Ridge Ventures
No summary available yet.
Ridge is one of the more authentic enterprise-focused funds out there - they actually mean it when they say "revenue-first" and aren't chasing the latest AI hype cycle just for vanity. Founders rave about partners like Brendan Baker who "doesn't waste entrepreneurs' time" and delivers real value through feedback and connections. Their "Ridge Revenue Network" of 100+ Fortune 500 CXOs isn't just marketing fluff - they actually write customer intro commitments into term sheets. Gil Penchina brings serious operating chops and a massive angel network, while Alex Rosen has a track record of picking winners early. The downside? As a "focused fund" they're super selective and only back companies where their excitement matches the founder's - so if you don't click personally, you're out.
- —Best for: Experienced enterprise software founders who want real customer intros, not just capital
- —Known for: Actual revenue focus over hype, strong operator backgrounds, picking winners early
- —Watch out for: High selectivity based on personal chemistry - it's relationship-driven or bust
Ridge backs experienced entrepreneurs building revenue-first enterprise software companies, focusing on seed and early Series A stages with $2-7M checks for founders redefining how the world interacts with data and code. They prioritize character over technology innovation, believing best founders deliver long-term success over best deal terms.
Ridge is genuinely a seed to early Series A shop, writing $2-7M checks focused on companies with product-market fit and revenue potential. Their portfolio is heavily weighted toward enterprise software - 76-79 enterprise application investments out of 116-118 total companies, with additional focus on SaaS, B2B, and high-tech companies.
Alex is co-founder and Managing Partner at Ridge, focusing on B2B software companies using AI to change user experiences, and serves as Chair of the Stanford GSB Venture Fund Group. His prior investments include a string of successful exits like Braze (IPO), Fastly (IPO), Krux (acquired by Salesforce), MindMeld (acquired by Cisco), and Trifacta (acquired by Alteryx).
Gil joined Ridge as Venture Partner in 2011 and Managing Director in 2017, after being co-founder of Fastly (IPO), CEO of Wikia, and member of eBay's pre-IPO team. He's a prolific angel investor in 300+ companies including unicorns like Dollar Shave Club, Cruise Automotive, LinkedIn, and PayPal, with additional investments in Wealthfront, AngelList, and others.
Akriti brings founder and product experience, having built a B2B business and worked as Product Manager at Windows Security and Windows Edge, plus investing at Octopus Ventures' Deep Tech pod. She has an MBA from London Business School where she worked with Amazon Alexa team, and a BS in Computer Science from University of Michigan.
Have a specific question about Ridge Ventures?
Ask Bernie →