Looking beyond convention:
How Maveron began

Who walks away from a managing director's position at one of Wall Street's leading investment banking firms—with no place in particular to go? In 1997, Dan Levitan did just that, leaving Schroder Wertheim & Co. to follow his heart and find a way to work more closely with entrepreneurs, whom he believes are "the real heroes in any successful business." After giving notice, he set off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

On the other side of the country, Howard Schultz had been busy building Starbucks into an iconic consumer brand. In 1991, Howard, then CEO, chose Dan to handle Starbucks' IPO, and a great friendship began. Howard noticed that when he and Dan talked about Starbucks' vision and commitment to employees and customers, Dan shared his values and passion. By 1993, the two men were investing together in consumer businesses. Two years later, Howard began asking Dan to come west and start a company. He could tell that Dan "was very much being seduced by the Northwest," and in 1997 Dan moved to Seattle.

Maveron was born in January of 1998. Within six months, the company raised $75 million. Today, Maveron manages close to $800 million in committed capital from a variety of financially savvy individuals and institutions.

Maveron's name was coined from the words "maverick" and "vision." The word "maverick" entered the American vocabulary courtesy of Sam Maverick, a 19th-century pioneer and statesman who lived in Texas. He won 300 head of cattle in a poker game, then broke with tradition by refusing to physically brand his herd. The result was that every steer on the range without a brand was known as a maverick. It was a bold move, and it took vision—both of which are prized at Maveron.

Looking beyond convention with the courage to create is the standard by which Maveron does business.

our approach

our beginnings