18 investors funding San Jose companies in 2026

San Jose and South Bay raised $18.5B across 850+ deals in 2025. Most capital went to semiconductors, hardware, enterprise infrastructure, and AI. The ecosystem is hardware-focused compared to SF's software bias. You won't find many consumer social apps getting funded here. San Jose investors want deep tech with defensible IP and long development cycles.

Quick list

Why San Jose for fundraising

San Jose and South Bay closed 850+ deals in 2025 with $18.5B in total funding. Average seed round is $4.2M, 60% higher than most US cities. Most active investors focus on semiconductors, hardware, enterprise infrastructure, and AI/ML. Consumer software startups should fundraise in SF instead. San Jose investors want technical founders with hardware or semiconductor experience.

Hardware dominates South Bay with 35% of deals. Semiconductors get 25%, enterprise infrastructure 20%, and AI/ML 15%. The remaining 5% splits across robotics, cleantech, and biotech. Corporate VCs from Intel, Cisco, Samsung, and TSMC write large checks but expect strategic value beyond returns. Financial VCs in San Jose understand hardware economics better than SF or NYC investors.

Manufacturing connections matter here. San Jose investors can intro you to Taiwan fabs, Korean display manufacturers, and Chinese assembly partners. The ecosystem expects you to understand supply chain, unit economics, and hardware margins. Software founders without hardware experience should stick to SF unless they're building infrastructure or dev tools.

Picking the right San Jose investor

Local presence splits between San Jose proper and Menlo Park/Palo Alto corridor. Many "San Jose" investors actually office in Menlo Park or Mountain View but focus on South Bay companies. Being in San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, or Mountain View works equally well. Remote hardware companies need manufacturing partnerships before investors take them seriously.

Portfolio companies should include successful hardware or semiconductor exits. Check if they've backed companies that went through manufacturing scale-up. San Jose investors understand BOM costs, yield rates, and supply chain finance. Look for funds that helped portfolio companies navigate Taiwan or Korea manufacturing relationships. Experience matters more than stage focus here.

Check sizes in San Jose range from $1M at seed to $50M at Series C. Seed rounds average $4.2M for hardware and $3M for software. Series A hits $12-20M for hardware companies due to manufacturing costs. Series B ranges $25-50M. Corporate VCs write large checks but take longer to decide. Financial VCs move faster but won't fund pure hardware without software components.

Local network provides access to Apple, Google, Nvidia, and hundreds of semiconductor companies. Investors can intro you to chip designers, manufacturing engineers, and supply chain experts. These connections are San Jose's biggest advantage. South Bay VCs also connect you to Santa Clara University, San Jose State, and Stanford hardware labs for recruiting.

Communication with San Jose investors takes longer than SF. Upload your deck to Ellty and send trackable links after initial meetings. You'll see which investors actually review your technical specifications versus which skip to financials. Hardware investors spend 2x longer on decks than software VCs. If they don't open your deck within 10 days, they've passed.

Follow-on capacity exists through growth funds like Lightspeed and Mayfield. Corporate VCs can write large checks but don't always lead rounds. Ask about their investment committee process and timeline. Many San Jose funds participate in Series B but expect you to bring a lead investor. For hardware Series C, you'll likely need Tiger Global or SoftBank alongside local VCs.

How to find and approach San Jose investors

Research local deals through Pitchbook's South Bay filters and Silicon Valley Business Journal. Most hardware deals stay quiet until Series B or later. Check Crunchbase for semiconductor and hardware categories filtered to San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale. Talk to founders at Plug and Play Tech Center or Hacker Dojo to learn which investors understand hardware economics versus which waste your time.

Leverage local ecosystem programs like Plug and Play's hardware accelerator, SVIEF (Silicon Valley Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum), and TiE Silicon Valley. San Jose State's engineering programs produce hardware talent. Santa Clara University's hardware labs connect to local investors. These programs matter less than direct manufacturing experience but help with intros.

Build relationships first through technical conferences. San Jose investors meet founders at Embedded Systems Conference, Design Automation Conference, and Semicon West. These events matter more than startup pitch competitions. Showing up at hardware-focused events signals you understand the ecosystem. Getting introduced by a chip designer or manufacturing engineer carries more weight than founder intros.

Share your pitch deck with technical specifications included. Upload to Ellty and create unique links for each San Jose investor. They'll spend 15-20 minutes reviewing hardware decks versus 5 minutes for software. Include BOM costs, manufacturing timeline, and supply chain strategy upfront. San Jose investors won't meet without seeing technical depth first.

Attend local events like Plug and Play's Expo three times per year and SVIEF's annual conference. TiE Silicon Valley hosts hardware-focused pitch events quarterly. Skip generic startup events. Go to IEEE meetings and semiconductor industry gatherings. San Jose investors scout talent at technical conferences, not demo days.

Connect with portfolio founders who've scaled hardware manufacturing. Ask investors for intros to 2-3 companies that went from prototype to 100K+ units. These founders will tell you which VCs actually help with supply chain versus which just wire money. San Jose hardware investors should provide hands-on manufacturing support, not just capital.

Organize due diligence materials with technical depth. San Jose investors want to see BOM analysis, yield projections, manufacturing partner MOUs, and IP filings. Set up an Ellty data room with your technical specifications, supply chain roadmap, and unit economics model. Hardware investors expect more documentation than software VCs. Big PDFs don’t have to mean bounced emails or lost visibility, share them smarter, not harder.

Understand local pace - San Jose hardware deals close in 120-180 days. That's 3x slower than SF software deals. Hardware requires technical diligence, manufacturing validation, and supply chain verification. Expect 5-7 meetings before term sheets. Corporate VCs take 6-9 months from first meeting to funding. If you need capital in 60 days, raise from software VCs instead.

San Jose-specific considerations

San Jose investors strongly prefer technical founders with hardware or semiconductor backgrounds. If you don't have manufacturing experience, you need a co-founder or advisor who does. Pure software founders without hardware expertise struggle here unless they're building infrastructure or dev tools with hardware implications.

Supply chain and manufacturing partnerships matter before fundraising. San Jose VCs want to see you've talked to Taiwan fabs, Korean manufacturers, or Chinese assembly partners. Letters of intent or MOUs from manufacturing partners strengthen your position significantly. Showing up without manufacturing plans signals naivety.

Competition for hardware capital is intense. You're competing with 40-50 other hardware companies per quarter for South Bay investor attention. Semiconductor deals face the most competition due to high capital requirements. Consumer hardware faces skepticism after multiple hardware startups failed in 2020-2023. B2B hardware and infrastructure get funded more easily.

California offers R&D tax credits and federal CHIPS Act funding for semiconductor companies. San Jose investors expect you to pursue government grants and tax incentives. The ecosystem is sophisticated about non-dilutive capital. Not pursuing these programs signals you don't understand hardware economics.

Corporate VCs dominate San Jose more than any other ecosystem. Intel, Cisco, Samsung, TSMC, Applied Materials, and dozens of other corporations run active investment arms. These investors provide strategic value but move slowly and have complex approval processes. Financial VCs like Lightspeed and Mayfield move faster but write smaller checks.

18 top investors in San Jose

1. Lightspeed Venture Partners

Menlo Park fund that's backed 400+ companies including multiple South Bay unicorns in enterprise infrastructure and hardware.

• Recent Deals: Nutanix (San Jose) early investor before $9B IPO, Rubrik Series E participation, multiple 2025 South Bay infrastructure investments
• LinkedIn: Jeremy Liew
• Sector Focus: Enterprise infrastructure, cybersecurity, hardware, consumer, fintech
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth
• Office Location: 2200 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
• Website: lsvp.com

2. Intel Capital

Santa Clara-based corporate VC with $20B+ invested in technology companies globally over 30 years.

• Recent Deals: Cloudera Series E before IPO, 50+ Silicon Valley infrastructure and AI investments in 2025, semiconductor ecosystem focus
• LinkedIn: Wendell Brooks
• Sector Focus: Semiconductors, AI/ML, cloud infrastructure, edge computing, 5G
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: 2200 Mission College Boulevard, Santa Clara, CA 95054
• Website: intelcapital.com

3. Cisco Investments

San Jose corporate VC backing networking, security, and enterprise infrastructure companies with strategic focus.

• Recent Deals: AppDynamics growth rounds before $3.7B Cisco acquisition, 30+ 2025 investments in South Bay security and infrastructure
• LinkedIn: Rob Salvagno
• Sector Focus: Networking, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, IoT, collaboration software
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: 170 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134
• Website: cisco.com/c/en/us/about/corporate-strategy-office/acquisitions/investments.html

4. Sierra Ventures

Menlo Park fund investing in enterprise software and hardware with 40+ years of Silicon Valley experience.

• Recent Deals: SolarCity early investor before $2.6B Tesla acquisition, multiple South Bay cleantech and enterprise investments 2025
• LinkedIn: Tim Guleri
• Sector Focus: Enterprise software, cybersecurity, hardware, cleantech, digital health
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 2884 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
• Website: sierraventures.com

5. Western Technology Investment

Portola Valley debt financing firm providing venture debt to 500+ Silicon Valley hardware and software companies.

• Recent Deals: Hundreds of South Bay hardware and software companies funded in 2025, typical $3M-$20M credit facilities
• LinkedIn: Chris Nolet
• Sector Focus: Hardware, semiconductors, enterprise software, life sciences, all sectors
• Stage Focus: Debt financing for Seed through Growth stage
• Office Location: 2755 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
• Website: westerntech.com

6. Storm Ventures

Menlo Park B2B software investor with focus on enterprise SaaS and infrastructure companies.

• Recent Deals: Marketo growth rounds before $4.75B acquisition, multiple South Bay enterprise software investments 2025
• LinkedIn: Ryan Floyd
• Sector Focus: Enterprise SaaS, infrastructure software, developer tools, data platforms
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 2880 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
• Website: stormventures.com

7. TSMC Ventures

San Jose corporate VC arm of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company backing semiconductor ecosystem.

• Recent Deals: 20+ semiconductor and hardware investments in 2025, focus on Taiwan manufacturing connections and chip design tools
• LinkedIn: TSMC Ventures Team
• Sector Focus: Semiconductors, chip design tools, hardware, AI chips, automotive semiconductors
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: San Jose, CA
• Website: tsmc.com/english/aboutTSMC/dc_ventures

8. Samsung Venture Investment Corporation

San Jose office of Samsung's global VC arm investing in hardware and semiconductor startups.

• Recent Deals: 30+ Silicon Valley hardware and AI investments in 2025, display technology and mobile components focus
• LinkedIn: Samsung SVIC Team
• Sector Focus: Hardware, semiconductors, AI/ML, mobile components, display technology
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: San Jose, CA
• Website: samsungventure.co.kr

9. Draper Fisher Jurvetson

Menlo Park fund known for early Tesla investment and focus on deep tech, space, and frontier technology.

• Recent Deals: Tesla early investor, SpaceX, multiple South Bay deep tech and aerospace investments 2025
• LinkedIn: Steve Jurvetson
• Sector Focus: Deep tech, space, autonomous vehicles, quantum computing, synthetic biology
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: 2882 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
• Website: dfj.com

10. Mayfield Fund

Menlo Park fund with 50+ years backing Silicon Valley technology companies including hardware and enterprise.

• Recent Deals: Ambarella (San Jose) early investor before IPO, multiple South Bay semiconductor and enterprise investments 2025
• LinkedIn: Navin Chaddha
• Sector Focus: Enterprise software, semiconductors, AI/ML, cybersecurity, consumer
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: 2800 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
• Website: mayfield.com

11. DCM Ventures

San Jose office of global VC firm backing enterprise software and cybersecurity companies.

• Recent Deals: Fortinet early investor before IPO, multiple South Bay security and infrastructure investments 2025
• LinkedIn: Jason Krikorian
• Sector Focus: Enterprise software, cybersecurity, fintech, mobile, consumer
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 2420 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
• Website: dcm.com

12. Fenox Venture Capital

San Jose VC with Asia connections backing hardware and IoT startups with manufacturing focus.

• Recent Deals: 40+ South Bay hardware and IoT investments in 2025, emphasis on Asia manufacturing partnerships
• LinkedIn: Anis Uzzaman
• Sector Focus: Hardware, IoT, semiconductors, AI/ML, robotics
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 2479 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95131
• Website: fenoxvc.com

13. SRI International Ventures

Menlo Park VC investing in spinouts from SRI research including robotics, AI, and advanced materials.

• Recent Deals: Multiple SRI spinouts in robotics and AI funded 2025, focus on deep tech commercialization
• LinkedIn: Manish Kothari
• Sector Focus: Robotics, AI/ML, advanced materials, life sciences, cybersecurity
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025
• Website: sri.com/ventures

14. Applied Ventures

Santa Clara corporate VC arm of Applied Materials investing in semiconductor equipment and materials companies.

• Recent Deals: 15+ semiconductor ecosystem investments in 2025, focus on chip manufacturing equipment and materials science
• LinkedIn: Applied Ventures Team
• Sector Focus: Semiconductors, equipment, materials science, advanced manufacturing
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: Santa Clara, CA
• Website: appliedmaterials.com/us/en/ventures.html

15. Cypress Semiconductor Ventures

San Jose corporate VC backing IoT and semiconductor ecosystem companies with focus on connectivity.

• Recent Deals: 12+ IoT and semiconductor investments in 2025, wireless connectivity and embedded systems focus
• LinkedIn: Cypress Team
• Sector Focus: IoT, semiconductors, wireless connectivity, embedded systems, automotive
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: San Jose, CA
• Website: cypress.com

16. Gumi Ventures

San Jose VC focusing on mobile gaming and entertainment with Japan market connections.

• Recent Deals: 25+ mobile and gaming investments in 2025, emphasis on Japan and Asia expansion
• LinkedIn: Gumi Ventures Team
• Sector Focus: Mobile gaming, entertainment, AR/VR, esports
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: San Jose, CA
• Website: gumiventures.com

17. Sharp Ventures

San Jose corporate VC arm of Sharp Corporation backing hardware and display technology startups.

• Recent Deals: 10+ hardware and display technology investments in 2025, focus on consumer electronics and displays
• LinkedIn: Sharp Ventures Team
• Sector Focus: Hardware, display technology, consumer electronics, IoT, robotics
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: San Jose, CA
• Website: sharpventures.com

18. Claremont Creek Ventures

Oakland-based seed fund covering Bay Area with focus on hardware and infrastructure companies.

• Recent Deals: 30+ Bay Area hardware and infrastructure seeds in 2025, typical $500K-$2M checks for technical founders
• LinkedIn: Aaref Hilaly
• Sector Focus: Hardware, infrastructure software, semiconductors, robotics, developer tools
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
• Office Location: Oakland, CA (covers South Bay)
• Website: claremontcreek.com

Start tracking your San Jose investor outreach

These 18 investors closed South Bay deals in 2025-2026. Before you start reaching out to Silicon Valley hardware funds, set up proper tracking.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each San Jose investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your technical specifications and manufacturing roadmap. South Bay-based founders often find hardware investors skip market analysis but spend 10+ minutes reviewing BOM costs, supply chain strategy, and unit economics.

When San Jose investors ask for technical documentation during diligence, share an Ellty data room instead of messy email threads. Your detailed BOM analysis, manufacturing partner agreements, IP filings, yield projections, and financial model in one secure place with view analytics.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in San Jose to raise from South Bay investors?

Not necessarily, but being in South Bay helps for hardware companies. San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Palo Alto all work equally well. Remote hardware companies need manufacturing partnerships before investors take them seriously. Software companies can raise from San Jose investors without being local if they're building infrastructure or tools with hardware implications.

How does San Jose compare to San Francisco for fundraising?

San Jose has more hardware and semiconductor capital. SF dominates software, consumer, and fintech. Average San Jose seed round is $4.2M versus SF's $3M because hardware costs more to build. San Jose investors understand manufacturing economics better. SF investors move faster but don't grasp hardware unit economics. For infrastructure software, both cities work equally well.

What's the average seed round size in San Jose?

$4.2M for hardware in 2025, $3M for software. Pre-seed rounds hit $1-2M. Series A averages $15M for hardware and $10M for software. Hardware rounds are 40-50% larger at each stage due to manufacturing costs. San Jose rounds are the largest in the country for hardware companies because investors understand the capital requirements.

Should I raise locally or go straight to Sand Hill Road?

San Jose IS Sand Hill Road - Menlo Park is 15 minutes away. The South Bay includes everything from San Jose to Palo Alto. There's no distinction between "local" and "Sand Hill" here. Focus on finding investors who understand your sector, not geographic boundaries within Silicon Valley. Corporate VCs in Santa Clara and San Jose often write larger checks than traditional VCs on Sand Hill.

Do San Jose investors expect in-person meetings?

Yes for hardware companies. Video calls work for initial screening but hardware investors want to see prototypes and understand manufacturing plans in person. Expect 5-7 meetings over 3-6 months before term sheets. Software companies can do more remote diligence. Corporate VCs require in-person presentations to investment committees.

What industries get funded most in San Jose?

Hardware leads with 35% of deals, semiconductors get 25%, enterprise infrastructure 20%, AI/ML 15%, and everything else splits 5%. Consumer hardware faces skepticism after multiple failures. B2B hardware and enterprise infrastructure get funded most easily. Semiconductor companies need $20M+ Series A to reach production. Software startups without hardware angles should fundraise in SF instead.

How important are manufacturing partnerships?

Critical for hardware companies. San Jose investors want to see MOUs or LOIs from Taiwan fabs, Korean manufacturers, or Chinese assembly partners. Showing up without manufacturing plans signals you don't understand hardware economics. Software companies don't need manufacturing partnerships but enterprise infrastructure companies should show they understand deployment at scale.