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This free sheet contains 100 VC firms, with information about the countries, cities, stages, and industries they invest in, as well as their contact details.

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Top 20 Venture Capital Firms in San Mateo (2026)

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San Mateo remains a central hub for founders looking to raise capital. Some of the industry's most established investors are here, with firms like Redpoint and Benchmark having backed over 1,500 companies between them.

Beyond the well-known names, there are many other funds focused on everything from early-stage deep tech to enterprise software. We've gathered the most promising firms for founders to get to know.

Below is our list of the best 20 VC firms in San Mateo.

Failory's Top 10 Picks

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Draper Associates backs visionary founders at the earliest stages, investing globally in companies aiming to transform entire industries. Their portfolio includes foundational technology companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, Coinbase, and Robinhood, reflecting a strategy of supporting ambitious, high-growth ventures.

Year Founded2015
FoundersTim Draper
Total Funding$230M
IndustriesGovernment Technology, Life Sciences, Biotech, Food & Beverage, Crypto & Blockchain, Education, Energy, Fintech, Healthcare, Mobility, Legal, Aerospace & Space
Investment StageCrowdfunding, Early Stage, Non Equity Assistance, Private Equity, Seed
Nº of Investments436 (123 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits73 (7 IPO'd)
Top Portfolio StartupsPhantom Neuro, UnumID, sHMOODY
Contactplans@draper.vc
Benchmark Logo

With a unique structure of five equal partners offering hands-on support, Benchmark backs early-stage entrepreneurs in mobile, marketplaces, and enterprise software. They have helped build some of the most recognizable names in tech, including Uber, Snapchat, Twitter, and eBay.

Year Founded1995
FoundersAndy Rachleff, Bob Kagle, Kevin Harvey
Total Funding$2.5B
Average Check Size$15M
IndustriesCybersecurity, Hardware, Social, Marketplace, Cloud, Consumer, DTC, Infrastructure, SaaS
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Post-Ipo, Seed
Nº of Investments727 (244 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits197 (51 IPO'd)
Top Portfolio StartupsTwitter, Wework, Snap Inc

Sierra Ventures invests in early-stage startups that are creating the next generation of enterprise and emerging technologies. Building on a portfolio that includes Intuit and Teradata, they offer founders access to a deep network of corporate executives and industry experts.

Year Founded1982
FoundersPeter Wendell
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments435 (146 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits95 (8 IPO'd)
Contactinfo@sierraventures.com / 650.854.1000
Redpoint Logo

Since 1999, Redpoint has backed founders from seed to growth stages, helping them build companies that create new markets and reshape existing ones. Their track record includes helping launch companies like DraftKings, Sonos, and Zendesk across consumer, fintech, and infrastructure sectors.

Year Founded1999
FoundersBrad Jones, Geoff Yang, John Walecka, Timothy Haley, Tom Dyal, Travis Bryant
Total Funding$4.5B
Average Check Size$10M
IndustriesCrypto & Blockchain, Consumer, Fintech, Healthcare, Infrastructure
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Nº of Investments819 (255 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits175 (35 IPO'd)
Top Portfolio StartupsZendesk, Draftkings, Sonos
Contact1 650-926-5600
Defy.vc Logo

5. Defy.vc

Defy provides seed funding to entrepreneurs with high-potential ideas, focusing on the conviction and talent of the founding team. The firm works closely with founders, offering hands-on support during the crucial growth phase that follows an initial investment.

Year Founded2016
FoundersNeil Sequeira, Phebe Chen Tran, Trae Vassallo
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments113 (43 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits15 (1 IPO'd)
Contacthello@defy.vc / 650 530 0193

Forgepoint Capital partners with early-stage entrepreneurs to build transformative cybersecurity and infrastructure software companies. They bring the largest sector-focused investment team and an advisory council of nearly 100 industry leaders to support founders building the next generation of digital security.

Year Founded2015
FoundersAlberto Yepez, Donald Dixon
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage
Nº of Investments72 (42 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits17 (3 IPO'd)
Contacttloh@forgepointcap.com / +1 650 289 4455

DNX Ventures backs early-stage B2B startups, helping them secure initial customers and validate their product-market fit. Since 2011, the firm has used its deep connections with corporate executives to build over 100 partnerships between its startups and Fortune 500 companies.

Year Founded2011
FoundersMitch Kitamura, Q Motiwala, Tetsujiro Nakagaki
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments294 (85 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits42 (8 IPO'd)
Contacthello@dnx.vc / (858) 449-4173

Ballistic Ventures directs its capital and enthusiasm toward early-stage cybersecurity entrepreneurs. The firm provides founders with the collective experience and network of a team composed entirely of security experts.

Year Founded2021
FoundersBarmak Meftah, Derek Smith, Jake Seid, Kevin Mandia, Roger Thornton, Ted Schlein
Investment StageEarly Stage
Nº of Investments68 (21 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits8 (2 IPO'd)
Contactinfo@ballisticventures.com

BlueRun Ventures invests in companies from seed to late stage, with a focus on information technology, mobile, and consumer tech. They helped build foundational companies like PayPal and Waze, guiding them to successful acquisitions.

Year Founded1998
FoundersJohn Malloy
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments219 (69 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits42 (6 IPO'd)
Contactventures@brv.com / +1 650 462 7252
Boost VC Logo

10. Boost VC

Focusing on deep tech, Boost VC provides pre-seed and seed funding to founders building the future in sectors like aerospace, crypto, and biotech. They lead the first investment round of $2M or less, giving ambitious startups the capital needed to launch.

Year Founded2012
FoundersAdam Draper, Brayton Williams
Total Funding$85.2M
Average Check Size$500k
IndustriesAerospace & Space, Energy, Climate & Sustainability, Robotics, Crypto & Blockchain, Biotech, AR & VR
Investment StageEarly Stage, Seed, Pre-Seed
Nº of Investments333 (48 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits37 (3 IPO'd)
Top Portfolio StartupsSource Energy Company, GGs.io, ImYoo
Contactinfo@boost.vc

10 Additional San Mateo VC Firms Worth Pitching

Our top picks are just the beginning of what San Mateo's funding scene has to offer. The next group of firms has collectively backed over 500 startups and guided more than 100 to an exit.

There are many more investors doing important work in the area. Here’s a look at the other venture capital firms funding what's next in San Mateo.

VC FirmYear FoundedNº InvestmentsNº Exits
Phoenix Venture Partners logo Phoenix Venture Partners2010487
+ND Capital logo +ND Capital20026412
Inventus Capital Partners logo Inventus Capital Partners20075814
OneValley logo OneValley2012121
Emergent Ventures logo Emergent Ventures2016786
Transform Capital logo Transform Capital2019274
Wildcat Venture Partners logo Wildcat Venture Partners20153912
Learn Capital logo Learn Capital200916532
Cyber Mentor Fund logo Cyber Mentor Fund20183713
Coupa Ventures logo Coupa Ventures20065

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