New York's active cloud VCs subsidizing infrastructure companies in 2026

New York's cloud infrastructure scene raised $2.8B across 112 deals in 2025. Most capital went to enterprise cloud platforms and DevOps tools, not infrastructure-as-a-service competing with AWS. The city has strong enterprise software roots but investors here prefer application-layer cloud tools over low-level infrastructure. You won't get funded building another object storage service - they want developer tools and enterprise platforms built on top of existing clouds.

Quick list

Why New York excels at enterprise cloud platforms

New York raised $2.8B in cloud infrastructure during 2025 across 112 deals. Average Series A is $20M, higher than most sectors because cloud infrastructure requires significant engineering before revenue. The city has Fortune 500 enterprises as early customers and sophisticated buyers who understand cloud economics deeply.

New York excels at application-layer cloud tools - monitoring, observability, DevOps, cloud security. The city's enterprise software DNA helps founders build products CIOs actually buy. Datadog, Cockroach Labs, and DigitalOcean all have strong NYC roots. But pure infrastructure-as-a-service plays struggle because AWS, Azure, and GCP dominate.

The downside is NYC lacks the deep systems engineering talent of SF. Kernel developers and distributed systems experts mostly work in Bay Area. You'll find more application developers and enterprise software engineers in NYC, which shapes what gets funded - tools for cloud users, not new cloud primitives.

Picking the right New York cloud investor

Local presence matters for enterprise sales connections. NYC investors can intro you to Goldman Sachs infrastructure teams, JPMorgan cloud architects, and Fortune 500 CTOs. That's valuable for enterprise cloud tools but irrelevant for developer-focused infrastructure.

Portfolio companies should include successful cloud IPOs or acquisitions. Check if they backed Datadog, HashiCorp, Snowflake, or smaller infrastructure companies. If their portfolio is all horizontal SaaS with zero infrastructure experience, they won't understand your technical architecture or developer adoption metrics.

Check sizes in New York range from $3M-$8M for seed and $18-35M for Series A. That's 60% higher than application software because cloud infrastructure requires deep engineering teams before PMF. Growth funds write $75M-$200M checks for proven platforms at scale. Investor update software helps founders keep VCs engaged during slower decision cycles with trackable progress updates.

Local network is critical for enterprise cloud selling to financial services and large enterprises. Investors who can intro you to bank infrastructure teams and Fortune 500 cloud decision-makers are worth more than SF investors with better technical credentials. Work-Bench and FirstMark have the best enterprise connections here.

Communication with NYC cloud investors is technically competent but less deep than SF infrastructure VCs. Use Ellty to share your deck with trackable links. You'll see which investors actually open your architecture diagrams and technical approach slides. NYC cloud VCs spend 55% of deck review time on your go-to-market and enterprise sales strategy - more than pure technical evaluation.

Follow-on capacity is strong for enterprise cloud platforms. Insight Partners, Tiger Global, and Battery can fund through IPO. Most NYC cloud funds have large reserves because infrastructure companies take 8-12 years to exit. Ask about their typical holding periods and participation in late-stage rounds.

How to find and approach New York cloud investors

Research local deals by checking Crunchbase for NYC cloud exits and enterprise infrastructure acquisitions. Most successful NYC cloud founders came from financial services infrastructure teams or previous enterprise software companies. Look at who funded those teams.

Leverage local ecosystem through NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Columbia Computer Science programs. Work-Bench runs enterprise infrastructure meetups where NYC cloud investors scout deals. Better than generic startup events for making Fortune 500 CTO connections.

Build relationships first because NYC cloud investors want enterprise customer validation. You need design partners at major banks or Fortune 500 companies before investors take you seriously. Cold emails about your Kubernetes tool get ignored. Enterprise references matter enormously.

Share your pitch deck through Ellty with unique tracking links for each investor. NYC cloud VCs take 14-21 days to review decks versus 7-10 days for application software. They're consulting with portfolio CTOs, reviewing your technical architecture, and checking competitive positioning against incumbents.

Attend local events like AWS re:Invent and KubeCon where NYC investors scout infrastructure deals. Work-Bench enterprise tech summit connects cloud founders to Fortune 500 buyers. NYC infrastructure meetups are smaller than SF but higher enterprise buyer density.

Connect with portfolio founders from NYC cloud companies that raised successfully. Ask them how they proved enterprise value and what technical concerns investors raised. Datadog and Cockroach Labs founders say NYC VCs focused more on sales motion than pure technical innovation.

Organize due diligence materials before meetings because NYC investors need comprehensive technical and commercial validation. Set up an Ellty data room with your architecture docs, competitive analysis, enterprise customer references, and technical roadmap. They'll want to see your approach to multi-cloud support and enterprise deployment. Password-protecting PPT files is a simple but effective way to control access to early-stage pitch materials.

Understand local pace because NYC cloud deals take 8-14 months from first meeting to term sheet. Investors want multiple enterprise POCs, technical validation from their portfolio CTOs, and proof of repeatable sales motion. They won't fund based on developer adoption metrics alone. Expect 12-18 meetings with increasing commercial focus.

New York cloud considerations

NYC investors prefer enterprise cloud platforms over developer tools. Cloud monitoring, security, and compliance platforms get funded easily. DevOps tools selling to enterprises work well here. Open-source infrastructure projects struggle unless you have clear commercial models selling to Fortune 500s.

Expect scrutiny on enterprise sales motion and go-to-market. NYC cloud VCs understand that great technology doesn't sell itself to enterprises. You need clear explanations of how you navigate procurement, multi-quarter sales cycles, and proof-of-concept processes. They won't fund "developers will adopt it organically" approaches for enterprise infrastructure.

Lead with Fortune 500 design partners and enterprise POCs. NYC investors want to see Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, or major enterprises testing your infrastructure. They don't care as much about GitHub stars or developer community metrics as SF investors. Show enterprise traction and clear sales process and you'll close deals.

15 top cloud investors in New York

1. Insight Partners

NYC growth equity giant that backed Datadog before $35B market cap - understand cloud monitoring and observability better than anyone.

• Recent Deals: Datadog $147M Series D then IPO (2019), Veeam $2B acquisition (2020), Armis $300M Series D (2022)
• LinkedIn: Jeff Horing LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud monitoring, DevOps platforms, cloud security, infrastructure automation
• Stage Focus: Series C, Series D, Growth, Buyout
• Office Location: 1114 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036
• Website: insightpartners.com

2. Tiger Global

NYC growth fund that led Snowflake before $70B IPO valuation - understand cloud data platforms and enterprise adoption at scale.

• Recent Deals: Snowflake $479M Series G (2020), Databricks $1.6B Series H (2021), UiPath $568M Series D (2019)
• LinkedIn: Scott Shleifer LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud data platforms, enterprise SaaS, automation platforms, infrastructure tools
• Stage Focus: Series D, Series E, Growth, Pre-IPO
• Office Location: 9 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019
• Website: tigerglobal.com

3. Battery Ventures

Boston-based with strong NYC presence - backed HashiCorp before $15B IPO and understand infrastructure-as-code deeply.

• Recent Deals: HashiCorp $175M Series E then IPO (2020), Coupa IPO (2016), Gainsight growth rounds
• LinkedIn: Neeraj Agrawal LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Infrastructure-as-code, DevOps platforms, cloud automation, developer tools
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Series D, Growth
• Office Location: NYC office covers East Coast
• Website: battery.com

4. General Catalyst

Cambridge-based with NYC office - backed Stripe, Databricks, and understand cloud infrastructure at massive scale.

• Recent Deals: Stripe $95B valuation (2023), Databricks $43B valuation (2023), Gusto $10B valuation (2023)
• LinkedIn: Hemant Taneja LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud infrastructure, developer platforms, data infrastructure, fintech infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: NYC office at Hudson Yards
• Website: generalcatalyst.com

5. Bessemer Venture Partners

Multi-office fund with NYC presence - early Twilio investor before IPO, understand cloud communications infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Twilio IPO (2016), Toast IPO participation (2021), PagerDuty IPO (2019)
• LinkedIn: Byron Deeter LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud communications, API platforms, developer infrastructure, DevOps tools
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: 1865 Palmer Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538 (covers NYC)
• Website: bvp.com

6. Index Ventures

London/SF-based with NYC office - backed Datadog Series A and understand infrastructure monitoring from early stages.

• Recent Deals: Datadog Series A then IPO (2019), Cockroach Labs $278M Series F (2021), Confluent IPO (2021)
• LinkedIn: Danny Rimer LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Infrastructure monitoring, distributed databases, streaming platforms, developer tools
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: NYC office at Soho
• Website: indexventures.com

7. Accel

SF-based with NYC office - early Atlassian investor before IPO, understand cloud collaboration and developer tools.

• Recent Deals: Atlassian IPO (2015), 1Password $620M Series C (2022), Webflow $140M Series B (2021)
• LinkedIn: Rich Wong LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud collaboration, developer tools, infrastructure automation, DevOps platforms
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: NYC office at Flatiron
• Website: accel.com

8. FirstMark Capital

NYC fund that backed Shopify before IPO - understand cloud e-commerce platforms and infrastructure for commerce.

• Recent Deals: Shopify IPO (2015), Airbnb IPO participation (2020), Pinterest IPO (2019)
• LinkedIn: Rick Heitzmann LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud platforms, e-commerce infrastructure, developer tools, data platforms
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: 100 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011
• Website: firstmarkcap.com

9. Sapphire Ventures

Palo Alto-based with NYC investments - growth investor in cloud infrastructure and enterprise platforms.

• Recent Deals: Acquia $173M growth (2019), Alteryx IPO (2017), Nimble Storage IPO (2013)
• LinkedIn: Jai Das LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud infrastructure, enterprise platforms, data management, DevOps tools
• Stage Focus: Growth, Late-stage
• Office Location: Invests in NYC from Palo Alto
• Website: sapphireventures.com

10. Work-Bench

NYC enterprise infrastructure specialists - they exclusively back NYC-based B2B cloud and infrastructure founders.

• Recent Deals: NYC cloud infrastructure startups (2024-2025), enterprise DevOps tools, security platforms
• LinkedIn: Jonathan Lehr LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Enterprise cloud, DevOps platforms, infrastructure security, IT operations tools
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 140 Broadway, New York, NY 10005
• Website: work-bench.com

11. Two Sigma Ventures

Quantitative trading firm's VC arm - understand cloud data infrastructure and analytics platforms deeply.

• Recent Deals: Domino Data Lab $100M Series F (2021), Dataiku $400M Series E (2021), data infrastructure tools
• LinkedIn: Villi Iltchev LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud data infrastructure, analytics platforms, ML infrastructure, data engineering tools
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: New York, NY
• Website: tsvc.com

12. Primary Venture Partners

NYC early-stage fund backing cloud infrastructure and developer tools - smaller fund but active in infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Cloud developer tools, infrastructure automation platforms (2023-2025)
• LinkedIn: Ben Sun LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Developer tools, cloud infrastructure, automation platforms, DevOps solutions
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: New York, NY
• Website: primaryvc.com

13. Lux Capital

NYC fund backing technical infrastructure and deep tech - focus on scientifically challenging cloud problems.

• Recent Deals: Anduril $1.5B Series E (2022), Resilience biotechnology infrastructure (2021), deep tech cloud platforms
• LinkedIn: Josh Wolfe LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Deep tech infrastructure, scientific computing, edge computing, technical platforms
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: 136 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
• Website: luxcapital.com

14. Greycroft

NYC consumer and cloud fund - back vertical cloud applications and industry-specific SaaS platforms.

• Recent Deals: Venmo PayPal acquisition (2013), Buddy Media Salesforce acquisition (2012), vertical SaaS platforms
• LinkedIn: Ian Sigalow LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Vertical cloud platforms, industry SaaS, cloud-based marketplaces, fintech infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: New York, NY
• Website: greycroft.com

15. Boldstart Ventures

NYC enterprise infrastructure seed fund - exclusively back enterprise infrastructure, cloud security, and DevOps from day one.

• Recent Deals: Snyk $530M Series F (2022), BigID $70M Series D (2021), Kustomer Acquisition by Meta (2020)
• LinkedIn: Ed Sim LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud security, DevOps platforms, infrastructure automation, enterprise tools
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
• Office Location: New York, NY
• Website: boldstart.vc

Start tracking your New York cloud investor outreach

These 15 investors closed NYC cloud deals in 2025-2026. Before you reach out, understand that Insight Partners and Tiger Global want proven platforms at $20M+ ARR, while Work-Bench and Boldstart back technical founders earlier but focus exclusively on enterprise infrastructure.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each NYC investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your technical architecture versus go-to-market strategy. NYC cloud investors spend 55% of deck review time on your enterprise sales motion - make your customer acquisition slides, enterprise references, and sales process documentation bulletproof before sending.

When NYC investors ask for technical deep dives after your third meeting, share an Ellty data room with your architecture documentation, enterprise customer case studies, competitive positioning, and technical roadmap. They'll want to see your multi-cloud support strategy, enterprise deployment options, and how you handle enterprise security requirements. Having everything organized with view analytics shows which partners are actually reviewing your technical docs versus just checking commercial metrics.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in New York to raise from NYC cloud investors?

No - NYC cloud investors back infrastructure companies globally. But having Fortune 500 design partners in NYC helps enormously. Financial services infrastructure plays especially benefit from NYC location because you can meet with bank CTOs regularly. Pure developer tools don't need NYC presence.

How does New York compare to SF for cloud infrastructure fundraising?

NYC has $2.8B in cloud capital versus SF's $8B+. SF investors understand deep systems engineering and distributed systems better. NYC investors understand enterprise sales and Fortune 500 buying patterns better. SF wants technical innovation, NYC wants enterprise adoption. Choose based on your customer type.

What's the average Series A size in New York for cloud infrastructure?

$18-35M depending on technical complexity. NYC cloud Series A typically happens at $2-5M ARR for enterprise platforms or earlier for infrastructure with strong technical teams. That's 60% higher than application software Series A because cloud infrastructure needs significant engineering before revenue scales.

Should I raise locally or go to SF for developer tools?

Go to SF for open-source infrastructure, developer tools, and bottom-up adoption plays. NYC investors don't understand developer-led growth as well as SF. Stay in NYC for enterprise cloud platforms, tools selling to CIOs and infrastructure teams, or anything requiring Fortune 500 design partners for validation.

Do New York cloud investors expect profitability?

Not immediately, but they want clear paths to positive unit economics within 60 months. NYC cloud VCs understand infrastructure requires patient capital but watched companies burn $500M+ without viable business models. They want to see how cloud infrastructure costs scale with revenue and paths to healthy gross margins.

What cloud sectors get funded most in New York?

Enterprise cloud monitoring and observability, DevOps and CI/CD platforms, cloud security and compliance tools, data infrastructure and analytics platforms. Vertical cloud applications for specific industries work well. Infrastructure-as-a-service competing with AWS struggles. NYC wants tools built on existing clouds, not new cloud primitives.