South Carolina might not be the Silicon Valley of the South, but don't underestimate it!
Between 2017 and 2022, SaaS companies in the state raised over $188 million across 94 deals, making it the most active tech sector in South Carolina. Startups like Sprockets, Tallo, and Cognito Forms are leading the charge, proving that innovation doesn't need a San Francisco ZIP code.
If you're building something great with a solid team and strong business model but lack the funding…
This guide is for you.
Let us share the list of the top 8 startup investors in South Carolina funding SaaS startups.
Discover The List of Top 8 Startup Investors in South Carolina (SaaS Special)
Here's a quick table to summarize the list:
Investor Name | Focused Sectors | Funding Stages | Notable Investments | Total Investments / Investment Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Financial services & fintech, productivity software, media/entertainment | Early-stage | Noonlight, FinLocker | 53 deals; ~$100,000 per investment | |
Cybersecurity, cloud/SaaS, enterprise software, financial services | Early-stage (idea phase) | CloudAspects | ~ $50,000 per investment | |
Healthcare, biotech, elder care, data/analytics, AI, SaaS/mobile tech | Early-stage | Signallamp Health, Tridiuum | Not publicly disclosed | |
Software & IT services, biotech, wireless comms, media/entertainment | Not specified | Not publicly disclosed | ~$200,000 per investment | |
Cloud computing/security, enterprise software, IT infrastructure | Early-stage | Threat Stack, Lovepop | Up to $250,000 per deal | |
AI, AR/VR, fintech, SaaS, digital media, automotive/agtech, IP-driven ventures | Early-stage | None publicly disclosed | $50,000 - $500,000 per investment | |
B2B software, healthcare tech, enterprise SaaS, marketing/analytics | Early-stage | QASymphony (Tricentis), Fattmerchant (Stax) | Not publicly disclosed | |
Software/PaaS, IT, user experience design | Early-stage | Givz, Grin, Pack Digital | Around $25,000 per investment |
Cliff Holekamp
Focused Sectors: Financial services and fintech (banking, insurance, retirement), software (productivity software), and media/entertainment
Present In: Greenville, South Carolina.
Notable Investments: Noonlight (personal safety app) and FinLocker (financial data platform)
Cliff Holekamp is a seasoned entrepreneur, educator, and venture capitalist, known for his pivotal role in shaping the startup ecosystem in the Midwest and Southeast United States.
In 2012, Holekamp co-founded Cultivation Capital, where he serves as Managing Director and General Partner. He also leads the Holekamp Seed Fund, which has made 53 deals across 51 portfolio startups.
When investing in SaaS companies, Holekamp prefers to invest in early-stage startups with scalable business models. He values companies that demonstrate innovation and are being led by founders who have 5-10 years of on-field experience.
The investment range of Cliff Holekamp is around $100,000.
Warren Patterson
Focused Sectors: Cybersecurity, cloud/SaaS and enterprise software (including accounting and customer service applications), and financial services
Present In: Charleston, South Carolina
Notable Investments: CloudAspects (enterprise cloud management solutions)
Warren Patterson is an angel investor based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a professional background in the energy and manufacturing sectors.
He currently serves as the Global Vice President of Enterprise Development at Worthington Enterprises.
As an angel investor, Patterson has shown interest in early-stage startups that are just starting with an idea. He likes to partner with founders who are passionate about their ideas and have deep market knowledge to scale the business.
The investment range of Warren Patterson is around $50,000.
Jason Smith
Focused Sectors: Healthcare and tech-enabled services (including biotechnology, elder care, health & wellness) as well as data/analytics, artificial intelligence, and SaaS/mobile technology
Present In: Charleston, South Carolina.
Notable Investments: Signallamp Health (chronic care management platform) and Tridiuum (behavioral health analytics startup)
Jason Smith is a seasoned investor and Partner at Sopris Capital, a venture capital firm specializing in healthcare and tech-enabled services. Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Smith has been instrumental in identifying and supporting innovative companies in sectors such as biotechnology
Smith prefers to invest in early-stage companies that have experienced management teams and innovative solutions that can drive positive outcomes in the health tech field.
His investment strategy involves not only providing capital but also offering strategic support to portfolio company executives.
Kenneth Carnesi
Focused Sectors: Software and IT services (including wireless communications and mobile tech), biotechnology, and media/entertainment (diverse tech-focused interests)
Present In: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Notable Investments: Not publicly disclosed. (Primarily known for founding tech companies in cybersecurity and wireless networking.
Kenneth Carnesi, Sr. is a seasoned executive and angel investor with a career spanning over five decades in international business, law, and technology.
Currently, he serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), and Director of Government Sales at Anaptyx LLC
Carnesi's investment interests are diverse, focusing on sectors such as information technology, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and emerging markets. In the SaaS sector, he has a keen eye for businesses that are dealing in low-competition markets and can easily accelerate their services with the funding.
The investment range of Kenneth Carnesi is around $200,000.
Brian Ahern
Focused Sectors: Cloud computing and security (enterprise software, compliance, network security), and other information technology infrastructure
Present In: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Notable Investments: Threat Stack (cloud security firm) and Lovepop (3D card e-commerce startup)
Brian Ahern is a seasoned cybersecurity executive and active angel investor based in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
With decades of experience in enterprise security and cloud infrastructure, Ahern brings both capital and strategic insight to early-stage startups.
His investment interests focus primarily on cybersecurity, enterprise software, and cloud-native technologies. Ahern looks for companies led by technically strong teams solving high-impact problems, with an emphasis on long-term scalability and environmental or ethical considerations
He typically invests up to $250,000 per deal and often takes an advisory or board role to help guide strategic decisions.
Daniel Drolet
Focused Sectors: Broad-based technology and innovation sectors – e.g. artificial intelligence (AI), AR/VR, fintech/payments, SaaS, digital media, and automotive/agtech – with a focus on intellectual property-driven ventures
Present In: Charleston, South Carolina
Notable Investments: None publicly disclosed. (Focuses on patent and IP asset investments through Liquidax Capital.)
Daniel A. Drolet is a seasoned entrepreneur and angel investor based in Charleston, South Carolina, with a strong focus on intellectual property (IP) commercialization and deep-tech innovation. When funding startups, Daniel focuses on two major aspects of a business.
1. Profitability 2. Impact
As a venture capitalist, he looks for early-stage SaaS businesses that are solving a problem. Daniel is also known for following up after his initial investments and guiding startups throughout their business journeys.
The investment range of Daniel Drolet lies between $50,000 to $500,000.
Amy McCullough
Focused Sectors: B2B software and tech-enabled services, especially healthcare technology, enterprise software/SaaS, and marketing/analytics platforms
Present In: Charleston, South Carolina
Notable Investments: QASymphony (enterprise QA software, now Tricentis) and Fattmerchant (payment tech, now Stax)
Amy McCullough is also a seasoned venture capitalist and angel investor based in Charleston, South Carolina. As Managing Director at Trilogy Equity Partners, she focuses on early-stage investments in sectors such as B2C SaaS and enterprise software.
McCullough usually invests in startups by attending different fundraisers or startup events. She looks for promising businesses that can generate high revenue and have a solid business plan.
Dylan W. (Dylan Whitman)
Focused Sectors: Software and platform services (PaaS), information technology, and user experience design for digital products
Present In: Greenville, South Carolina
Notable Investments: Givz (donation-based marketing platform), Grin (influencer marketing SaaS), and Pack Digital (e-commerce software)
Dylan Whitman is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with a strong background in e-commerce and technology. He is the co-founder of Inveterate, a company focused on enhancing customer loyalty programs for e-commerce brands.
When investing in startups, Whitman believes in investing in high-growth SaaS startups that are building sustainable tech. He usually invests at the early stages of a business, with most check sizes being around $25,000.
Wrap-Up
South Carolina may not yet rival the traditional tech hubs, but it's rapidly proving itself as fertile ground for SaaS innovation.
With the state's growing pool of angel investors and founders coming in with groundbreaking ideas every day, SC is up for a tech revolution.
Question: Is your business going to be a part of it?
If the answer is Yes, then upload your pitch deck to the drive, and start sending cold emails to the shortlisted investors today!
