32 collaboration investors electrifying team software and workplace tools in 2025

The collaboration software market is crowded. Investors who backed Slack, Notion, and Zoom aren't looking for another chat app or video conferencing tool. They're looking for async-first communication, AI-native workflows, or vertical-specific collaboration that solves problems Slack can't. Here's who's actually writing checks for collaboration startups in 2025.

Quick list

Picking the right collaboration investor

Market understanding: Find investors who know the difference between horizontal collaboration tools and vertical-specific workflow software. Consumer-focused VCs often don't understand enterprise sales cycles or why IT departments block new tools. Ask their portfolio companies whether they helped navigate security reviews and enterprise procurement.

Distribution expertise: Your investor should understand how collaboration tools actually spread. Ask if they've helped companies build PLG motion or shift from bottoms-up to top-down sales. Generic B2B investors won't understand viral loops or how to monetize free users effectively.

Competitive landscape: Make sure they know which collaboration battles are already lost. Investors who think you can compete with Slack on general team chat don't understand the market. Use Ellty to share your trackable pitch deck. You'll see who actually opens your competitive analysis and differentiation slides.

Exit expectations: Check their portfolio for collaboration exits, not just ongoing investments. Dead collaboration companies that couldn't find PMF are common - look for funds that understood when to pivot or shut down.

Network access: Ask if they can intro you to design partners at Fortune 500 companies or procurement teams at mid-market companies. Cold outbound rarely works for collaboration tools—you need warm intros and investor outreach strategies to teams that will actually test your product. Most collaboration deals happen through existing relationships, not demo requests.

How to approach collaboration investors

Research recent investments: Look up deals on Pitchbook or Crunchbase. Consumer social investors won't back enterprise collaboration. Async-first investors think differently than real-time communication investors. Don't pitch growth equity if you're pre-revenue.

Show real usage metrics: Lead with DAU/MAU, retention curves, and NPS from actual users. Most investors are tired of TAM slides without proof that teams will actually switch from Slack or adopt a new tool. If you're early, show pilot data with weekly active users and specific workflow improvements. Consider sending your large files securely to maintain control over confidential materials.

Track engagement by section: Upload to Ellty and send trackable links. Monitor which pages investors spend time on - if they skip your product roadmap but study your go-to-market slides, they care more about distribution than features.

Get user references: Message users of portfolio companies on LinkedIn and ask about their actual experience. Most collaboration tools have strong opinions from users about what works and what's frustrating.

Target industry events: SaaStr Annual, SaaS Connect, and B2B SaaS conferences are where collaboration deals happen. Skip generic startup meetups.

Use LinkedIn strategically: Connect with partners after you've been introduced through portfolio founders. Cold DMs rarely work for B2B software unless you have impressive metrics.

Organize your data room: Set up an Ellty data room with your product analytics, customer contracts, and financial model before investors ask. Learn how to protect your pitch deck and prevent forwarding to maintain confidentiality. Enterprise collaboration diligence moves fast once they see traction.

Lead with retention data: Start calls with cohort retention curves and usage frequency. Don't waste time on market size - investors know remote work is huge but want proof your specific tool is sticky.

Why this matters now

Remote and hybrid work changed collaboration software economics. Investors poured billions into Zoom, Miro, and Notion during 2020-2021, but most collaboration startups from that era are dead or stuck at $5M ARR. The funds backing deals in 2025 understand the difference between pandemic growth and sustainable adoption. They want to see teams using your tool daily after six months, not just signing up during a free trial. AI is reshaping what collaboration means - investors are looking for AI-native tools that reduce meeting time or async communication that works across time zones, not incremental improvements to video calls or chat. Consider professional services like ours to help with structured investor outreach and tracking.

32 top collaboration investors

1. Accel

Legendary collaboration investor that led Slack through early rounds and understands viral adoption.

• Recent Deals: Webflow ($120M Series C, 2024), Notion ($275M Series C, 2023), Miro ($400M Series C, 2022)
• LinkedIn: Accel
• Sector Focus: Team communication, design collaboration, project management, async tools
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Palo Alto, USA
• Website: accel.com

2. Index Ventures

European and US fund that backed Figma from early stage through acquisition attempt.

• Recent Deals: Notion ($275M Series C, 2023), Weaviate (AI infrastructure, $50M Series B, 2023), Ramp ($750M Series D, 2023)
• LinkedIn: Index Ventures
• Sector Focus: Design tools, developer collaboration, workplace productivity
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: San Francisco, USA / London, UK
• Website: indexventures.com

3. Benchmark

Small partnership that takes concentrated bets on category-defining collaboration platforms.

• Recent Deals: Asana (early investor, held through IPO), Discord (backed pre-$15B valuation), Confluent (data collaboration)
• LinkedIn: Benchmark
• Sector Focus: Project management, team communication, developer tools
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: benchmark.com

4. Andreessen Horowitz

a16z backed Slack, Notion, and multiple collaboration tools with strong product-market fit.

• Recent Deals: Notion (multiple rounds at $10B valuation), Deel ($425M Series D, 2023), Harvey AI (legal collaboration, $80M Series B, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Andreessen Horowitz
• Sector Focus: Async communication, AI-powered collaboration, remote work tools
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: a16z.com

5. Sequoia Capital

Backed Zoom, Dropbox, and dozens of collaboration companies from seed to IPO.

• Recent Deals: Sigma Computing (data collaboration, $200M Series D, 2024), Deel ($425M Series D, 2023), multiple AI collaboration tools
• LinkedIn: Sequoia Capital
• Sector Focus: Video collaboration, file sharing, team productivity
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: sequoiacap.com

6. Greylock Partners

Enterprise software specialist with deep experience in workplace collaboration and productivity.

• Recent Deals: Coda ($100M Series D, 2023), Figma (early investor), Workday (held through IPO)
• LinkedIn: Greylock Partners
• Sector Focus: Document collaboration, project management, enterprise productivity
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: greylock.com

7. Bessemer Venture Partners

B2B software investor with portfolio including Shopify, Canva, and multiple collaboration tools.

• Recent Deals: Canva (backed through $26B valuation), Toast (restaurant collaboration, IPO), multiple vertical SaaS companies
• LinkedIn: Bessemer Venture Partners
• Sector Focus: Vertical collaboration, creative tools, team productivity
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: bvp.com

8. GGV Capital

Cross-border investor that backed Slack, Affirm, and collaboration companies in US and Asia.

• Recent Deals: Slack (Series D lead, held through Salesforce acquisition), Affirm (IPO), multiple Asia-Pacific collaboration tools
• LinkedIn: GGV Capital
• Sector Focus: Team communication, fintech collaboration, cross-border productivity tools
• Stage Focus: Series C, Series D, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA / Shanghai, China
• Website: ggvc.com

9. Spark Capital

Early-stage fund that backed Slack, Twitter, and communication infrastructure companies.

• Recent Deals: Slack (early investor, held through exit), Discord (backed through $15B valuation), multiple developer tools
• LinkedIn: Spark Capital
• Sector Focus: Real-time communication, developer collaboration, creator tools
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Location: San Francisco, USA / Boston, USA
• Website: sparkcapital.com

10. Kleiner Perkins

Historic fund that backed Google, Amazon, and now focuses on collaboration and AI tools.

• Recent Deals: Figma (early rounds through exit attempt), Zoom (early investor through IPO), Glean (AI search, $200M Series D, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Kleiner Perkins
• Sector Focus: Design collaboration, video conferencing, AI-powered productivity
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: kleinerperkins.com

11. First Round Capital

Seed specialist that backed Notion, Looker, and early-stage workplace collaboration tools.

• Recent Deals: Notion (seed round before $10B valuation), Looker (backed through $2.6B Google acquisition), multiple seed collaboration companies
• LinkedIn: First Round Capital
• Sector Focus: Document collaboration, data tools, team productivity
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Location: San Francisco, USA / Philadelphia, USA
• Website: firstround.com

12. Lightspeed Venture Partners

Multi-stage investor backing Miro, Affirm, and dozens of B2B collaboration platforms.

• Recent Deals: Miro ($400M Series C, 2022), Rippling ($500M Series D, 2024), multiple workflow automation tools
• LinkedIn: Lightspeed Venture Partners
• Sector Focus: Visual collaboration, HR tools, workflow automation
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: lsvp.com

13. Tiger Global

Growth investor that writes large checks for collaboration tools scaling past $50M ARR.

• Recent Deals: Figma (growth rounds), Discord (multiple rounds), Notion (Series C)
• LinkedIn: Tiger Global
• Sector Focus: Fast-growing collaboration platforms, horizontal SaaS
• Stage Focus: Series C, Series D, Growth
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: tigerglobal.com

14. Insight Partners

Late-stage software investor backing Twitter, Shopify, and scaling collaboration companies.

• Recent Deals: Twitter (pre-Musk acquisition), Calendly (scheduling collaboration, $350M Series B, 2021), multiple B2B platforms
• LinkedIn: Insight Partners
• Sector Focus: Enterprise collaboration, scheduling tools, productivity platforms
• Stage Focus: Series C, Growth, Late Stage
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: insightpartners.com

15. Coatue Management

Hedge fund-style investor that backs fast-scaling collaboration and productivity software.

• Recent Deals: Notion (growth rounds), Airtable ($735M Series F, 2021), Miro (Series C)
• LinkedIn: Coatue
• Sector Focus: Database collaboration, spreadsheet alternatives, workflow tools
• Stage Focus: Series C, Growth, Late Stage
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: coatue.com

16. Thrive Capital

Growth fund that backed GitHub, Stripe, and developer-focused collaboration platforms.

• Recent Deals: GitHub (pre-Microsoft acquisition), OpenAI (multiple rounds), Notion (growth rounds)
• LinkedIn: Thrive Capital
• Sector Focus: Developer tools, AI collaboration, code repositories
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: thrivecap.com

17. Battery Ventures

B2B software specialist backing collaboration tools from seed to growth stage.

• Recent Deals: Webflow ($120M Series C, 2024), Toast (restaurant collaboration, IPO), multiple vertical SaaS tools
• LinkedIn: Battery Ventures
• Sector Focus: No-code collaboration, vertical SaaS, team productivity
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Boston, USA
• Website: battery.com

18. NEA

Large fund backing Databricks, Cloudflare, and enterprise collaboration infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Databricks ($10B+ valuation), Cloudflare (backed through IPO), Plaid (fintech collaboration)
• LinkedIn: NEA
• Sector Focus: Data collaboration, API platforms, enterprise infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA / Baltimore, USA
• Website: nea.com

19. General Catalyst

Multi-stage investor in Snap, Stripe, and communication platform companies.

• Recent Deals: Stripe (multiple rounds through $95B valuation), Snap (early investor through IPO), Gusto (HR collaboration)
• LinkedIn: General Catalyst
• Sector Focus: Payments collaboration, messaging platforms, HR tools
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Cambridge, USA
• Website: generalcatalyst.com

20. CRV

Early-stage investor in Twitter, Zendesk, and customer collaboration platforms.

• Recent Deals: Twitter (early investor), Zendesk (backed through IPO), multiple customer support collaboration tools
• LinkedIn: CRV
• Sector Focus: Customer support tools, ticketing systems, team communication
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Location: Palo Alto, USA
• Website: crv.com

21. Felicis Ventures

Early-stage fund that backed Notion, Shopify, and fast-growing collaboration startups.

• Recent Deals: Notion (early rounds), Canva (early investor through $26B valuation), multiple productivity tools
• LinkedIn: Felicis Ventures
• Sector Focus: Document collaboration, creative tools, async communication
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: felicis.com

22. Founders Fund

Peter Thiel's fund that backs contrarian collaboration tools and communication platforms.

• Recent Deals: Palantir (data collaboration, IPO), Anduril (defense collaboration), Oscar Health (healthcare coordination)
• LinkedIn: Founders Fund
• Sector Focus: Data collaboration, vertical-specific tools, security-first platforms
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Growth
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: foundersfund.com

23. Craft Ventures

B2B software specialist led by David Sacks who sold Yammer to Microsoft.

• Recent Deals: ClickUp (productivity platform, $4B valuation), SpaceX, multiple B2B collaboration companies
• LinkedIn: Craft Ventures
• Sector Focus: Project management, all-in-one collaboration, productivity suites
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: craftventures.com

24. Iconiq Capital

Private fund backed by tech founders that invests in collaboration and productivity tools.

• Recent Deals: Figma (growth rounds), Databricks ($10B+ valuation), multiple workplace platforms
• LinkedIn: Iconiq Capital
• Sector Focus: Design collaboration, data tools, enterprise productivity
• Stage Focus: Series C, Growth, Late Stage
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: iconiqcapital.com

25. Initialized Capital

Garry Tan's seed fund that backed Coinbase, Instacart, and early collaboration tools.

• Recent Deals: Coinbase (early investor through IPO), Flexport (logistics collaboration), multiple seed collaboration companies
• LinkedIn: Initialized Capital
• Sector Focus: Crypto collaboration, logistics tools, team communication
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: initialized.com

26. Point Nine Capital

European SaaS specialist backing collaboration tools with strong product-led growth.

• Recent Deals: Zendesk (early investor through IPO), Algolia (search collaboration), Loom (video messaging, $1.5B Atlassian acquisition)
• LinkedIn: Point Nine Capital
• Sector Focus: Customer support, video messaging, PLG collaboration tools
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Website: pointninecap.com

27. Redpoint Ventures

Enterprise software investor backing Stripe, Twilio, and communication infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Stripe (multiple rounds), Twilio (backed through IPO), Snowflake (data collaboration)
• LinkedIn: Redpoint Ventures
• Sector Focus: API platforms, communication infrastructure, data collaboration
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: redpoint.com

28. Union Square Ventures

NYC fund that backed Twitter, Tumblr, and network-effect collaboration platforms.

• Recent Deals: Duolingo (learning collaboration, IPO), Cockroach Labs (database collaboration), multiple developer tools
• LinkedIn: Union Square Ventures
• Sector Focus: Network-effect tools, open source collaboration, community platforms
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: usv.com

29. Work-Bench

Enterprise-focused fund that specializes in B2B collaboration and workplace technology.

• Recent Deals: Snyk (developer security collaboration, $7.4B valuation), Cockroach Labs, multiple B2B tools
• LinkedIn: Work-Bench
• Sector Focus: Developer tools, security collaboration, enterprise productivity
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: work-bench.com

30. Atomico

European fund founded by Skype creator backing collaboration and communication tools.

• Recent Deals: Klarna (payments collaboration), Lilium (aviation collaboration), MessageBird (communication platform)
• LinkedIn: Atomico
• Sector Focus: Communication platforms, payments collaboration, European SaaS
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: London, UK
• Website: atomico.com

31. Norwest Venture Partners

Multi-stage investor backing collaboration tools across consumer and enterprise.

• Recent Deals: Calm (wellness collaboration), Guild Education (learning collaboration), multiple HR tools
• LinkedIn: Norwest Venture Partners
• Sector Focus: HR collaboration, wellness platforms, learning tools
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Palo Alto, USA
• Website: nvp.com

32. Sapphire Ventures

Growth equity investor backing LinkedIn, Marketo, and enterprise collaboration platforms.

• Recent Deals: LinkedIn (pre-Microsoft acquisition), Marketo (marketing collaboration), multiple enterprise SaaS companies
• LinkedIn: Sapphire Ventures
• Sector Focus: Professional networks, marketing collaboration, enterprise productivity
• Stage Focus: Series C, Growth, Late Stage
• Location: Palo Alto, USA
• Website: sapphireventures.com

How Ellty helps collaboration startups close deals faster

These 32 investors closed collaboration deals from 2023 to November 2025. Before you start sending your deck around, set up proper tracking. Most collaboration founders send their pitch to 30 investors and have no idea who looked at the product roadmap versus who just skimmed the team slide.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your retention curves or go-to-market strategy. Most founders are surprised when investors skip competitive analysis but spend 10 minutes studying cohort data and unit economics.

When investors ask for product analytics during diligence, share an Ellty data room instead of sending Google Drive links in separate emails. Your retention data, customer contracts, and financial model in one place with view tracking. You'll know if they're sharing your metrics with their portfolio companies or sitting on your materials.

Common questions

How do I know if a collaboration investor understands my category?

Check their portfolio for companies in adjacent spaces. If they backed project management tools, they'll understand task collaboration. If they only backed consumer social, they won't understand enterprise security requirements or IT procurement.

Should I pitch horizontal collaboration investors if I'm building vertical software?

Depends on your go-to-market strategy. If you're starting with one vertical but plan to expand horizontally, yes. If you're building deep workflow automation for a specific industry, target vertical SaaS investors instead.

What retention numbers do collaboration investors expect?

Weekly active users should be 40%+ of monthly active users. Monthly retention should be 80%+ after three months. If you're below these numbers, fix retention before fundraising or you'll get rejected everywhere.

How many collaboration investors should I reach out to?

Start with 10-15 that have backed similar tools at your stage. If you're getting consistent feedback about weak differentiation or unclear GTM, address those before expanding your list to 30+ investors.

When should I set up a data room for collaboration diligence?

Before your first partner meeting. Collaboration investors move fast when they see good metrics and will ask for product analytics, customer references, and financial projections within 48 hours of your first call.

Do investors care which specific pages they viewed in my deck?

Yes. If they spend time on your product roadmap but skip pricing strategy, they're worried about competitive differentiation. If they study your team slide for 5 minutes, they're concerned about execution risk. Use this data to adjust your follow-up.