Outside the Norm — Founding Partner of Outside VC Ethan Austin

Some founders don’t follow the usual path — and that’s exactly the point. Could thinking differently be the biggest advantage?

This week’s VentureFuel Visionary is Ethan Austin, the Founding Partner of Outside VC, a pre-seed venture fund dedicated to backing “outsider” founders. He is a seasoned entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and advocate for financial inclusion.

Before Outside VC, Ethan co-founded GiveForward, the world’s first medical crowdfunding platform, which raised over $200 million to help families cover medical expenses and was later acquired by GoFundMe.

Episode Highlights

• From Crowdfunding Pioneer To VC – Ethan shares how he co-founded GiveForward, the first medical crowdfunding platform. His journey from founder to venture capitalist provides deep insight into how lived experience shapes investment strategy.
• Emotional Signals That Drove Product-Market Fit – He explains how GiveForward’s early pivot was guided by emotionally charged user feedback. While nonprofits criticized the platform’s bugs, individuals using it for personal medical fundraisers were deeply grateful. That stark contrast helped them focus on where the real value was.
• How Losing Revenue Led to a Career Shift – Ethan discusses how a major drop in traffic — caused by Facebook launching a competing product — led to the downfall of GiveForward. This experience indirectly pushed him toward a career in venture capital.
• Betting on People, Not Companies – He breaks down that at the pre-seed level, investing is about “hiring founders.” This people-first philosophy shaped his investment approach at Techstars and eventually inspired the founding of Outside VC.
• The Power of Outsider Founders – Outside VC focuses on backing “outsiders” — immigrants, non-traditional backgrounds, and underrepresented groups — who, as Ethan notes, have historically founded a significant portion of unicorns. He explains that these founders are uniquely equipped to build transformative companies.