Reed Robinson / Groove Capital

Reed Robinson is the Co-founder and General Partner of Groove Capital, a $15.5 million pre-seed fund investing in Minnesota.

Reed’s path to VC started two decades ago when a college professor introduced him to venture. But it was a startup job he hated that actually set things in motion. He left to run Beta full-time, a Minnesota-based non-profit accelerator he’d co-founded years earlier. That experience gave him the foundation to launch Groove.

What makes Groove different isn’t just the Midwest focus. It’s Reed’s deep connections within Minnesota’s tech ecosystem. While others chase coastal deals, Reed doubled down on his home state.

Our conversation gets into why Minnesota matters. The state has the highest number of Fortune 500 companies per capita and reliably creates businesses that start small, solve big problems, and grow into global success stories. Healthcare, retail tech, fintech, sports tech. The variety is surprising. And deals are half the price of coastal markets.

Reed’s approach is humble and community-driven. He doesn’t try to be an expert in every field. He relies on a network of operators to support portfolio companies. He sends transparent monthly updates to his LPs. He’s built Groove as an extension of the relationships he’s developed over his career.

“I truly believe that relationships are one of the most important competitive advantages,” Reed says. “I realized I was in the middle of a very unique and special opportunity right here in Minnesota.”

Full episode below, or on Spotify / Apple Podcasts