First Round Capital
Seed-stage firm known for its founder community and early bets on Uber and Square.
First Round is the gold standard for early-stage support, but they've evolved into something closer to a startup accelerator than a traditional VC. They reject the idea that founders must choose between early-stage focus and functional expertise, providing both active VC partners and an extended operating team. The real differentiator isn't just their Uber-level returns — it's that they've systematized founder support with programs like PMF Method and their legendary First Round Review content. Their data shows companies with female founders outperformed all-male teams by 63%, and they actually act on diversity insights rather than just talking about them. The downside? They're incredibly selective and the bar keeps rising. They want 15-20% ownership, so expect meaningful dilution, but you're getting a partner who will roll up their sleeves from day one.
- —Best for: Founders who want true partnership and operational support, not just capital
- —Watch out for: High ownership expectations (15-20%) and increasingly selective criteria
- —Known for: Legendary portfolio companies, First Round Review content, and data-driven founder support
First Round looks for compelling and contrarian insights into how the world works. They don't predict the future — founders do, and they look to founders to teach them what's next. They focus on founders at the very beginning of company creation, often when they have only an "imagine if" vision, with 20+ years of experience investing at the seed stage.
Exclusively invests at Seed and Series A stages, with check sizes ranging from $750K to $4M on the lead side. Investments cluster around enterprise, AI, hardware, healthcare, fintech, and consumer, though they're sector-agnostic and interested in founders building outside those areas. Takes meaningful ownership stakes (typically 15-20%).
Serial entrepreneur who co-founded Infonautics (went public 1996), Half.com (sold to eBay 2000), and TurnTide (acquired by Symantec). Co-founded First Round in 2004, has invested in over 500 startups and frequently makes the Forbes Midas List. Core generalist known for Notion, Roblox, and Upstart investments.
Joined in 2012 and has made the Midas List five times after leading investments in Looker, Verkada, and Flexport. Hardware/infrastructure specialist with a strong track record in B2B infrastructure deals. Known for his operational expertise and hands-on approach with portfolio companies.
Started at First Round in 2008 as a college intern before being named a partner in 2016. Leads First Round's Platform team and serves as architect of their content engine including First Round Review and In Depth podcast. Enterprise/GTM specialist with investments in Clay and Persona.
Spent his career in product management at some of the biggest companies in tech, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Dropbox. AI/product expert with investments in Fal and Parallel. Known for deep product expertise and leads their PMF Method program.
Joined in 2023 and was named to the Forbes Midas Brink List in 2025. Founder herself with GTM/scaling expertise. Brings operational experience and focuses on helping founders scale their go-to-market strategies.
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