Cortado Ventures

Cortado Ventures is an Oklahoma City-based early-stage venture firm focused on backing technology companies in the middle of the United States, particularly the Heartland and Mountain West regions. The firm’s positioning is regional rather than vertical, with a thesis that capital-efficient, less-trafficked geographies produce better risk-adjusted returns at seed and Series A. Cortado has invested across software, fintech, energy tech, and digital health, with healthcare exposure that includes care delivery, workflow software, and adjacent applied AI plays. Check sizes typically run $500K to $2M at seed with selective follow-on capacity into Series A. For healthcare AI founders, Cortado is a fit if you are headquartered in or building substantial operations across the central U.S. corridor, are at seed or just-pre-seed stage, and want a hands-on lead or strong co-lead investor familiar with the operating realities of non-coastal markets. The firm is less likely to be the right partner for biotech, regulated devices, or deep clinical research plays where coastal specialist capital is necessary, and U.S. coastal founders or international founders without a regional anchor will rarely fit. Cortado’s value-add is most credible around regional customer development, talent sourcing, and connecting founders to enterprise-and-health-system buyers in their home markets. Entry path is direct: LinkedIn outreach to the partners, the firm’s website inquiry form, or a warm intro from a portfolio CEO. Coming in with a clear articulation of why your company benefits from a Heartland headquarters thesis, rather than being there by accident, will dramatically improve conversion.