For many founders, venture debt is a practical way to get funding without giving up too much equity. It's a path that helps companies grow while founders keep more control. Firms like General Catalyst have made over 1,500 investments, while Insight Partners has seen more than 260 of its companies exit. They are just a couple of the many active investors helping founders build their businesses.
Below is our list of the best 184 Debt VC firms.
Failory's Top 10 Picks
Supporting businesses from seed to growth, General Catalyst provides capital and strategic guidance to founders building in industries like healthcare, fintech, and consumer technology. Their portfolio includes well-known companies such as Airbnb and Hubspot, reflecting a core mission to foster resilience and advance applied AI.
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2000 |
| Founders | David Fialkow, David Orfao, Joel Cutler |
| Total Funding | $8.6B |
| Average Check Size | $2M |
| Industries | Consumer, Enterprise, AI & ML, Cloud, Marketplace, SaaS, Developer Tools |
| Investment Stage | Convertible Note, Debt, Early Stage, Late Stage, Post-Ipo, Private Equity, Seed |
| Nº of Investments | 1586 (667 as Lead Investor) |
| Nº of Exits | 238 (33 IPO'd) |
| Top Portfolio Startups | Vroom, Hubspot, Airbnb |
| Contact | gcinfo@generalcatalyst.com / +1 415-659-5000 |
Insight Partners backs high-growth software and technology companies in sectors ranging from Fintech to Healthcare. Their portfolio, which includes successes like Shopify and Docusign, benefits from hands-on operational guidance designed to accelerate growth.
| Headquarters | New York, New York, United States |
| Year Founded | 1995 |
| Founders | Jeff Horing, Jerry Murdock |
| Total Funding | $46.1B |
| Average Check Size | $20M |
| Industries | Crypto & Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Devops, E-Commerce, Education, Fintech, Government Technology, Healthcare, Supply Chain & Logistics, Proptech & Real Estate, Future of Work, AI & ML, API, Food & Beverage, Marketplace, Legal, Infrastructure |
| Investment Stage | Convertible Note, Debt, Early Stage, Late Stage, Private Equity, Seed, Series A, Growth |
| Nº of Investments | 1209 (786 as Lead Investor) |
| Nº of Exits | 263 (53 IPO'd) |
| Top Portfolio Startups | Twitter, Docusign, Shopify |
| Contact | growth@insightpartners.com / 212-230-9200 |
3. Norwest
Norwest operates as a multi-stage venture and growth equity firm, investing in a broad range of companies from consumer and enterprise to healthcare. Drawing on experience from over 600 investments, including Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Grove Collaborative, the firm provides founders with a deep network and operational services to help them scale.
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 1961 |
| Founders | Irem Rami, Jeff Crowe, Jon Kossow, Promod Haque, Sohil Chand |
| Total Funding | $12.6B |
| Average Check Size | $25M |
| Industries | Consumer, Enterprise, Healthcare, AI & ML, Biotech, DTC, E-Commerce, Education, Fintech, Food & Beverage, Marketplace, Media, SaaS, Proptech & Real Estate, Infrastructure |
| Investment Stage | Convertible Note, Debt, Early Stage, Late Stage, Private Equity, Secondary Market, Growth |
| Nº of Investments | 1000 (391 as Lead Investor) |
| Nº of Exits | 225 (42 IPO'd) |
| Top Portfolio Startups | Grove Collaborative, Sundaysky, Vertex Pharmaceuticals |
| Contact | businessplan@nvp.com / +1 650-321-8000 |
4. Sixth Street
Sixth Street operates as a global investment firm, partnering with companies at all stages of growth like Airbnb and Sprinklr. They provide flexible capital by investing across the entire capital structure, offering everything from debt financing to growth equity.
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2009 |
| Founders | Alan Waxman, Bornah Moghbel, Britney Burley, Clint Kollar, David Stiepleman, Vijay Mohan |
| Investment Stage | Convertible Note, Debt, Early Stage, Initial Coin Offering, Late Stage, Post-Ipo, Private Equity |
| Nº of Investments | 83 (62 as Lead Investor) |
| Nº of Exits | 29 (12 IPO'd) |
| Contact | sixthstreetprivacy@sixthstreet.com / 4798882915 |
Operating as Italy's National Innovation Fund, CDP Venture Capital aims to establish venture capital as a cornerstone of the nation's economic development and innovation. They back startups across all funding rounds, from seed to late-stage, to cultivate a durable and expansive venture ecosystem.
| Headquarters | Rome, Lazio, Italy |
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | — |
| Investment Stage | Convertible Note, Debt, Early Stage, Late Stage, Seed |
| Nº of Investments | 234 (91 as Lead Investor) |
| Nº of Exits | 3 |
Battery Ventures operates as a multi-stage investment firm, backing technology companies from their earliest seed rounds all the way to private equity. Their portfolio includes household names like Coinbase, Wayfair, and Glassdoor, reflecting a focus on backing potentially category-defining businesses across a wide range of technology markets.
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Year Founded | 1983 |
| Founders | Rick Frisbie |
| Total Funding | $17.7B |
| Average Check Size | $500M |
| Industries | Life Sciences, Industrial, Consumer, Cybersecurity, Cloud, Devops, AI & ML, Fintech, Healthcare, Infrastructure |
| Investment Stage | Early Stage, Late Stage, Private Equity, Seed, Debt |
| Nº of Investments | 889 (349 as Lead Investor) |
| Nº of Exits | 231 (36 IPO'd) |
| Top Portfolio Startups | Coinbase, Wayfair, Glassdoor |
| Contact | (415) 426-5900 |
Inovia Capital partners with technology founders from seed to scale, helping them build enduring global companies. The firm draws on its team of experienced operators to provide mentorship and a global network, a strategy that has supported the growth of companies like Lightspeed and Tracktik.
| Headquarters | Montréal, Quebec, Canada |
| Year Founded | 2007 |
| Founders | Chris Arsenault |
| Total Funding | $2.1B |
| Industries | Internet & Mobile, SaaS, Robotics, Crypto & Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Healthcare |
| Investment Stage | Debt, Early Stage, Late Stage, Seed |
| Nº of Investments | 357 (128 as Lead Investor) |
| Nº of Exits | 75 (5 IPO'd) |
| Top Portfolio Startups | North, Tracktik, Milestone Pharmaceuticals |
| Contact | info@inovia.vc / +1 514-982-2251 |
8. Lux Capital
Lux Capital invests in entrepreneurs tackling challenges in deep tech and hard science, from robotics and biotech to aerospace. The firm's hands-on approach is rooted in its own experience building over 20 companies, helping its portfolio of startups lead their respective industries.
| Headquarters | New York, New York, United States |
| Year Founded | 2000 |
| Founders | Josh Wolfe, Peter Hebert, Rob Paull |
| Total Funding | $1.5B |
| Industries | Deep Tech & Hard Science, Robotics, Manufacturing, AI & ML, Biotech, Infrastructure, Energy, Fintech, Hardware, AR & VR, Transportation, Crypto & Blockchain, Aerospace & Space |
| Investment Stage | Debt, Early Stage, Late Stage, Private Equity, Seed |
| Nº of Investments | 569 (162 as Lead Investor) |
| Nº of Exits | 68 (17 IPO'd) |
| Top Portfolio Startups | Lumafield, Drone Racing, Novig |
| Contact | info@luxcapital.com / 646-349-2960 |
9. RTP Global
RTP Global backs early-stage technology companies across the globe, with a portfolio that includes generational companies like Datadog, DeliveryHero, and Miro. They focus on providing capital and support to help founders build enduring businesses from the ground up.
| Headquarters | |
| Year Founded | 2000 |
| Founders | Leonid Boguslavsky |
| Investment Stage | Debt, Early Stage, Late Stage, Seed |
| Nº of Investments | 248 (84 as Lead Investor) |
| Nº of Exits | 30 (5 IPO'd) |
| Contact | info@rtp.vc |
10. Uncork Capital
For more than two decades, Uncork Capital has helped founders build category-defining companies from the earliest stages. Their portfolio includes major successes like Fitbit, Postmates, and Eventbrite, and they continue to back the next generation of builders in AI, SaaS, and frontier tech.
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2004 |
| Founders | Jeff Clavier |
| Investment Stage | Debt, Early Stage, Late Stage, Seed |
| Nº of Investments | 452 (90 as Lead Investor) |
| Nº of Exits | 112 (6 IPO'd) |
| Contact | contact@uncorkcapital.com / (650) 688-1801 |
174 Additional Debt VC Firms Worth Pitching
Those are our favorite firms, but the list of great investors doesn't stop there. Together, the firms below have invested in over 20,000 startups and helped more than 3,500 of them exit.
You'll find investors from all over the world, with a strong presence in the United States and Europe. Here are the other debt venture capital firms worth pitching.
| VC Firm | Country | Year Founded | Nº Investments | Nº Exits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Founders Fund | United States | 2005 | 996 | 167 |
 New Enterprise Associates | United States | 1977 | 2277 | 625 |
 Octopus Ventures | United Kingdom | 2008 | 454 | 66 |
 Spark Capital | United States | 2005 | 614 | 111 |
 Greycroft | United States | 2006 | 841 | 156 |
 Catalio Capital Management | United States | 2016 | 97 | 18 |
 Mayfield Fund | United States | 1969 | 717 | 209 |
 Inveready | Spain | 2008 | 274 | 44 |
 K5 Global | United States | 2018 | 210 | 20 |
 Bain Capital | United States | 1984 | 169 | 75 |
 Fonds de solidarité FTQ | Canada | 1983 | 318 | 78 |
 EQT | Sweden | 1994 | 118 | 54 |
 Lerer Hippeau | United States | 2010 | 682 | 174 |
 First Round Capital | United States | 2004 | 976 | 222 |
 Illumina Ventures | United States | 2016 | 79 | 9 |
 Atomico | United Kingdom | 2006 | 263 | 48 |
 Third Sphere | United States | 2013 | 138 | 13 |
 S2G Investments | United States | 2014 | 182 | 9 |
 Shorooq Partners | United Arab Emirates | 2017 | 138 | 7 |
 Beringea | United States | 1988 | 179 | 39 |
 Cultivation Capital | United States | 2012 | 236 | 40 |
 Flagship Pioneering | United States | 2000 | 285 | 70 |
 One Way Ventures | United States | 2017 | 102 | 10 |
 Novo Holdings | Denmark | 1999 | 395 | 104 |
 Cisco Investments | United States | 1993 | 216 | 78 |
 Oak HC/FT | United States | 2014 | 162 | 26 |
 Redstone.VC | Germany | 2014 | 120 | 10 |
 Aozora Corporate Investment | Japan | 2018 | 50 | 3 |
 Founders First Capital Partners | United States | 2015 | 4 | — |
 Moneta Ventures | United States | 2014 | 58 | 7 |
 Thomvest Ventures | United States | 1996 | 137 | 35 |
 WndrCo | United States | 2017 | 152 | 23 |
 NEXT Frontier Capital | United States | 2015 | 62 | 12 |
 Balance Point Capital Partners | United States | 2011 | 55 | 22 |
 Link Ventures | United States | 2006 | 54 | 5 |
 Active Partners | United Kingdom | 2003 | 49 | 2 |
 HealthX Ventures | United States | 2015 | 48 | 8 |
 XRC Ventures | United States | 2015 | 168 | 13 |
 Blackhorn Ventures | United States | 2016 | 97 | 7 |
 Pontifax | Israel | 2004 | 111 | 36 |
 Next Coast Ventures | United States | 2015 | 108 | 14 |
 TEDCO | United States | 1998 | 293 | 23 |
 Vector Capital | United States | 1997 | 25 | 8 |
 SBVA | South Korea | 2000 | 272 | 31 |
 Omnes Capital | France | 1999 | 261 | 92 |
 Kapor Capital | United States | 1999 | 285 | 68 |
 Sageview Capital | United States | 2006 | 54 | 14 |
 SV Health Investors | United States | 1993 | 318 | 93 |
 OneVentures | Australia | 2010 | 72 | 9 |
 UpHonest Capital | United States | 2015 | 289 | 37 |
 European Investment Fund | Luxembourg | 1994 | 48 | 6 |
 Brightspark Ventures | Canada | 2000 | 74 | 14 |
 Earlybird Venture Capital | Germany | 1997 | 318 | 53 |
 AVP | France | 2016 | 128 | 17 |
 Longitude Capital | United States | 2006 | 132 | 42 |
 Upfront Ventures | United States | 1996 | 431 | 85 |
 Plexus Capital | United States | 2005 | 9 | 1 |
 Fifth Wall | United States | 2016 | 185 | 18 |
 ICF Capital | Spain | 2010 | 101 | 11 |
 Bowery Capital | United States | 2013 | 99 | 18 |
 Blu Venture Investors | United States | 2010 | 110 | 14 |
 Baird Capital | United States | 1919 | 177 | 53 |
 CAPZA | France | 2004 | 17 | 3 |
 Vistara Growth | Canada | 2015 | 43 | 16 |
 Sherpa Healthcare Partners | China | 2018 | 90 | 7 |
 Anzu Partners | United States | 2014 | 71 | 6 |
 Left Lane Capital | United States | 2019 | 119 | 7 |
 FW Capital | United Kingdom | 2010 | 61 | 7 |
 MBG Baden Wuerttemberg | Germany | 1971 | 32 | 1 |
 Invest Nebraska | United States | 2002 | 233 | 13 |
 Novel Capital | United States | 2021 | 26 | 5 |
 Flashpoint | United Kingdom | 2012 | 83 | 9 |
 Oberland Capital | United States | 2013 | 16 | 10 |
 Prosus Ventures | The Netherlands | 2015 | 148 | 13 |
 colaborativo | Mexico | 2018 | — | — |
 Aliment Capital | United States | 2014 | 39 | 5 |
 AltaIR Capital | United States | 2005 | 361 | 35 |
 Fin Capital | United States | 2018 | 133 | 13 |
 Hudson Structured Capital Management | United States | 2016 | 32 | 5 |
 Hyde Park Venture Partners | United States | 2011 | 180 | 46 |
 Balderton Capital | United Kingdom | 2000 | 446 | 91 |
 BIP Ventures | United States | 2007 | 61 | 5 |
 NewSchools Venture Fund | United States | 1998 | 118 | 34 |
 WP Global Partners | United States | 2005 | 55 | 20 |
 SVB Capital | United States | 2000 | 77 | 15 |
 Tilia Impact Ventures | Czech Republic | 2018 | 18 | 1 |
 Outpost Ventures | United States | — | 13 | 2 |
 Vanterra Capital | United States | 2008 | 35 | 6 |
 Asset Management Ventures (AMV) | United States | 1965 | 157 | 35 |
 DvH Ventures | Germany | 2014 | 66 | 7 |
 Working Capital | United States | 2018 | 24 | 2 |
 Golden Section | United States | 2012 | 43 | 2 |
 Rosecliff Ventures | United States | 2016 | 75 | 9 |
 Heritage Group | United States | 1986 | 55 | 18 |
 Kreos Capital | United Kingdom | 1998 | 141 | 68 |
 Plaza Ventures | Canada | 2008 | 36 | 11 |
 MVM Life Science Partners | United Kingdom | 1997 | 74 | 25 |
 Nu Banx | United States | 2022 | 3 | — |
 Meridian Street Capital | United States | 2015 | 44 | 6 |
 Capricorn Investment Group | United States | 2000 | 112 | 21 |
