As a founder, you know how challenging it can be to find the right VC funds to work with, the ones that truly work for you. A great fund doesn’t just provide early capital; it also breaks down doors, opening new opportunities and offering genuine partnerships.
That’s why we created The VC List, a comprehensive directory of over 18k+ individual VC investors and their firms. We’ve included key details such as contact information, investment stage, and check size to help founders connect with the right partners.
Each week, we’re highlighting some standout firms from The VC List that invest in different industries, sectors, or verticals. Today, we're highlighting Generalist Early-Stage VC firms.
Based in San Francisco, Long Journey Ventures is a VC firm founded by experienced operators. Each member of the Long Journey team has started their own company or invested personal capital into startups for over a decade. Many partners are still operators, bringing a unique perspective to their investments. Collectively, the team has supported more than 30 unicorns from their earliest stages, including SpaceX, Uber, Compound (COMP), Postmates, Affirm, Notion, and Loom. One of the firm’s General Partners is Ariel Zuckerberg, the sister of Mark Zuckerberg.
Bessemer Venture Partners is one of the oldest venture capital firms in the U.S., with roots dating back to the Carnegie Steel empire. Since then, they've invested in over 300 companies across 12 funds, with 145 of those companies eventually going public. Some of their notable portfolio companies include Pinterest, Shopify, Twilio, Yelp, and LinkedIn. Bessemer is also famous for its "anti-portfolio," a transparent list of companies they passed on—such as Airbnb, Apple, Facebook, Coinbase, and Google. Each partner at Bessemer focuses on a different roadmap. For example, Brian Deeter is a leader in cloud and AI investments, while Sakib Dadi zeroes in on cloud infrastructure & data services. Check out Bessemer’s website to dive into each partner's specific areas of expertise.
NextGen Venture Partners is a firm that places a strong emphasis on connecting entrepreneurs with resources for sales, hiring, and financing. They boast a network of over 1,700 venture partners—entrepreneurs and executives who actively source deals and work directly with founders. NextGen typically invests between $1-2 million in early-stage startups globally. The firm also has a dedicated team of analysts, associates, and full-time partners to support day-to-day operations. As Riley Finch, an Associate at NextGen, says, “I get to spend my days listening to founders tell me how they’re going to change the world and finding ways to support them. Nothing excites me more than hearing someone speak passionately about their vision. What’s not to love?”
Based in Beverly Hills, Watertower Ventures is a pre-seed fund led by former founders. The firm backs builders and doers in the consumer tech and enterprise software sectors. As one of the most active pre-seed funds in Los Angeles, Watertower invests between $500k and $1.5 million in early-stage startups. The General Partners bring diverse backgrounds to the table, such as Jeremy Milken’s experience as a college baseball player turned entertainment entrepreneur and Managing Partner Derek Norton’s long history in venture capital.
General Catalyst is a global VC firm that has backed some of the biggest names in consumer tech, including Airbnb, Snapchat, Canva, and Instacart. They support founders at all stages, from seed to growth and beyond, and pride themselves on partnering with companies throughout their entire lifecycle. General Catalyst’s team focuses on different sectors and stages like other large funds. For example, Reva Nohria is a Principal on the Health Assurance Team, while Juliet Bailin concentrates on enterprise software and healthcare. The firm offers a range of specialized investment strategies designed to guide and advise companies at every step of their journey.
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