ve been meaning to make. Take a closer look at a market you’ve wanted to understand.
Start with The Great 38™. Share Borderless with a builder. Give one promising conversation a concrete next step.
Welcome back. Let’s get to work.
— The DVRGNT Ventures Team