Fundraising in Southern California can feel like surfing with no swell—hours of paddling, zero lift 🌊. You need an investor who not only writes a $2 M check but also brings brand, marketplace, and fintech pattern-recognition from PayPal to Dollar Shave Club 🛒. That operator-turned-VC is Jonathan Ebinger, the Boomerang Capital GP who still teaches founders at UCLA Anderson 🎓 and sits on the boards he funds. Landing him means more than money—it means a board-level co-pilot with two unicorns 🦄 and six exits under his belt.
Who Is Jonathan Ebinger and Why Founders Listen
Before he was a venture capitalist, Jonathan Ebinger was a founder himself—so he knows exactly how brutal early-stage startup life can be. 🧗♂️ From exits to IPOs to boardrooms, he’s walked the path founders dream about. Here’s why his name still echoes across the SoCal startup scene:
• 📈 Co-founded IMGIS and sold it—he’s pitched, sweated, exited.
• 🚗 Led early checks into Waze ($1.15 B exit) and PayPal (IPO).
• 🤝 General Partner at Boomerang Capital; ex-GP at BlueRun Ventures.
• 🪙 Active board seat holder at Jackpocket ($750 M DraftKings deal), Simplehuman and others.
• 🎓 Adjunct professor mentoring 200+ MBAs per year at UCLA Anderson.
Positioning: Jonathan Ebinger is the SoCal seed lead who pairs operator empathy with billion-dollar pattern-recognition.
Jonathan Ebinger’s Thesis — “Customer-Obsessed, Capital-Efficient”
Ebinger doesn’t chase hype—he bets on fundamentals. His investment thesis is built around one timeless idea: know your customer better than anyone else. If you’re scrappy, capital-conscious, and laser-focused on LTV, you’re speaking his language.
He sums up his strategy in one line: back scrappy founders who know their customer better than anyone.
Core pillars:
• 📦 Digitally native brands that convert storytelling into LTV.
• 📊 Marketplaces with clear unit economics, not growth-at-all-costs.
• 💳 Fintech infrastructure or consumer wallets where CAC<LTV by 3×.
• 📍 Southern California HQ but opportunistic when he sees PayPal-scale upside.
• 🪑 Board-level engagement to tighten focus and speed follow-on rounds.
Takeaway: If your deck screams customer insight + capital efficiency, you’re on Ebinger’s wavelength.
Angel Deal Terms at a Glance — Jonathan Ebinger’s Sweet Spot
Short version: he leads priced Seed/Series A rounds, $1-3 M, and likes taking the board chair 🪑.
| Stage | Typical Check | Favorite Sectors | Geography Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Seed | $1 M | Consumer, Fintech | SoCal first |
| Seed | $2 M avg | Marketplaces | SoCal + U.S. |
| Series A | Up to $3 M follow-on | SaaS edge cases | Opportunistic 🌎 |
| Takeaway: If you’re raising a priced Seed in LA, Jonathan Ebinger sits in the center of your market map. |
What Jonathan Ebinger Looks For (Beyond the Hype)
Ebinger’s bar is high—but not mysterious. He’s laser-focused on gritty founders who can stretch a dollar and know their customer like a best friend. If you want to catch his attention, your fundamentals better be sharper than your pitch deck design.
• 🧠 Founder-market fit: personal pain story, not academic curiosity.
• 💹 CAC vs. LTV fluency: you must quote payback months without notes.
• 💪 Grit & resilience: evidence you survived prior zero-budget sprints.
• 🌍 Large, growing market: >$1 B TAM with a wedge you can defend.
• 🪒 Capital efficiency: early proof you can stretch every dollar like Dollar Shave Club.
Inside Jonathan Ebinger’s Portfolio
He puts money where his thesis is—consumer love, marketplace lock-in and fintech spreads.
| Company | Sector | Round | Why It Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waze | Marketplace | Series A | User obsession + network effects 🚗 |
| Tula Skincare | D2C Brand | Seed | Digitally native, CAC discipline |
| Jackpocket | Fintech Marketplace | Series A | High LTV, regulated wedge 🎫 |
| Simplehuman | Consumer Hardware | Growth | Brand loyalty + efficiency |
| MikMak | SaaS for Commerce | Seed | Data insights on shopper journey |
| Takeaway: Study these deals; mirror the metrics that made them irresistible. |
Cold Outreach Playbook: Stand Out in Jonathan Ebinger’s Inbox
Subject: “UCLA grad cutting CAC in half for Gen-Z wallets—30 sec intro”
• 👋 1-line founder hook: who you are + why only you can solve this.
• 📉 1-line problem & staggering customer stat.
• 🚀 1-line traction: revenue, retention or wait-list numbers.
• 💼 1-line ask: “Raising $2 M Seed, room for lead & board seat.”
Skip the fluff—four killer lines + deck link earn a reply.
Life After the Wire: What Founders Actually Get
Ebinger isn’t the kind of investor who disappears after wiring the check. 🧾 He rolls up his sleeves, digs into the numbers, and helps you craft a strategy that attracts Series B interest before you even need it. Here’s what founders say they actually get when they bring him onto the cap table:
• 📊 Monthly board-caliber strategy sessions; he shows up with spreadsheets.
• 🔗 Warm intros to Greycroft, Upfront & Lerer Hippeau for Series B.
• 🎯 Talent pipeline from UCLA Anderson grads hungry for startup roles.
• 📣 Brand storytelling advice drawn from Dollar Shave Club’s playbook.
Anecdote: Jackpocket’s CEO credits Ebinger for “forcing us to unit-economics truth early—saved us millions before DraftKings called.” (Founders’ AMA, UCLA Anderson, 2024).
Red Flags That Make Jonathan Ebinger Ghost Your Round
Even the strongest deck won’t save you if you trip on the basics. Ebinger has a sharp radar for BS and misalignment—and once he ghosts, there’s no second shot. Here’s what makes him quietly close the tab:
• ❌ Can’t cite CAC or gross margin within 10 seconds.
• ❌ “We’ll figure out the customer later.”
• 🚫 Bloated headcount pre-product-market fit.
• 🌀 Vague “platform” tackling unrelated markets.
• 🌫️ No clear SoCal presence when claiming community advantage.
• 🧱 Refusal to consider a board seat for lead investor.
Takeaway: Know your numbers, love your customer, embrace accountability—or swipe left.
Final Thoughts: Jonathan Ebinger as Your Compass
Jonathan Ebinger embodies the operator-teacher-investor trifecta 💼🤝. He has fenced at near-Olympic level 🤺, scaled companies to billion-dollar exits 💰, and still blocks time to coach first-time founders 🎯. Secure a warm intro, show bulletproof unit economics, and highlight how you’ll obsess over the customer 🧠. Do that and a $2 M Seed check can boomerang into a board-level partnership that outlasts market cycles.
Ready to ride the SoCal swell 🌊 with a fencer’s precision? Jonathan Ebinger might just be the strategic compass 🧭 your venture needs—point it true and paddle hard.
