Mode VC
John Borthwick

John Borthwick

Managing Partner atBetaworks VenturesNew York
LinkedIn X Betaworks Ventures websiteFirm profile

John Borthwick is the founder and CEO of betaworks, a New York startup platform. He has led the company since 2008 and previously held roles at Time Warner and Fotolog.

What John can write

Writes checks of$250K to $1M
Comes in atPre-seed, SeedCan lead the round
Pitch pageSubmit on their siteThe firm asks founders to apply here.

Betaworks Ventures writes $250K to $1M checks, larger than 33% of firms in the atlas.

Bars: how many firms report each check band. Highlighted: Betaworks Ventures.

Career

  1. Fotolog · CEO
  2. Time Warner · CTO, SVP of Technology
  3. betaworks · Founder and CEO
    Now
  4. Time Warner · SVP of Technology
  5. Betaworks Ventures · Managing Partner
    Now

Companies founded

betaworks

Investments named in public bios

TwitterTumblrKickstarterMediumAnchorGimletHugging FaceGranolaThe Browser CompanySandbarResemble.aiGiphyDotsbitlyTweetdeckChartbeat

Focus

early-stage consumer technologymachine learningventure studioacceleratorconsumer technologyAI

Education

Wharton, MBAWesleyan University, BA in Economics

Also at Betaworks Ventures

Jordan CrookPartner

Partners like John

At firms with a similar stage, sector and check size.

Brian StaffordPartner / Founder, Blue Collective
Prerna Sharma
Prerna SharmaGeneral Partner, Antler
Brett Martin
Brett MartinPartner, Charge Ventures
Alex Katz
Alex KatzPartner, ff Venture Capital
Arjun MalhotraPartner, Good Capital
Michael PalmerGeneral Partner, Great Wave Ventures

Alert me when Betaworks Ventures is active

One email when John's firm raises a fund, adds a partner or shows new activity.

Founders and investors at a Mode VC gathering

Send Mode VC your deck

Raising a pre-seed or seed round? We write $1M to $5M first checks and help founders with distribution. A partner reads every deck.

Send your deck

Questions

Who is John Borthwick?

John Borthwick is the founder and CEO of betaworks, a New York startup platform. He has led the company since 2008 and previously held roles at Time Warner and Fotolog.

How much does John Borthwick invest?

John Borthwick invests through Betaworks Ventures, which writes checks of $250K to $1M at pre-seed, seed.

How do I pitch John Borthwick?

A warm intro from a founder Betaworks Ventures backed works best. A short LinkedIn note with one line on traction is the next best route.

What did John Borthwick do before Betaworks Ventures?

CEO at Fotolog; CTO, SVP of Technology at Time Warner; SVP of Technology at Time Warner.

Last updated 2026-10-15. Is this you? Ask for a correction.