Great technology companies can emerge anywhere.
Mission
Building compelling technology companies in middle America.
Cloud-Based Software
Middle-America
Early Growth
We prefer to invest our initial capital once the company has achieved at least $1 million in annualized recurring revenue. This means better clarity on customer traction and the operating characteristics of the business. Having said that, most of our investments have come from pre-existing relationships, so we do like to get to know entrepreneurs early.
Companies
We invest where we can make a contribution.
In-platform automated operational reporting for the ServiceNow ecosystem.
- Poplar Ventures, LP
Inventory and warehouse management system for e-commerce.
Acquired by Linnworks in 2022.
- Poplar Ventures, LP
Healthcare revenue cycle management software.
Acquired by Bain Capital in 2017.
- Private Investment
- Learn More
Software testing and QA tools.
Acquired by Insight Venture Partners in 2017.
- Private Investment
- Learn More
Integrated enterprise marketing software.
Acquired by Teradata in 2011.
- Private Investment
- Learn More
Each of the above investments was made by John H. Willmoth, either as a private investor or as Managing Partner of Poplar Ventures, L.P.
Ethos
Roots
Small beginnings. Humble, hungry, and competitive. The belief that you can do something better, but that nothing is preordained and you have to work your tail off to achieve it. It’s those early experiences that guide you and become part of your culture. We value founders and entrepreneurs who are well grounded.
Authenticity
Execution
Tenacity
Adaptability
Never stop learning. Don’t assume that what works today will work tomorrow. And figure out what works best for your individual company. Not every industry is the same. Not every customer profile is the same. Some products are more complicated to build, sell, or deliver. Entrepreneurs bring different skill sets. We believe that every company should be treated on its own merits.
Team
John H. Willmoth
Founder and Managing Partner
John has over thirty years of corporate development and investment experience, including a long tenure as a senior executive at Nextel, over a dozen venture investments, and service on multiple corporate Boards. His investment experience spans seed, early, and growth stages for private, institutional, and corporate ventures.
Investment and Portfolio Support
Poplar Ventures’ has the support of a handful of Investment Advisory Partners who have direct experience with scaling growth stage technology based companies. These individuals are available to the core team for input on market conditions, investments, and portfolio company operations. Investment Advisory Partners are not employed by the firm and are not registered investment advisers.
Vik Chadha
Vik Chadha
Founder and CEO of Scalable Ventures, a firm investing in and creating innovative software products. Co-founder of GlowTouch Technologies and Backupify.
Michael Davis
Michael Davis
Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Appriss. Two time winner of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and 2019 inductee to the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.
Chris Joseph
Chris Joseph
Chairman of YuzeData and three time successful entrepreneur. Experience leading global software platforms and has served on multiple private equity backed Boards.
Jim Lacy
Jim Lacy
Operating Partner at New Mountain Capital. Experienced CFO, General Counsel, M&A, and Product focused executive working within high growth enterprise companies.
Greg Langdon
Greg Langdon
Experienced technology executive with a background in corporate and product strategy. Advisor and mentor to over 100 companies as part of three accelerator programs.
Chris Schremser
Chris Schremser
CTO of Waystar and predecessor Zirmed for two decades. Experience as the lead architect of a technology platform operating in a complex regulatory environment.
Doug Smith
Doug Smith
Senior Microsoft executive leading customer transformation to cloud services. Experience with AI, data center modernization, IoT, cloud application development and DevOps.
News
Capital In Kentucky via podcast by Middle Tech Podcast