VENTURE CAPITAL ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM
We bring together the key investors and stakeholders in the region to help them navigate SoCal’s diverse innovation communities by enabling discovery and connectivity with the people and organizations who help drive their investment strategy. In essence, we provide the connective tissue that facilitates access to our region’s wealth of opportunities.
In SoCal, we’ve got more. And we are where industries and ideas converge.
SoCal is the most well-diversified across industries among the country’s top three innovation hubs: software/tech (21%), health (19%) followed by media (18%).
Over the last 20 years, the SoCal VC community has blossomed from a few handfuls of investors to well over one hundred established funds. And for the first time in almost a decade, SoCal surpassed metro New York in VC funding (over $19Bn which is ~10x larger than in 2000). We also have seen the proliferation of local mega-funds like B Capital, March, Fifth Wall, Sinai, Westlake Bio, Greycroft and Upfront all with over $1Bn in AUM.
With so much opportunity distributed across a promising, yet expansive 40 sq miles it can be hard to know where to start. That’s where the Alliance VC Engagement program comes in…see below for how we can help investors navigate and connect to this massive and growing ecosystem.
GET CONNECTED
The Alliance is connecting venture investors to key stakeholders and leaders within the SoCal innovation ecosystem. Contact us to learn more about our VC Engagement program.
VC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM DETAILS
The VC Engagement Program includes opportunities for brand promotion, thought leadership, and highly curated networking.
Strengthen SoCal Relationships, Brand & Engage in SoCal Ecosystem
- Promotion in Alliance publications (newsletters, programs, events, website)
- Receive internal Alliance monthly board updates and copies of quarterly presentations
- Invitations to Alliance marquis events & programs
- Monthly Alliance newsletters
Promotion & Thought Leadership
- Elevate your brand to SoCal startups, other VCs, and corporations
- Position your VC as a thought leader via video showcases on successful SoCal investments, speaking opportunities and panels, guest blogging, podcast appearances, and hosting high profile events
Join our VC Executive Advisory Council for exclusive benefits
Chaired by Kara Nortman, Co-Managing Partner, Upfront Ventures
- Meet regularly with top SoCal & NorCal VC leaders
- Annual social event with top VC leaders and SoCal corporate executives
- Invitation to participate in curated dialogues with venture & corporate elites through our Leadership Engagement and Discussion (LEAD) roundtable series
- Advisory role and access to reporting of SoCal Venture Pipeline venture matching program
- Select members (max of 20) representing a cross-section of top SoCal firms
Access to the SoCal Venture Pipeline (SVP) brought to you by Silicon Valley Bank
- Opportunity to serve on the SVP advisory board that provides program oversight and receives quarterly updates on the performance of the program providing curated investment opportunities targeting SoCal startups seeking their first round of institutional funding of at least $4 million
- Preferred access to present at SVP events and opportunities to advise as a subject matter expert
Invitations to attend sessions of our Strategic University Research Expo (SURE)
- Invitations to monthly virtual events that showcase leading research from SoCal’s top universities and institutions curated to match corporate technology and life science interests
GET INVOLVED
We have scaled the “recommended” support contribution to the Alliance (a not-for-profit organization) to match the size and budget of the VC firm (starting at $5k/year).
Alliance VC Advisory Council
Location: Santa Monica
AUM: $1.9B
Stage of Investment: Seed, A, B, C
Typical Check Size: $10-20M
Notable Investments: Apeel Sciences, Bird, dotLA, Fab Fit Fun, GOAT, HelloTech, Ring
Industry: Consumer
Investment Thesis: Some VCs have great networks. Some have great megaphones. Some VCs offer great counsel. We value all of those but most strongly believe in rolling up our sleeves and doing the hard work alongside you in your moments of need. When your company goes immediately up-and-to-the-right, everybody is your friend. When your company hits a bump in the road we’re there – even if that means telling you the tough messages others may not.
Location: Los Angeles
AUM: $100M
Stage of Investment: Pre-Seed, Seed
Typical Check Size: $1M
Notable Investments: Ordermark, FlockFreight, Well Health
Industry: Technology
Investment Thesis: As founders, we know startups. As technologists, we know data. And as investors, we support the entrepreneurs who shape the future.
Location: Santa Monica
AUM: $467.5M
Stage of Investment: A
Typical Check Size: $8-10M
Notable Investments: The Honest Company, Snap, Suja Life
Industry: Consumer
Investor Thesis: Our venture arm helps world-shaping companies keep focus on the big ideas by providing smart capital and the resources they need to accelerate growth.
Location: Newport Beach
AUM: $66M
Stage of Investment: A, B, C, D
Typical Check Size: $5-10M
Notable Investments: GoSite, VideoAmp
Industry: Technology
Investor Thesis: We invest $5 to $10M into early growth-stage B2B software companies generating $5 to $15M in recurring revenues.
Location: Santa Monica
AUM: $190M
Stage of Investment: Seed, A, B
Typical Check Size: $3-5M
Notable Investments: ChowNow, Figment, Openpath, mPulse Mobile, Thankful
Industry: Technology
Investor Thesis: We lead Seed rounds for business software founders transforming the industries they target.
Location: Pasadena
AUM: $80M
Stage of Investment: Seed, A, B, C
Typical Check Size: $10-15M
Notable Investments: Soft Robotics, Health Tensor, Parallel Domain
Industry: Technology
Investor Thesis: Calibrate Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in early-revenue automation and AI companies. We partner with visionary founders bringing automation to diverse industries including education, healthcare, logistics, agriculture, financial services and beyond.
Location: Los Angeles
AUM: $83B
Stage of Investment: A, B
Industry: Fintech, Entertainment
Location: Santa Monica
AUM: $95M
Stage of Investment: Seed, A, B, C, D
Typical Check Size: $10-40M
Notable Investments: Cardless, Wagmo, Resolve, Daylight
Industry: Technology
Investor Thesis: We partner with phenomenal entrepreneurs who have the vision and drive to reinvent financial services, investing from the earliest seeds of startup life to businesses scaling for growth. We support leading companies across all sectors of financial services, including lending, credit & banking, payments, insurance, capital markets & investments, personal finance, enterprise financial stack and real estate finance. Our distinctive approach to fintech venture capital is crafted around a curated network of global macroeconomic thinkers and investors.
Location: Los Angeles
AUM: $100M
Stage of Investment: Seed, A
Typical Check Size: $2-10M
Notable Investments: Harper Wilde, Spire Animation Studios, Blacktag, Unless Collective, Fightcamp, Opensea, Candy Digital
Industry: Consumer
Investor Thesis: We partner with phenomenal entrepreneurs who have the vision and drive to reinvent financial services, investing from the earliest seeds of startup life to businesses scaling for growth. We support leading companies across all sectors of financial services, including lending, credit & banking, payments, insurance, capital markets & investments, personal finance, enterprise financial stack and real estate finance. Our distinctive approach to fintech venture capital is crafted around a curated network of global macroeconomic thinkers and investors.
Typical Check Size: $3-20M
Notable Investments: Axial Biotherapeutics, Foldax, PteroDynamics
Industry: Life Science
Investor Thesis: We invest in, support and nourish the world’s leading scientific discoveries and commercialize them into viable businesses as quickly as possible.
Location: Santa Monica
AUM: $1.2B
Stage of Investment: Seed, A, B, C, D
Typical Check Size: $30-10M
Notable Investments: Dropfake, Morty, Nifty Games, Dot LA, Spark Cognition
Industry: Technology
Investor Thesis: March is a venture-growth firm that dares to go all-in by combining intense sector focus, patience, access to a global leadership network, and high-impact portfolio engagement to inspire & to accelerate extraordinary companies. Because transformative change starts with conviction.
We actively explore opportunities that span the innovation economy. We have deep domain expertise in ENTERPRISE AI, CYBER, FINTECH, CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE, INDUSTRIAL TECH, and GAMING.
Location: Los Angeles
AUM: $25M
Stage of Investment: Between A and Growth Rounds
Typical Check Size: $1M
Notable Investments: BlueX Trade
Industry: B2B Enterprise SaaS
Investor Thesis: Founded by principals with decades of investing and operating experience, Navigate Ventures is a venture fund focused on early/mid growth stage capital for emerging B2B Enterprise SaaS & Internet companies between their Series A and Growth rounds, outside of Silicon Valley.
Location: Menlo Park
AUM: $18.4B
Stage of Investment: A, B, C, D
Typical Check Size: $50-200M
Notable Investments: MasterClass, Plaid, Pateron
Industry: Technology
Investor Thesis: We are a global venture capital firm with a mission to make the world better by helping founders build great companies that improve the way we live, work and play.
Location: Los Angeles
AUM: $600M+
Stage of Investment: Series B and beyond
Typical Check Size: $30M
Notable Investments: DraftKings, Epic Games
Industry: Consumer
Investor Thesis: Smash Ventures is a later-stage investment firm focused on consumer internet and technology companies. We add value to our portfolio through media strategy. We met leading venture investments for The Walt Disney Company.
Location: San Francisco & Los Angeles
AUM: $75M
Stage of Investment: Pre-Seed, Seed, A
Typical Check Size: $500K – $2M
Notable Investments: PolicyGenius, The Athletic, Luxury Presence
Industry: All (tech generalist): including Enterprise Software, Consumer, Marketplace, Healthcare, Media, Fintech
Investor Thesis: We invest in people first, using data to identify extraordinary founders
Location: Los Angeles
AUM: $700M
Stage of Investment: A, B, C, D
Typical Check Size: $20-100M
Notable Investments: Headspace, Rooster Teeth, Hello Sunshine, Twitter, Pandora, Fullscreen
Industry: Consumer
Investor Thesis: TCG is a multi-stage investment firm dedicated to building consumer businesses. As a group of operators, creatives, and investors, we help founders bring authentic ideas to life.
Location: Los Angeles
AUM: $179.8M
Stage of Investment: Seed, A, B
Typical Check Size: $120K – $5M
Notable Investments: Digital Ocean, SendGrid, Socedo, Two Bit Circus
Industry: Technology
Investor Thesis: Techstars Ventures is a venture capital firm that empowers entrepreneurs to bring new technologies to the market.
Location: New York
AUM: $375M
Stage of Investment: Seed, A, B, C
Typical Check Size: $30-60M
Notable Investments: Bright Health Care, Landmark, Cohort, Plume, VillageMD
Industry: Life Science, Technology, Consumer
Investor Thesis: Supporting visionary teams passionate about solving health care’s biggest needs.
Location: Los Angeles
AUM: $50M
Stage of Investment: Seed
Typical Check Size: $1-3M
Notable Investments: Botco.ai, Stix, Repeat
Industry: Technology
Investor Thesis: VamosVentures is a venture capital fund focused on Latinx and diverse founders leading early-stage tech-enabled companies
Location: Pasadena
Stage of Investment: Seed
Typical Check Size: $250K – $500K
Notable Investments: Alertive Health, Ciitizen, Evid Science, Med Pilot
Industry: Healthcare, Med-Tech, Health-Tech, Telehealth, & Digital Health
Investor Thesis: We are SEEDING HEALTHCARE’S TOMORROW. We invest in healthcare disruptors and entrepreneurs that see how the industry is transforming itself and want to make a big difference.
Location: Santa Monica
AUM: $5.5M
Stage of Investment: Seed
Typical Check Size: $100k-$300k
Notable Investments: Cheese Financial, Repeat, Vested Finance
Industry: Generalist tech with a focus on FinTech, E-commerce Enablement, Future of Work.
Investor Thesis: Wedbush Ventures is a seed stage fund focusing on founders with strong founder/market fit looking to redefine or create a new market. We bring deep product/operations experience and a broad network to help our companies grow.