Venture capital firms vary widely in stage focus, check size, and investment approach. Some specialize in pre-seed and seed rounds with $500k-$2M checks. Others focus on Series A through C with $10M-$50M investments. A few multi-stage firms invest across the entire lifecycle from pre-seed to pre-IPO. Knowing which firms match your current stage saves time and increases your odds of getting funded.
Quick list
Sequoia Capital: Multi-stage firm investing from seed to growth with $500k-$200M checks across portfolio
Andreessen Horowitz: Sector-focused VC with dedicated teams for crypto, bio, and enterprise investing $1M-$100M
Accel: Early-stage focused firm writing $500k-$50M checks with strong consumer and SaaS portfolio
Benchmark: Series A and B specialist with equal partnership model and typical $10M-$30M investments
Lightspeed Venture Partners: Multi-stage firm investing globally with $500k-$100M check sizes
Index Ventures: European and US focused VC investing $1M-$50M across seed to Series C
Greylock Partners: Enterprise software specialist writing $500k-$75M checks from seed to growth
Tiger Global: Growth-stage investor writing $20M-$200M checks with fast decision process
Insight Partners: Software-focused growth equity firm investing $10M-$500M in scaling companies
General Catalyst: Multi-stage firm with healthcare and fintech focus investing $1M-$100M
Bessemer Venture Partners: Cloud computing specialist investing $500k-$100M across all stages
NEA (New Enterprise Associates): Large multi-stage firm writing $500k-$150M checks across sectors
GGV Capital: Cross-border investor connecting US and Asia with $5M-$100M investments
Founders Fund: Tech-focused VC backing contrarian ideas with $1M-$100M investments
Kleiner Perkins: Historic Silicon Valley firm investing $1M-$75M in technology companies
Battery Ventures: Software specialist writing $5M-$100M checks from Series A to growth
Coatue: Multi-stage firm with public and private investments ranging $10M-$200M
FirstMark Capital: NYC-based early-stage VC writing $1M-$15M checks for seed and Series A
Union Square Ventures: Thesis-driven early-stage firm investing $500k-$10M in network businesses
CRV (Charles River Ventures): Early-stage VC writing $1M-$20M checks for seed through Series B
Spark Capital: Consumer and enterprise VC investing $1M-$50M from seed to Series C
IVP (Institutional Venture Partners): Late-stage growth investor writing $15M-$100M checks
Lux Capital: Deep tech and science investor writing $500k-$50M for contrarian ideas
Thrive Capital: Multi-stage technology investor writing $5M-$100M across various stages
Felicis Ventures: Early-stage generalist VC investing $500k-$20M from pre-seed to Series B
Understanding venture capital stages
Pre-seed and seed is where most VCs start. Check sizes range from $250k to $3M. These investors bet on team and market opportunity before you have significant revenue. Expect 2-8 weeks from first meeting to term sheet.
Series A investors write $5M-$15M checks and expect proven product-market fit. You'll need $1M-$3M ARR with strong unit economics and consistent growth. Diligence takes 8-16 weeks and includes customer references and detailed financial review.
Series B and C rounds are $15M-$50M+ for scaling proven business models. Growth stage investors want clear path to profitability and dominant market position. Expect 12-20 weeks of diligence including market analysis and competitive review.
Growth equity investors write $50M-$200M checks for late-stage companies approaching IPO. They focus on revenue scale, profitability metrics, and exit readiness. These rounds take 16-24 weeks with extensive operational and financial diligence.
Multi-stage firms invest across multiple stages with different partners handling different rounds. Some start at seed and follow through growth. Others focus on Series A and later. Understanding each firm's sweet spot matters more than their total AUM.
Upload your deck to Ellty and create stage-specific trackable links. Different partners at the same firm focus on different stages. You'll see which partners view your materials and how long they spend on each slide. Seed partners care about team slides while growth partners focus on financial projections.
Finding the right venture capital firm
Research which stages each firm actually invests in most actively. A fund might say they do seed to Series C but 80% of their deals are Series A. Look at their recent investments from the past 12 months, not their marketing materials.
Check their typical check sizes against your fundraising needs. Don't pitch a $50M growth fund for your $2M seed round. Find firms that write checks matching your current stage and raise amount. A formalized, GDPR-aligned sharing protocol signals strong data stewardship—boosting investor assurance.
Look at their portfolio companies in your sector. A firm with ten SaaS investments understands your business model and can actually help. Generic multi-sector funds won't have the same pattern recognition or network in your space.
Use Ellty to organize your investor outreach and track engagement. Create separate links for different firms and stages. Pre-seed investors spend time on team backgrounds. Growth investors focus on financial metrics and market share data. Knowing what each firm type prioritizes helps you tailor your pitch.
Understand their decision-making process. Some firms like Benchmark operate with equal partnerships where every partner votes. Others have individual partners who can write checks independently. Fast-moving firms decide in 2-3 weeks. Larger bureaucratic funds take 12+ weeks even for small investments.
Check their follow-on investment rates. A firm with 60%+ follow-on rate to the next stage has capital reserved and conviction in their winners. Firms below 40% either don't have reserves or their companies struggle to hit milestones. Ask about pro-rata rights and typical participation in subsequent rounds.
Ask portfolio founders about actual partner involvement after the investment closes. Most VCs promise operational support but deliver quarterly board meetings and occasional intros. Talk to 3-5 portfolio companies about response times, quality of advice, and whether the partner actually helps or just shows up.
How to approach venture capital firms
Identify 20-30 firms that match your stage, sector, and geography. Don't blast 100+ VCs hoping for responses. Quality over quantity matters. Research each firm's recent deals and focus areas before reaching out.
Get warm introductions through other founders, existing investors, or portfolio company CEOs. Cold emails to VCs have less than 3% response rate at seed and under 1% at Series A. Your seed investors should be opening doors - that's part of their job.
Upload your deck to Ellty before sending to any VCs. Create unique trackable links for each firm so you can see engagement levels. If a partner doesn't open your deck within 48 hours, they're probably not interested. Follow up once, then move on.
Target the specific partner who covers your sector at each firm. Don't email generic info@ addresses. Find the partner on LinkedIn who recently invested in companies similar to yours. Send them a concise 3-4 sentence email with your Ellty deck link.
Lead with traction and metrics appropriate for your stage. Pre-seed investors want to see your prototype and early user feedback. Series A investors need your ARR growth and unit economics. Growth investors care about market position and profitability timeline.
Time your outreach when you have 6-9 months of runway remaining. Fundraising takes longer than you think. Running out of money mid-process destroys your negotiating position and forces you to take bad terms.
Set up an Ellty data room with all relevant documents before you start fundraising. Different stages require different materials. Pre-seed needs incorporation docs and cap table. Series A needs 24 months of financials and customer references. Growth rounds need detailed market analysis and competitive positioning.
Run an organized process with multiple firms in parallel. Don't do sequential pitches. Create urgency by having several conversations happening simultaneously. VCs move faster when they know you're talking to their competitors.
Why venture capital matters in 2026
VC funding remained strong through 2025 with $300B+ deployed globally. Deal volume decreased 15% from 2021 peaks but capital deployed stayed consistent. Investors focused on fewer deals with better metrics instead of spraying capital at inflated valuations.
Seed and Series A rounds saw the most activity. Pre-seed rounds increased 20% as investors moved earlier to capture ownership before valuations spike. Late-stage growth rounds decreased 35% as public markets remained volatile and exit timelines extended.
Sector focus shifted toward AI infrastructure, vertical SaaS, and fintech. Consumer social apps fell out of favor after multiple high-profile failures. Climate tech and healthcare IT gained momentum with government support and regulatory tailwinds.
25 top venture capital firms
1. Sequoia Capital
Sequoia is the most successful VC firm historically and invests across all stages from seed to pre-IPO. They led investments in Apple, Google, Airbnb, and Stripe with a 50+ year track record.
- Recent Deals: Stripe (Series A-F), Nubank (Series A-G), Klarna (Series A-H)
- LinkedIn: Roelof Botha
- Check Size: $500k-$200M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Website: sequoiacap.com
2. Andreessen Horowitz
a16z has dedicated sector teams and backs bold technical founders. They invest across crypto, bio, enterprise, and consumer with strong operational support infrastructure.
- Recent Deals: Coinbase (Series A-E), Instacart (Series B-F), Airbnb (Series C-E)
- LinkedIn: Marc Andreessen
- Check Size: $1M-$100M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Website: a16z.com
3. Accel
Accel moves quickly and has pattern recognition across consumer and enterprise. They backed Facebook, Slack, Spotify, and Atlassian in early rounds.
- Recent Deals: Notion (Series A-C), Brex (Series A-D), UiPath (Series A-E)
- LinkedIn: Andrew Braccia
- Check Size: $500k-$50M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Website: accel.com
4. Benchmark
Benchmark operates with equal partnership where all partners vote on deals. They led Uber, eBay, Twitter, and Snapchat in early stages with concentrated portfolio approach.
- Recent Deals: Uber (Series A-B), Snapchat (Series A-B), Discord (Series A-B)
- LinkedIn: Bill Gurley
- Check Size: $10M-$30M
- Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Website: benchmark.com
5. Lightspeed Venture Partners
Lightspeed invests globally across consumer, enterprise, and health tech. They backed Snap, Affirm, and Epic Games across multiple stages.
- Recent Deals: Snap (Series A-E), Affirm (Series A-G), Rubrik (Series A-E)
- LinkedIn: Jeremy Liew
- Check Size: $500k-$100M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Website: lsvp.com
6. Index Ventures
Index operates in Europe and US with strong product sense. They led Figma, Dropbox, and Revolut across early and growth stages.
- Recent Deals: Figma (Series A-D), Revolut (Series B-E), Robinhood (Series B-F)
- LinkedIn: Danny Rimer
- Check Size: $1M-$50M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
- Location: San Francisco, CA / London, UK
- Website: indexventures.com
7. Greylock Partners
Greylock focuses on enterprise software and has deep operating experience. They backed LinkedIn, Airbnb, Facebook, and Workday in early rounds.
- Recent Deals: LinkedIn (Series A-C), Airbnb (Series A-B), Palo Alto Networks (Series A-C)
- LinkedIn: Reid Hoffman
- Check Size: $500k-$75M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Website: greylock.com
8. Tiger Global
Tiger Global moves exceptionally fast and writes large growth checks. They focus on internet and software companies with proven business models and global expansion potential.
- Recent Deals: Stripe (Series E-H), Databricks (Series F-H), Snowflake (Series E-G)
- LinkedIn: Scott Shleifer
- Check Size: $20M-$200M
- Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: New York, NY
- Website: tigerglobal.com
9. Insight Partners
Insight Partners specializes in scaling software companies and provides operational support. They invest $10M-$500M in B2B SaaS and vertical software with clear revenue models.
- Recent Deals: Twitter (Series A), Shopify (Series C-E), HelloFresh (Series D-F)
- LinkedIn: Jeff Horing
- Check Size: $10M-$500M
- Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: New York, NY
- Website: insightpartners.com
10. General Catalyst
General Catalyst invests across healthcare, fintech, and enterprise software. They backed Stripe, Airbnb, and Snap with long-term ownership mindset.
- Recent Deals: Stripe (Series A-F), Snap (Series A-C), Livongo (Series A-E)
- LinkedIn: Hemant Taneja
- Check Size: $1M-$100M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Website: generalcatalyst.com
11. Bessemer Venture Partners
Bessemer pioneered cloud investing and has strong SaaS portfolio. They backed LinkedIn, Shopify, Twilio, and Toast across multiple stages.
- Recent Deals: Shopify (Series A-D), Twilio (Series A-D), Toast (Series A-E)
- LinkedIn: Byron Deeter
- Check Size: $500k-$100M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Website: bvp.com
12. NEA (New Enterprise Associates)
NEA is one of the largest VC firms with $25B+ under management. They invest across technology, healthcare, and consumer with deep sector expertise.
- Recent Deals: Salesforce (Series A-B), Cloudflare (Series A-D), Duolingo (Series A-E)
- LinkedIn: Scott Sandell
- Check Size: $500k-$150M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Website: nea.com
13. GGV Capital
GGV connects US and Asia markets and invests in cross-border expansion. They backed Alibaba, Airbnb, Slack, and Wish across multiple geographies.
- Recent Deals: Airbnb (Series C-E), Slack (Series B-D), Wish (Series A-E)
- LinkedIn: Hans Tung
- Check Size: $5M-$100M
- Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: San Francisco, CA / Shanghai, China
- Website: ggvc.com
14. Founders Fund
Founders Fund backs contrarian ideas and technical founders. Founded by Peter Thiel, they invested in SpaceX, Palantir, Airbnb, and Stripe.
- Recent Deals: SpaceX (Series A-F), Stripe (Series B-E), Airbnb (Series C-E)
- LinkedIn: Peter Thiel
- Check Size: $1M-$100M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Website: foundersfund.com
15. Kleiner Perkins
Kleiner Perkins has 50+ year history backing Amazon, Google, Genentech, and DoorDash. They focus on early and growth stage technology investments.
- Recent Deals: DoorDash (Series A-E), Robinhood (Series B-F), Instacart (Series C-F)
- LinkedIn: Mamoon Hamid
- Check Size: $1M-$75M
- Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Website: kleinerperkins.com
16. Battery Ventures
Battery focuses exclusively on software and tech-enabled services. They invest $5M-$100M in B2B companies with recurring revenue models.
- Recent Deals: HubSpot (Series A-D), Bazaarvoice (Series A-C), Coupa (Series A-E)
- LinkedIn: Neeraj Agrawal
- Check Size: $5M-$100M
- Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: Boston, MA
- Website: battery.com
17. Coatue
Coatue invests in public and private technology companies with $50B+ under management. They write large checks quickly for proven business models.
- Recent Deals: Spotify (Series F-H), ByteDance (Series D-F), Chime (Series E-F)
- LinkedIn: Philippe Laffont
- Check Size: $10M-$200M
- Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: New York, NY
- Website: coatue.com
18. FirstMark Capital
FirstMark focuses on NYC startups and invests in Pinterest, Shopify, Airbnb, and Riot Games. They provide strong community support for portfolio companies.
- Recent Deals: Pinterest (Series A-C), Shopify (Series A-B), Riot Games (Series A-B)
- LinkedIn: Rick Heitzmann
- Check Size: $1M-$15M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Location: New York, NY
- Website: firstmarkcap.com
19. Union Square Ventures
Union Square Ventures is thesis-driven and invests in network effect businesses. They backed Twitter, Tumblr, Etsy, and Coinbase in early stages.
- Recent Deals: Coinbase (Series A-C), Twilio (Series A-B), Stripe (Series A)
- LinkedIn: Fred Wilson
- Check Size: $500k-$10M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Location: New York, NY
- Website: usv.com
20. CRV (Charles River Ventures)
CRV invests in enterprise and consumer companies across early stages. They backed Twitter, Airtable, and DoorDash with concentrated portfolio approach.
- Recent Deals: Airtable (Series A-C), DoorDash (Series A-B), Bird (Series A-C)
- LinkedIn: Saar Gur
- Check Size: $1M-$20M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Website: crv.com
21. Spark Capital
Spark backs transformative products and technical founders. They invested in Twitter, Slack, Coinbase, and Discord in early stages.
- Recent Deals: Slack (Series A-C), Coinbase (Series A-D), Discord (Series A-C)
- LinkedIn: Megan Quinn
- Check Size: $1M-$50M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Website: sparkcapital.com
22. IVP (Institutional Venture Partners)
IVP focuses on late-stage growth investments with $10B+ under management. They backed Netflix, Snap, Twitter, and Spotify in growth rounds.
- Recent Deals: Netflix (Series D-E), Snap (Series E-F), Spotify (Series F-G)
- LinkedIn: Tom Loverro
- Check Size: $15M-$100M
- Stage Focus: Series C, Growth
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Website: ivp.com
23. Lux Capital
Lux invests in deep tech, hard science, and contrarian ideas. They backed Shapeways, Desktop Metal, and multiple space and bio companies.
- Recent Deals: Desktop Metal (Series A-D), Anduril (Series A-C), Relativity Space (Series A-D)
- LinkedIn: Josh Wolfe
- Check Size: $500k-$50M
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
- Location: New York, NY
- Website: luxcapital.com
24. Thrive Capital
Thrive backs technology companies across multiple stages with long-term ownership approach. They invested in Instagram, Spotify, Stripe, and GitHub.
- Recent Deals: Stripe (Series C-F), GitHub (Series B-C), Oscar Health (Series B-E)
- LinkedIn: Joshua Kushner
- Check Size: $5M-$100M
- Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: New York, NY
- Website: thrivecap.com
25. Felicis Ventures
Felicis is early-stage generalist investing across sectors. They backed Shopify, Fitbit, Cruise, and Notion with concentrated portfolio strategy.
- Recent Deals: Shopify (Series A), Notion (Series A-B), Cruise (Series A-B)
- LinkedIn: Aydin Senkut
- Check Size: $500k-$20M
- Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Website: felicis.com
Track your VC outreach effectively
These 25 venture capital firms invested across all stages from 2025 to 2026. Each firm has different stage preferences and check sizes. Match your fundraising needs to their typical investment profile before reaching out.
Upload your deck to Ellty and create separate trackable links for each stage of investor. Seed investors focus on team backgrounds and market opportunity. Growth investors spend time on financial projections and competitive positioning. You'll see exactly which partners engage with your materials and how long they review each section.
When you advance to due diligence, share an Ellty data room organized by stage requirements. Early-stage investors need basic financials and cap table. Later-stage investors require detailed market analysis, customer references, and multi-year financial models. Having stage-appropriate materials ready accelerates the closing process.
Common questions
What's the difference between early-stage and growth-stage VCs?
Early-stage VCs invest pre-seed through Series B with focus on product-market fit and team. Growth VCs invest Series C and later with focus on scaling proven business models and market leadership.
How do I know which stage a VC focuses on?
Look at their last 20 investments, not their website claims. If 80% of recent deals are Series A, they're a Series A firm regardless of what they say about being multi-stage.
Can the same VC firm invest in multiple rounds?
Yes. Multi-stage firms often invest across several rounds if you're performing well. They'll take their pro-rata rights in subsequent rounds and sometimes lead your next financing.
What percentage of my company should a VC own?
Seed investors typically want 10-20%. Series A investors want 15-25%. Growth investors want 10-20%. Total dilution across multiple rounds should stay under 60% by Series C to preserve founder ownership.
How long does it take to close a VC round?
Pre-seed and seed take 4-8 weeks. Series A takes 8-16 weeks. Series B and C take 12-20 weeks. Growth rounds take 16-24 weeks. Add 50% buffer to these timelines for your fundraising plan.
Should I take money from any VC that offers?
No. Check their portfolio company references, follow-on investment rates, and actual partner involvement. A bad VC damages your company more than no VC. Choose partners who can help you reach the next milestone, not just those who offer the highest valuation.
