VC Fund Dossiers

Sands Capital is the rare fund that actually walks the walk on long-term investing — they've been backing winners like DoorDash and Snowflake since before they were cool, then riding them all the way to IPO and beyond through their integrated public-private platform. With 93% of employees recommending the firm and a 4.9/5 Glassdoor rating, they're clearly doing something right internally. The three managing partners (Clarke, Graninger, Martin) have serious domain expertise and aren't just check-writers — Clarke led major enterprise software investments, Graninger brings national security tech experience from In-Q-Tel, and Martin has been grinding at Sands for 16+ years. Their portfolio shows 11 unicorns, 15 IPOs and 24 acquisitions, which is solid execution. The downside? They're institutional-focused with high minimums, so if you're not raising $10M+ Series A/B rounds in their sweet spot sectors, you're probably not on their radar.

Scout's military-first thesis isn't marketing fluff—Harrison's personal mission after losing a West Point classmate gives them genuine conviction that most defense-focused VCs lack. They're the real deal for veteran founders and dual-use tech, with actual exits like Tomahawk Robotics ($120M to AeroVironment) and moonshot successes like Lonestar literally putting data centers on the moon. The team knows how to navigate both Silicon Valley and the Pentagon, which is rare. However, their military network bias might mean non-veteran founders get overlooked, and their $2-5M seed checks put them in competition with bigger funds who can write larger follow-on checks.

Well, this is awkward. Shima Capital is winding down after the SEC sued founder Yida Gao for fraud, with Gao stepping down three weeks later and apologizing to portfolio companies for his "misguided decisions". The guy built an impressive resume - Forbes 30 Under 30, MIT instructor taking over from Gary Gensler - but allegedly inflated a 2.8x return to 90x in pitch decks and secretly pocketed $1.9 million from a BitClout SPV scheme. The portfolio was actually solid with investments in Berachain, Monad, Pudgy Penguins, but none of that matters when your GP is facing both civil fraud charges and parallel criminal action. Classic case of a young hotshot who let early success go to his head and thought the rules didn't apply to him.

SignalFire operates as a 'tech company that does venture' with 100% of portfolio companies actively using their Beacon AI platform for recruiting and go-to-market research. They use their scale to 'outgun everyone at the seed' by putting up to $100M into single breakout companies, which most seed funds can't match. Farmer lost team members during the bubble who thought they were 'too cheap' to compete, but this discipline positioned them perfectly for the current market while other firms are 'licking their wounds.' Portfolio founders consistently praise their hands-on approach - one CEO noted Farmer's technical depth allows for 'deep technical details without further explanation' and EvenUp's founder called them 'the most helpful investor on our cap table, hands down.'

Sixth Street Growth is the grown-up in the room of growth equity — they're not chasing unicorns or betting on crazy TAMs. Sixth Street has invested over $9 billion in more than 70 companies through its Growth franchise since inception. They've got $4.4B in their latest fund and the operational chops to back it up with their 'More than Capital' platform. The Goldman Sachs DNA runs deep here, which means they know how to structure creative deals and aren't afraid of hybrid equity-debt solutions. What's impressive is they're not just growth equity tourists — this is a dedicated platform within a $100B+ multi-strategy firm. The downside? You're dealing with institutional machinery, not scrappy fund managers who will move heaven and earth for your deal. They're methodical, process-heavy, and probably not the fastest check-writers in town. But if you want patient capital from people who've seen every cycle and won't panic at the first sign of trouble, these are your guys.

Social Starts has been around the block since 2012 and claims to be "uniquely data-driven" - though honestly, every VC says that these days. What's actually interesting is their founder William Lohse's track record - the guy was an early Pinterest investor and has been doing this since the 1990s, which gives them real pattern recognition. They've been named the top fund under $100M since 2013 and were the fifth most active early stage fund worldwide in 2015, suggesting they actually move fast and deploy capital. The health and happiness thesis sounds a bit fluffy, but their portfolio shows they're willing to bet on everything from AI diagnostics to alternative proteins. They focus investments in 4-5 key areas that change every six months as they evaluate market shifts, and their early investing locks in pro rata for Series A - so they're not one-and-done investors.

SPC is the rare fund that actually gets the messy reality of starting companies - they'll back you before you even know what you're building. Their thesis is that most companies fail because they never picked the right idea in the first place, so they partner with founders pre-revenue, pre-product, and even pre-idea. The husband-wife duo of Ruchi and Aditya brings serious Silicon Valley pedigree but also refreshing honesty about the emotional rollercoaster of founding. They understand that founders can go from morning optimism to midday doubt to evening triumph all in one day. What founders love is the lack of artificial timelines and demo days - they genuinely let you find your global maximum instead of rushing you to a local one. The community aspect isn't just marketing fluff; upwards of 50% of members find their cofounders within SPC.