Slide Tackling the toughest market
challenges.
We are collaborative partners who actively ensure our entrepreneurs succeed, with a particular passion for funding businesses led by under-represented founders.

ABOUT US

We Invest In Clear, Disruptive Technology
Excelestar Ventures generally invests in strong teams that lead B2B companies- either in tech or medical devices- that has clear, disruptive technology. We believe that if a company is built on the foundation of solving a real market-problem, then the market-demand will eventually build great momentum.
We Are Passionate About Funding Women And Minority-led Companies​​​​
We are deeply committed to equality and justice. We have a strong commitment to investing in diverse teams because those are the teams that win. Our portfolio speaks for itself. Across Excelestar’s entire portfolio, 61% of our companies are minority-led and 50% are female-led.
We Invest In Dynamic Teams​​
While Excelestar Ventures does stay on course with its thesis, in specific cases, we will invest in companies off-thesis if the team is vibrant and impressive.
We Want To Be Your Partner​​​
We believe in partnering with our companies and being a true resource to our companies, especially in times of need. We will ask the hard questions, but be our companies’ greatest promoter when they need it.

OUR FOCUS

MEDTECH

We focus on investing in groundbreaking medical technology that changes lives.

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TECH

We focus on investing in innovative, disruptive technology that changes the game.

OUR DILIGENCE PROCESS IS OUR COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGE

Our diligence goes above and beyond, enabling us to feel confident about our investment decisions

Market Research

We analyze market size and the context of the current market, trying our best to understand whether the timing of the market's readiness is aligned with the timeline proposed by the company.

Primary Interviews

We speak with experts and customers in the field to understand the pain point. We make sure to understand how it is addressed by novel technology available and accessible to us.

Thorough Analysis

We craft a report reviewing the company and opportunity both qualitatively and quantitatively. Our analysis is pragmatic; categorizing the positives and risks of the deal, while ensuring that we mitigate the risks.

Investment and Beyond

We are thoughtful about choosing investments that are appropriate to the company's size and stage. Finally, we define our partnership and how we will support our portfolio companies beyond the initial investment.

PORTFOLIO

our team

Tasneem Dohadwala

Founding Partner

Tasneem previously worked in financial services on the sell-side at Lehman Brothers and at Matrix Partners. As Founding Partner of Excelestar Ventures, notable investments of hers are Augmenix (acq. by Boston Scientific), nVision (acq. by Boston Scientific), Conformal Medical, Diesel Labs, Instylla and Altiostar Networks.

She is also a Managing Partner of Golden Seeds.  She also contributed an essay, “Women and the Workplace,” to the book, Passion & Purpose: Stories from the Best and Brightest Young Business Leaders. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and Harvard Business School.

Tasneem has always been excited to further women leadership and women in business. Throughout her career, Tasneem has thought about the female experience; starting from being a young, active member of the Women of Lehman Brothers, then leading as President of Wellesley College Alumnae Boston (Wellesley College’s largest alumnae organization), and now finally being a Managing Director of Golden Seeds. She is passionately and deliberately mentoring and searching for female-led companies. She believes that investing in women is the best way to bring more women into leadership roles.

If she is not working, Tasneem is with her three children and husband. She is often seen at ice skating rinks, soccer fields and speech tournaments. She also is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Pike School, a Member on Wellesley College’s President’s Advisory Council, an Ambassador for the Wellesley College Albright Institute, Charter Member of TiE Boston, member of Brigham and Women’s Cancer Research and Care Advisory Board, member of the Phillips Academy Andover Development Board, and Head of Women’s organization of her local mosque community. Tasneem was named the Startup Boston’s Equity Champion winner and a Boston Business Journal Power 50: Movement Makers honoree.

Emily Giudice

PRINCIPAL

Emily is the Principal at Excelestar Ventures. She has worked for both venture-backed early stage and publicly traded digital health companies in operations and project management. She also has experience in analytics and economic consulting. Knowing that diverse companies are the most likely to succeed, she is passionate about finding, investing in and mentoring female and minority-led companies.

Emily has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Northwestern University and an MBA from MIT Sloan with a concentration in health care. While in business school she served as Capital Scholars for Flare Capital Partners. When she is not working, Emily is spending time with her daughters and husband, enjoying the outdoors and undertaking complicated cooking projects.

Winner of The Startup Boston Community Award

Tasneem Dohadwala, a founding partner at Excelestar Ventures, recently won a Startup Boston Community Award; created to connect entrepreneurs, startup employees, mentors, advisors, students, investors, and like-minded individuals to help them grow companies.

TASNEEM’S FEATURE ON BOSTINNO

Tasneem Dohadwala, a founding partner at Excelestar Ventures, is not letting national concerns about an economic downturn slow her down. Her Greater Boston firm is planning for another strong year and is still looking for new companies to back.

Dohadwala grew up in Reading and Andover and went on to attend Wellesley College and Harvard Business School for her MBA. She worked at Lehman Brothers and Matrix Partners before founding Excelestar in 2010.

Global Investment Opportunities in High-Growth Sectors

LATEST NEWS

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RAISING VENTURE CAPITAL IN A TIGHT ECONOMY

Venture capitalists put $68.4 billion to work in early-Stage investing in 2022, but the dollars are not flowing nearly as smoothly as they did in 2021.

WOMEN IN VENTURE CAPITAL PODCASTS

WOMEN IN VENTURE CAPITAL PODCASTS

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