Blueprint Equity’s $333M Bet on Early Growth Software

Blueprint Equity’s $333M Bet on Early Growth Software

From Tacos and Tech Podcast by Neal Bloom

March 31, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

Neal Bloom interviews Sheldon Lewis and Bobby Ocampo about Blueprint Equity's investment strategy in early growth software companies.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Neal Bloom

Guests: Sheldon Lewis, Bobby Ocampo

Topics covered

  • Early Growth Equity
  • SaaS Companies
  • Investment Strategy
  • AI in SaaS
  • Bootstrapped Companies
  • Anti-VC Approach

Keywords

  • Blueprint Equity
  • SaaS
  • investment
  • AI
  • bootstrapped
  • early growth equity
  • anti-VC
  • funding
  • La Jolla

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Blueprint Equity, PayLease

Places: La Jolla

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