Built to close the gap between an angel check and a bank loan.
AIC exists because too many growing companies fall between two extremes: friends-and-family rounds that run out too fast, and bank underwriting that was never built for them.
Founded by people who'd sat on both sides of the table.
AIC was founded in 2019 by Adams Whitfield-Reyes, a former growth-equity investor who kept watching the same story play out: a company with real revenue and a clear plan couldn't get a bank to look past its balance sheet, and wasn't quite the fit venture capital was looking for either.
The idea was simple — build one firm that could say yes to either side of that gap. Equity for companies built to scale fast. Structured debt for companies that just needed working capital without giving up ownership. Underwritten by the same team, on terms explained in plain language.
Marcus Bellweather joined a year later to build the lending arm from his background in commercial banking, bringing a simple operating rule with him: if a term sheet needs a lawyer to explain it back to the founder, it's not ready to send. That rule still governs every offer AIC makes today.
Six years, one thesis.
AIC founded in Austin, TX
Launched with a single angel investment fund and a first close of $6M from a small group of founding limited partners.
First 20 portfolio companies
Backed early-stage companies across food & beverage, healthcare services, and consumer retail through the first fund.
Lending arm launches
Marcus Bellweather builds AIC's business loan program, extending term loans and lines of credit to established companies.
$25M in cumulative capital deployed
Crossed 80 funded relationships across both angel investment and lending, with the underwriting team expanding to five.
$50M milestone
Surpassed $50M in combined capital deployed and introduced invoice financing and equipment financing to the loan product set.
Today
141 companies funded to date, with an average of nine days from application to term sheet across both funding paths.
The principles that shape every offer we make.
Clarity over cleverness
Every term sheet and loan agreement is written to be understood by the founder signing it, not just their lawyer.
Speed with discipline
A ten-day average to term sheet, without skipping the diligence that protects both sides of the deal.
Founder-first terms
No unnecessary control provisions, no prepayment penalties, and no terms we wouldn't accept ourselves.
Long-term partnership
We stay involved after the check clears — quarterly check-ins, warm introductions, and a call when things get hard.
Integrity in underwriting
We say no clearly and quickly when a deal isn't right, rather than stringing an applicant along.
Access & inclusion
We actively look for strong companies outside the usual referral networks — merit first, pedigree second.
Want to know the people behind the terms?
Meet the partners and underwriters who review every application personally.