Stonemason raises pre-seed to build a hold-forever software portfolio

What's the deal? StonemasonDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a software holding company founded by Alex MokrovDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has closed a pre-seed round from a group of angel investors. The capital will fund its first acquisitions, continued development of AI software products, and team growth.

What's the endgame? Stonemason wants to buy promising software businesses, improve them, and hold them as long-term assets — with no plan to sell. "Ownership is the strategy," Mokrov said.

That model breaks with convention. Private equity typically acquires firms to improve and resell them, while venture-backed startups are often built around an eventual sale or public offering.

Why now? The company is launching as AI reshapes how software is built and run. Lower development and operating costs let smaller teams manage companies that once required far larger organisations and more capital.

Mokrov framed the approach as a hybrid: "We combine the long-term ownership philosophy of Berkshire HathawayDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → with the speed of an AI startup." He added there is "no fund cycle, no pressure to exit, and no predetermined end date."

Stonemason's current portfolio includes Regulara, a compliance automation platform serving financial institutions across the European Union, plus two AI software products in stealth development. It is now scouting acquisitions in the software and SaaS markets, targeting businesses with proven product-market fit and room to improve.

The signal: Stonemason reflects a growing bet that AI-enabled efficiency makes small software businesses worth holding rather than flipping — a permanent-capital answer to the fund-cycle pressures that dominate venture and private equity.

Read more: Medium