Waldo Closes $225 Million Inaugural Fund to Partner with Founder-Led Technology Companies

NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Waldo, a New York–based investment firm, today announced the close of its $225 million inaugural fund, Waldo I. Waldo locates and invests in proven, early-growth stage software and tech-enabled services companies.

Waldo was built for an expanding set of technology founders: entrepreneurs building enduring companies with both ambition and intention. These businesses are grounded in strong fundamentals and real-world traction, poised to become scaled market leaders, all without relying on capital markets to define their success.

True to its name, Waldo proactively seeks out unique, hard-to-find companies. Waldo combines institutional rigor with a founder-first mindset, building its investment platform with next-generation data and technology in the same way modern founders build their businesses.

Waldo was founded by Managing Partners Jon Rosenbaum and Julie Effron, long-time collaborators since their undergraduate years at the University of Pennsylvania. Both bring more than a decade of investing experience, having built distinguished track records at Insight Partners and Elephant, including over 30 combined board roles. Julie also has firsthand founder experience, having co-founded ALICE, a hotel software company acquired by Expedia. These experiences shape Waldo’s focused approach to partnering with founders.

Waldo I is backed by a high-quality group of institutional investors with deep domain expertise, including foundations, fund of funds and multi-family offices. Many of these institutions, alongside founders and operators investing in the fund, have known the firm’s founders throughout their careers. The fund was raised on an accelerated timeline and was oversubscribed.

With its core team and foundation already in place, Waldo is partnering with exceptional founders globally, wherever they are building. 

About Waldo

Waldo is a New York-based investment firm that locates and invests in proven, early-growth stage software and tech-enabled services companies.

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SOURCE Waldo