Blueprint Equity just closed a $333M Fund III - and they’re doubling down on a thesis that feels increasingly contrarian in today’s AI-fueled world.

In this episode, Neal sits down with Sheldon Lewis and Bobby Ocampo, co-founders and managing partners of La Jolla-based Blueprint Equity, to unpack their “early growth equity” strategy - investing in bootstrapped SaaS companies doing $1–7M in ARR and growing fast.

They share their journey from 2008 investment banking crash, near-billion-dollar exits, to building Blueprint from scratch. Along the way, they break down why they call themselves “anti-VC,” how AI is reshaping SaaS economics, and why raising less capital can actually create better founder outcomes.

If you’re building in SaaS - especially outside Silicon Valley - this is one to study.

Key Topics

* What is Early Growth Equity?

* From I Banking in 2008 to Building a Fund

* The PayLease Story

* Why They Call Themselves “Anti-VC”

* How AI Is Changing SaaS (But Not Killing It)

* Hands-On Portfolio Support

* Fund III: $333M Closed

* Why Great Companies Can Be Built Anywhere

Links & Resources

* Blueprint Equity

Connect on LinkedIn

* Sheldon Lewis

* Bobby Ocampo

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe