9 Best VC Firms in Santa Monica
Welcome to our guide on the top VC firms in Santa Monica! Nestled by the beach, Santa Monica is not just a beautiful place to live; it’s also a vibrant hub for startups. If you’re an entrepreneur looking for funding, you’re in the right place. This article will introduce you to the leading VC firms in Santa Monica that are known for backing innovative businesses.
Fusion VC
Fusion VC is a prominent pre-seed platform in Israel, known for its intensive support to early-stage startups. They focus on helping Israeli startups, particularly those in non-traditional markets, to grow in the U.S. market. Fusion VC’s approach includes a comprehensive 10-week bootcamp held in various locations like Tel Aviv, Silicon Valley, New York, and Los Angeles. This program involves over 150 sessions led by experienced founders, investors, and mentors. The firm offers an investment of $150,000 to each startup accepted into their accelerator program. This investment is structured as a convertible note, based on Silicon Valley standards, and Fusion VC typically takes a 7.5% equity stake in return.
Headquarters: USA
Investment Geography: USA, Israel, Netherlands,
Operating since: 2017
Stages: Pre-Seed,Seed
Investment Focus: AI/ML,AR/VR,Climate & Energy,Consumer,Digital Health & Wellness, SaaS, E-commerce & CPG, EdTech,Enterprise,FinTech & InsurTech,Food & AgTech,Future of Work & HR,Gaming & eSports,Healthcare & Life Science,IoT & Electronics,IT,Cloud & Communication, MarTech & AdTech, Marketplace,Mobile,Mobility & Automotive,Real Estate & PropTech, Security, Supply Chain & Logistics, LegalTech,Crypto & Web3, Sales & CRM
Number of investments: 110
Number of exits: 15
Check size: $150k
Notable investments: Agora, Digital Owl
Founders/Key People: Yair Vardi, Guy Katsovich
Website: https://www.fusion-vc.com
M13 Ventures
M13 is an early-stage consumer tech venture capital firm that supports its founding teams with full-time operating partners, resources, and networks. Founded in 2016 and based in Santa Monica, California, M13 invests in technology, work, health, commerce, and money sectors. The firm is notable for its focus on consumer products and services (both B2C and B2B), financial services, media, e-commerce, and cryptocurrency sectors.
Headquarters: USA
Investment Geography: USA, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Australia.
Operating since: 2016
Investment Focus: Consumer Internet & Media,E-commerce,Cannabis,FoodTech, Consumer Tech,FinTech,EdTech,Digital Health/HealthTech, Housing/PropTech, B2B/Enterprise, SaaS/Software,Logistics & Transportation/Mobility
Stages: Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+
Number of investments: 141
Number of exits: 22
Check size: $100K – $10M
Notable investments: Shef, FanDuel, Delphia.
Founders/Key People: Courtney Reum, Latif Peracha
Website: https://m13.co
March Capital
March Capital is a venture-growth firm headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and has been investing globally since 2014. This top-tier venture capital and growth equity firm focuses intensely on sector-specific investments. They aim to accelerate founder success by leveraging a global leadership network and engaging deeply with their portfolio companies. March Capital invests in areas like enterprise AI, fintech, cloud/data infrastructure, and gaming.
Headquarters: USA
Investment Geography: United States, India, United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, Türkiye
Operating since: 2014.
Investment Focus: B2B Software/SaaS,Enterprise AI,Cyber Security,FinTech,Data Infrastructure, E-commerce Enablement,Gaming.
Stages: Pre-seed, Seed, Post-Seed, Series A, Series B+.
Number of investments: 132
Number of exits: 18
Check size: $500K – $10M
Notable investments: CrowdStrike, KnowBe4
Founders/Key People: Jamie Montgomery, Sumant Mandal
Website: https://marchcp.com
Mucker Capital
Mucker Capital, founded in 2011, is a venture capital firm headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The firm primarily focuses on investing in seed-stage and early-stage companies operating within the software and technology sectors. Mucker Capital is known for investing in internet software, services, and media, particularly on defensible and scalable businesses. The firm also operates MuckerLab, which serves as an acceleration platform for its investment activities.
Headquarters: USA
Investment Geography: United States, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Poland, Kuwait, Panama, France, Singapore.
Operating since: 2011.
Investment Focus: Consumer Internet,FinTech,E-commerce,EdTech,Digital Health/HealthTech, Digital Media/Gaming, Enterprise/B2B,SaaS/Software,MarTech,Cyber Security, HRTech, PropTech.
Stage: Seed, Post-Seed, Series A.
Number of investments: 256
Number of exits: 18
Check size: $100K – $3M
Notable investments: ServiceTitan, Honey
Founders/Key People: William Hsu, Erik Rannala
Website: https://www.mucker.com
Upfront Ventures
UpFront Ventures, originally known as GRP Partners, is a prominent venture capital firm based in Santa Monica, California. It was founded in 1996. The firm, initially located in Century City, Los Angeles, is recognized for its early-stage investments in technology companies. It gained notoriety for its investments in chain restaurants and retailers, along with tech companies like PayPal Credit and Overture.
Headquarters: United States
Investment Geography: United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Italy, Egypt, Gibraltar, Germany, Finland, United Arab Emirates.
Operating since: 1996
Investment Focus: Consumer Internet, FinTech, RetailTech, Digital Media, SaaS/Software.
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B.
Number of investments: 453
Number of exits: 92
Check size: $100K – $10M
Notable investments: Starbucks, Paypal Credit.
Founders/Key People: Mark Suster
Website: https://upfront.com/
Bonfire Ventures
Bonfire Ventures is a venture capital firm that leads seed-stage investments in B2B software startups. Bonfire Ventures seeks companies with over $250K in annual recurring revenue and a clear path to $100 million ARR. They prioritize startups with a differentiated product that is essential for key business processes and invest in about 8-12 companies per year.
Headquarters: USA
Investment Geography: USA, UK, Israel, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Mauritius, Brazil, China
Operating since: 2017
Stages: Seed, Series A
Investment Focus: Enterprise SaaS/B2B Software (Digital Security, Finance Technology, Future of Health, Future of Work, Horizontal Solutions, Marketing & E-commerce, Marketplaces, R&D Ops & Infrastructure, Transportation & Logistics, Vertical Cloud)
Number of investments: 189
Number of exits: 52
Check size: $2m – $10m
Notable investments: Figment, Invoca
Founders/Key People: Brett Queener, Jim Andelman
Website:https://www.bonfirevc.com
Embark Ventures
Embark Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in pre-seed and seed-stage investments, focusing on “deep tech” companies. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Embark Ventures primarily invests in sectors such as bio-healthcare, software and computing, manufacturing and industrial, material science, robotics and automation, and sensors and semiconductors. The firm seeks out ambitious teams that have developed proprietary technology, offering a significant competitive advantage in large-scale industries.
Headquarters: USA
Investment Geography: Canada, USA,
Operating since: 2017
Stages: Pre-Seed,Seed
Investment Focus: DeepTech (Bio-Health Care, Software-Computing, Manufacturing-Industrial, Material Science, Robotics-Automation,Sensors-Semiconductors)
Number of investments: 36
Number of exits: 1
Check size: $100k – $2m
Notable investments: Parallel Systems, Truvian Sciences
Founders/Key People: Peter Lee, Yipeng Zhao
Website: https://www.embark.vc
Wedbush Ventures
Wedbush Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Santa Monica, California, focuses on funding pre-seed and seed-stage startups. The firm is particularly interested in founders who are determined to revolutionize the way we live and conduct business. With a strong commitment to innovation, particularly in Southern California, Wedbush Ventures supports founders across the United States, encouraging problem-solving in unconventional ways. The firm’s approach emphasizes doing the right thing and achieving results efficiently.
Headquarters: United States
Investment Geography: United States, United Kingdom, Luxembourg.
Operating since: 2020
Investment Focus: FinTech, InsurTech, MarTech, AdTech, Cyber Security, Consumer Tech, Software Enablement.
Stage: Pre-Seed,Seed,Series A, Series B.
Number of investments: 25
Check size: $50K – $1M
Notable investments: Valora, Arrive
Founders/Key People: Petra Griffith
Website: https://www.wedbushventures.com/
PLG Ventures
PLG Ventures is a prominent early-stage venture capital firm specializing in providing pre-seed and seed capital to technology-enabled startups. Founded in 2015 and based in Santa Monica, California, it is recognized for its hands-on partnership approach, assisting founding teams in developing leadership skills, emotional intelligence, and company culture. PLG Ventures focuses on laying a strong foundation for scalable and successful growth, and it has a reputation for moving quickly in the funding process.
Headquarters: USA (Santa Monica, California)
Investment Geography: USA
Operating since: 2015
Investment Focus: Technology-Enabled Startups, Consumer Internet, B2B SaaS, Enterprise Software, Marketplaces
Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed
Number of investments: 60
Number of exits: 13
Check size: $100k – $500k, $500k – $1m
Notable investments: Public.com, AvantStay, SkyKick
Founders/Key People: Peter Goldberg, Elaine Russell
Website: https://www.plgventures.com/
Conclusion
Selecting the right VC firm in Santa Monica is crucial for your startup’s growth and success. The firms we’ve talked about offer not only financial backing but also valuable guidance and connections. Take a moment to consider which firm best aligns with your business goals and values. With the right support, your startup can make the most of the unique opportunities in Santa Monica’s thriving business environment.
