Investing in Experienced Operators
Building the Future
Ciao Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Brooklyn, New York. We invest in exceptional founders at the inception, pre-seed, and seed stages.
Our thesis is that the best early-stage investments come from backing experienced startup operators who understand their markets deeply. We look for founders who paint an inspiring vision and execute with intentional velocity.
Capital is not intelligence constrained.
Rather, it is operator constrained.
About Ciao Capital
The word "ciao" comes from the Venetian phrase "schiavo vostro"—meaning "I'm at your service." This service-oriented ethos guides everything we do.
We aim to be one of the earliest investors into a startup, typically investing at inception, pre-seed, and seed stages. We partner with founders who have deep domain expertise and a clear understanding of their customer's needs.
Where We Invest
We focus on two areas where we have deep conviction and personal lived experience:
B2B SaaS & Applied AI. We back companies applying AI to real-economy problems (home services, trades, and SMBs) as well as software that makes professional services firms (investors, consultants, market researchers) more efficient.
Fintech & Marketplaces. We invest in the infrastructure powering underserved financial markets and the platforms enabling the $100T generational wealth transfer from Baby Boomers to tech-native Millennial and Gen Z inheritors.
Portfolio
Team
Jay Sehgal
Founder & Managing Partner
As an investor and operator, Jay has been involved in sourcing and supporting over 30 early-stage venture deals representing over $20M deployed across multiple sectors. He was most recently an Investor and the Chief of Staff at MetaProp (seed and growth investment firm), and previously worked at Ardent Venture Partners (pre-seed and seed VC investing in AI-native apps, vertical SaaS, B2B fintech) and Stripes Group (growth equity firm).
In addition to his investing background, Jay brings complementary experience in both management consulting and operating roles. Jay was a founding member of the Brooklyn office of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and started his career at AlphaSights, where he was instrumental in establishing and growing the U.S. business. Jay received his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and BA from Wake Forest University. He is a first-generation American originally from Pittsburgh, PA.
Contact
Whether you're a founder building something exceptional or an LP interested in our work, we'd love to hear from you.
Have a question or want to connect? Drop us a note below.
Building in Brooklyn, investing everywhere.
Ciao Management LLC © 2026
Nothing on this website constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Any such offer or solicitation will be made only by means of a confidential offering memorandum and in accordance with applicable securities laws. Past performance is not indicative of future results.