California Venture Capital Firms

Written by Dave Lavinsky

venture capital firms in california

It’s never been easier to find venture capital firms in California. There are now over 200 California venture capital firms operating in the state, and more than $2 billion is invested by venture capitalists annually.

What is Venture Capital?

Venture capital is a form of financing provided to startups and early-stage technology companies. Venture capitalists take on the risk of financing risky start-up enterprises in return for potentially high returns, which are usually generated when these new companies grow and succeed.

What Types of Business Use Venture Capital?

Venture capitalists typically invest in businesses that have a high potential for growth. This can include startups with a new and innovative product or service, businesses that are expanding rapidly, such as companies in the tech industry, including information technology, cloud computing, mobile communications technology, life sciences, cybersecurity, healthcare services, medical devices, enterprise software and fintech companies that are set to dominate their industry in the future.

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Tips for Attracting Venture Capital in California

  1. Do Your Research – Venture capitalists are no different than any other type of investor, in that they want to see a return on their investments. Make sure that you can articulate how your business will make money and why you are the best person to execute your vision.
  2. Have a Strong Management Team in Place – Venture capitalists are more likely to invest in a company that has a team of experienced individuals who are passionate about their venture.
  3. Get Organized – Make sure you have all of your financials in order and have a comprehensive venture capital business plan that clearly explains your business model and strategy.
  4. Build Buzz – Let people know what you are working on and get them excited about your venture. The more people that are excited about your business, the more likely you are to attract venture capitalists.
  5. Seek Out Advice – There is no shame in asking for help when it comes to raising money. There are a number of organizations and individuals who can provide guidance on how to obtain venture capital funding.

 

Understanding the Stages of Venture Capital Funding

Venture capitalists offer financing to technology companies in three different stages: seed and early-stage, start-up stage, and growth stage. Each of these stages is categorized by the purpose of venture capital funding.

Seed and Early Stage – Venture capitalists providing early-stage funding will typically expect some type of equity stake in exchange for their investments. In the seed and early stage, venture capital firms are not necessarily expecting a return on their money, but they recognize these early-stage companies as a potential winner and want to help grow it into something great.

Start-Up Stage – A venture capital firm will typically provide capital at this stage to any venture that has already received early-stage funding and is looking for additional growth capital. Venture capital firms that invest at this stage generally expect an equity stake in the venture but are willing to provide additional financing for the venture.

Growth Stages – Venture capital firms at this stage typically want to make sure that they retain their previous investments before making any additional investments. Venture capitalists who invest at this stage expect a significant rate of return on their money and will be looking for a significant equity stake in the venture. It is possible to have multiple funding rounds in the growth stage.


List of Top Venture Capital Firms in California

The following list of California venture capital firms are all members of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). These venture capital firms help entrepreneurs develop innovative concepts into high-growth enterprises.

Northern California

Atherton

Foster City

Portola Valley

Berkeley

Lafayette

Redwood City

Burlingame

Los Altos

Sacramento

Chatsworth

Los Altos Hills

San Bruno

Costa Mesa

Los Gatos

San Francisco

Fremont

Manhattan Beach

San Jose

Oakland

Menlo Park

San Mateo

East Palo Alto

Milpitas

San Rafael

Ellicott City Mountain View

Santa Clara

Palo Alto

Southern California

Beverly Hills

Newport Beach

Sunnyvale

Glendale

San Carlos

Thousand Oaks

Ladera Ranch

San Diego

Westlake Village

Laguna Beach

Santa Monica

Woodside

Los Angeles

Saratoga

 

Atherton

Lauder Partners

 

Berkeley

KPG Ventures

 

Beverly Hills

Navigate Ventures

 

Burlingame

NewView Capital

Ten Eleven Venture Partners

 

Chatsworth

MiLA Capital

 

Costa Mesa

CerraCap Ventures

 

East Palo Alto

Artiman Ventures

 

Ellicott City

Kleiner Perkins

 

Foster City

IBM Ventures

Scale Venture Partners

 

Fremont

Lam Capital

 

Glendale

Steamboat Ventures

 

Ladera Ranch

Okapi Venture Capital

 

Lafayette

Avestria Ventures

 

Laguna Beach

Okapi Partners

 

Los Altos

Toyota AI Ventures

 

Los Altos Hills

Hina Group Fund

 

Los Angeles

2045 Ventures

B Capital Group

Backstage Capital

GOAL Ventures

Make in LA

SAM Preccelerator

SprintRay

 

Los Gatos

National Grid Ventures

Valley Capital Partners

 

Manhattan Beach

B Capital

 

Menlo Park

Acario Ventures

Airbus Ventures

Altos Ventures

Amplify Partners

Andreessen Horowitz

BlueRun Ventures

Breakthrough Energy Ventures

DCM Ventures

DigitalDx Ventures

Facebook

Felicis Ventures

Foundation Capital

GGV Capital

Glynn Capital Management

GoAhead Ventures

Hyundai CRADLE

InterWest Partners

IVP

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Lightspeed Venture Partners

LombardStreet Ventures

Longitude Capital

Lux Capital

Mayfield Fund

Menlo Ventures

Mitsui & Co. Global Investment, Inc.

Northern Light Development Corporation

ONSET Ventures

Owl Ventures

Redpoint Ventures

Renegade Partners

Robert Schwartz

Samsung Catalyst Fund

Sequoia Capital

Shasta Ventures

Sofinnova Investments

SRI International

SVB Capital

Synapse Partners

TCV

Threshold Ventures

Trinity Ventures

U.S. Venture Partners

Wildcat Venture Partners

Wing

 

Milpitas

Coronis Medical Ventures

 

Mountain View

GV (formerly Google Ventures)

 

Newport Beach

CureDuchenne

Mark IV Capital

 

Oakland

Illuminate Ventures

 

Palo Alto

Accel

Ahoy Capital

American Express Ventures

Asset Management Company

Asset Management Ventures LLC

Centana Growth Partners

Citi Ventures

Costanoa Ventures

DCVC

Dell Technologies Capital

Floodgate

Graphene Ventures

GSR Ventures

Hewlett Packard Pathfinder

Icon Ventures

Legacy Venture

Maven Ventures

Meritech Capital Partners

Merus Capital

NGP Capital

Norwest Venture Partners

Playground Global

Playground Global LLC

Porsche Ventures

Sapphire Ventures

Streamlined Ventures

Sutter Hill Ventures

Swisscomm Ventures

TransLink Capital

True Ventures

Uncork Capital

Venrock

Wells Fargo Strategic Capital

Yamaha Motor Ventures and Laboratory Silicon Valley

Yu Galaxy

 

Portola Valley

Canvas Ventures

Morgenthaler Ventures

 

Redwood City

1st Course Capital

 

Sacramento

Impact Venture Capital

 

San Bruno

VIVE Venture Capital

 

San Carlos

JetBlue Technology Ventures

SoftBank Vision Fund

 

San Diego

Correlation Ventures

Moore Venture Partners

Qualcomm Ventures

Torero Fund

 

San Francisco

500 Startups Management Company, L.L.C.

5AM Ventures

ACME Capital

Activate Capital

Alsop Louie Partners

Andra Global

Astia

At One Ventures

ATEL Ventures, Inc.

August Capital

B37 Ventures

BHP Ventures

Blockchain Capital

Bond Capital Management

BP Ventures

Canaan Partners

CapitalG

Coatue

Comcast Ventures

Craft Ventures

Crosslink Capital

CRV

DBL Partners

e.ventures

First Round Capital

Forerunner Ventures

Funders Club Management

Headline (formerly e.ventures)

Illumina Ventures

Initialized Capital

JAZZ Venture Partners

Jim Hale

M34 Capital, Inc.

Maschmeyer Group Ventures

Mighty Capital

Mindset Ventures Capital

Munich Re Ventures

Novo Ventures

Obvious Ventures

Okta Ventures

Pear Ventures

Piva Capital

Precursor Ventures

Prelude Ventures

Ridge Ventures

Salesforce Ventures

Seed Milestone Fund

Spectrum Equity

Spider Capital

Structure Capital

Top Tier Capital Partners

Valia Ventures

Versant Ventures

Vivin Hegde

Zetta Venture Partners

 

San Jose

Marc Theeuwes

 

San Mateo

Emergence Capital Partners

ForgePoint Capital

Franklin Venture Partners

Sanderling Ventures

Sierra Ventures

 

San Rafael

How Women Invest

 

Santa Clara

Applied Ventures

Intel Capital

NVIDIA

Presidio Ventures

 

Santa Monica

Bold Capital Partners

Clocktower Technology Ventures

Upfront Ventures

 

Saratoga

Blue Bear Ventures

 

Sunnyvale

Plug and Play Ventures

 

Thousand Oaks

Amgen Ventures

 

Westlake Village

Westlake Village BioPartners

 

Woodside

Benchmark

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Other Investors in California

There are a number of other investors in California that startups should explore when looking for capital funding. These include angel investors and private equity firms.

Angel Investors – Angel investors are individuals who invest their own money in startup companies in exchange for an equity stake in the venture. They are often wealthy individuals who want to venture out on their own and seek out high-growth opportunities.

Private Equity Firms – Equity firms focus on acquiring established businesses, making them profitable, and then selling them for a profit. These active investors can offer capital to help build up a venture as well as provide operational expertise to make it grow successfully.

Raising money is never easy, but it can be especially challenging for startups in California. The Golden State is home to some of the biggest venture capital firms in the world, but that also means there are more startups competing for venture funding. Additionally, venture capitalists have a wide variety of financing options to choose from so you have to clearly understand who your company is targeting and what kind of value it will bring them if they invest.

 

Related Articles

How to Write a Business Plan for Raising Venture Capital

Venture Capital Financing Within Your Reach

The Ultimate Guide to Getting VC Funding

 

Local Resources

Los Angeles Entrepreneur Resources

  • Los Angeles Business Solutions: Provides advice and information on starting a business, including small business start-up kit, tax and registration information, and financing advice.
  • Los Angeles Venture Association: “The Go-To Organization for Capital Raising,” The Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA) provides forums for entrepreneurs, executives, and financiers.
  • socalTECH: “Hi-Tech News for Southern California.” The premier source for Southern California Technology & Venture Capital News.
  • Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce: Through advocacy and collaboration, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce supports thousands of businesses based in Los Angeles.
  • Los Angeles Business Council: The Los Angeles Business Council provides business education and advocacy for businesses in Los Angeles.
  • Los Angeles Public Library – Small Business Department: The Business Collection provides information on all aspects of entrepreneurship.
  • Los Angeles Business Journal: The LA Business Journal keeps business owners and entrepreneurs up-to-date on the latest business news in the LA region.

 

San Francisco Business Plan Resources

 

San Diego Business Plan Resources

 

How Growthink Can Help

Growthink is a national business consulting firm headquartered in Los Angeles. Since 1999, our business consultants experts have written more than 4,000 strategic business plans for entrepreneurs, small businesses, mid-sized firms, and Fortune 500 corporations seeking funds from venture capitalists, angel investors, or other investors. We can help your business, too!
 

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