Understand Your Investment Readiness with Abaca
Abaca is a venture readiness platform created by Village Capital that helps entrepreneurs benchmark their progress and understand exactly what investors look for at each stage of growth. At the core of Abaca is its Venture Investment Level system—a structured framework that defines nine clear levels of startup development.
XLR8 Qualifications
To be eligible for the XLR8 program, applicants must be at Abaca Level 6 or higher. This ensures that companies have moved beyond early testing and are ready to scale—with proven demand, an active customer base, and a roadmap for growth.
Why It Matters
Each level outlines specific milestones across categories like product development, customer validation, revenue, team, operations, and financials. These benchmarks provide a shared language for founders and investors to assess traction, risk, and readiness.
Using Abaca helps founders:
✅ Understand where they stand in the investment landscape
✅ Identify the most strategic next steps for growth
✅ Align with investors who fund at their stage
We recommend all XLR8 applicants create a free Abaca profile and complete their Venture Investment Level assessment prior to applying, however this is not a requirement to apply. It’s a powerful tool for getting investor-ready—and staying focused on what matters most.
Questions?
Contact xlr8.pbc@zregents.edu