CHARLOTTE – Task Force X Capital, also known as TFX Capital, a Charlotte-headquartered, veteran-led venture capital firm, added a new venture partner to its team, and named four new strategic advisors.

Brent Blake is the firms newest venture partner, and he will also sit on the investment committee.  According to Blake’s LinkedIn profile, he is based in the Raleigh-Durham region.  Blake is also the founder and managing director of Valariti LLC, according to Blake’s LinkedIn profile.  The company is registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State, and was formed in February 2021, according to the filing.

“Many people I have met support the veteran community in spirit and stop there. TFX takes supporting service driven veteran leaders several magnitudes further,” said Blake in a statement.  “Being military veterans ourselves at TFX, we know the qualities of a veteran leader and we believe they have a unique pedigree that will enable them to persevere through start-up challenges and lead successful companies at a greater rate than traditional founders,” said Blake.

The managing partner of TFX Capital, Brandon Shelton, said in a statement that the firm’s strength is its people, and that adding Blake and four new individuals to its strategic advisory board was exciting as the company turns to its “next chapter.”

TFX Capital partner Kevin Eckert previously made the business case for investing in veteran-led startups in a column published on WRAL TechWire.  In a separate column, Shelton wrote that veteran entrepreneurs are prime candidates for entrepreneurial success.

The company website notes that it currently has 11 portfolio companies, with three exits, and zero “losses.”

Charlotte VC: ‘Veteran entrepreneurs are prime candidates for success’

Other additions

The firm also named four people to its strategic advisory board:

  • Rob Ackerman, general partner of Founder’s Equity Partners
  • Matt Bigge, general partner of Crosslink Capital
  • Brian Pope, vice president of corporate development at Passport
  • Heather Richman, founder of Defense Investor Network

“TFX Capital has been a reliable and trusted partner in the Defense Investors Network, and I’m excited to partner with them in this next phase of growth,” said Richman in a statement. “The team’s integrity, character and passion for investing for the right reasons is contagious.”

The venture capital firm recently launched a new website with a stated goal to “highlight recent success and job opportunities within its portfolio companies, and continue to articulate the importance of breaking down barriers to investment capital for high performing military and national security veteran entrepreneurs.”

Venture capitalist: Supporting veteran-led startups is a proven investment strategy