AUTHENTIC VENTURES
Venture capitalActively deployingOakland · Pre-Seed–Series A · 7 people tracked
Also known as AUTHENTIC VENTURES INVESTMENT MANAGER, LLC
Find your way into AUTHENTIC VENTURES
4,556 people in our graph share verified history with the AUTHENTIC VENTURES team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
Authentic Ventures backs founders early, often before there is consensus on what they are building, prioritizing judgment and conviction over agreement. Investing since 2016 across multiple funds, the firm focuses primarily on AI software companies, with a strong emphasis on AI-native businesses where technology is central to value creation. Positioned as generalists by design, they avoid anchoring to specific sectors and instead concentrate on identifying founders capable of building enduring companies. They value both capital efficiency and ambition, seeking founders with strong independent judgment, deep problem understanding, fast learning ability, clarity of thinking, and resilience. The Authentic Network connects founders with operators, investors, and advisors.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 15, 2026.
Team · 7 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 44 of 49 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×24SaaS ×19Enterprise Software ×15Fintech ×7Marketplaces ×6Consumer ×5Data & Infrastructure ×4Developer Tools ×4
HQs:United States×32United Kingdom×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 24 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×142 founders×83 founders×14+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 24 founders with education data
Stanford University ×4Northwestern University ×2Stanford University Graduate School of Business ×2University of Pennsylvania ×2University of Victoria ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 23 founders with field-of-study data
Engineering ×6Business & Management ×4Computer Science ×4Finance & Accounting ×4Humanities ×3Politics & Policy ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 26 founders with career history
OneCart ×2Search for Common Ground ×2Stanford Genome Technology Center ×2YPO ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
2 founders hold a PhD · 1 hold an MBA (of 27 with degree data)
Investments · 49 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2023 · 22022 · 12019 · 12018 · 12015 · 12014 · 17 dated
AppLovin operates a mobile advertising platform that helps businesses scale their products and marketing.
AdTechGamingMarketing TechPalo Alto, US
Adam Foroughi(Executive Officer, Director)inVictoria Valenzuela(Director Nominee; Chief Administrative & Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary)inEduardo Vivas(Director)Maggie Jin(Executive Officer)
BoardHerald Chen(Director)
Co-investorsDniproFlex Capital PartnersNimble PartnersSpider CapitalStreamlined VenturesWebb Investment Network+1 more
Guardant Health develops blood-based testing (liquid biopsy) for cancer detection and monitoring across all stages of the disease.
BiotechDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesRedwood City, US
AmirAli Talasaz(Executive Officer, Director)inHelmy Eltoukhy(Executive Officer, Director)inMichael Wiley(Executive Officer)inMichael Bell(Chief Financial Officer)Darya Chudova(Chief Technology Officer)inCraig Eagle(Chief Medical Officer)in
Co-investors8VCCota CapitalFelicis VenturesKhosla VenturesLightspeed Venture PartnersLotus Capital+6 more
Wander operates a platform for short-term rental properties, providing guests with curated homes and experiences while offering property operators technology and hospitality services.
B2B MarketplacesMarketplacesPropTechTravel & Hospitality
John Andrew Entwistle(Founder & CEO)Sahil Mansuri(President & COO)
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesBedrock CapitalBreyer CapitalFifth WallQED InvestorsRedpoint Ventures+14 more
Accord builds sales execution software that embeds sales methodology into the selling workflow and uses AI agents to handle non-call work, giving sales leaders visibility into deal progression and enabling targeted coaching.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSales TechSan Francisco, US
Ross Rich(Founder)inRyan Rich(Founder)in
Co-investorsMatrixY CombinatorEarl Grey Capital
Adapt builds a company-wide AI agent that integrates across systems, tools, and data to automate workflows, analyze information, and take action.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
Jim Benton(Founder)inSean Smith(Founder)inJohn Andrew Entwistle(Founder)in
Co-investorsHeadlineActivant CapitalBackwards CapitalNexus BayPredictive VCSusa Ventures
AI Insurance provides software for policy, insured, and claims management in the specialty insurance sector.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechInsurTechSaaSNew York City, US
Cameron MacArthur(Founder)in
Co-investorsHaymaker VenturesY CombinatorMAGIC FundTCV
Amira Learning provides AI-powered reading instruction software for schools, combining the Science of Reading with machine learning to deliver reading growth at scale.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechLas Vegas, US
Peter Jungwirth(Executive Officer)Adam Porsch(Executive Officer)in
BoardAmit Patel(Director)inLindsay Lee(Director)inMark Angel(Executive Officer, Director)inDavid Schwab(Director)in
Co-investorsGSV VenturesOwl VenturesVertical Venture PartnersRethink Capital Partners
Apartment List operates an online rental marketplace that uses a quiz-based AI matching system to connect renters with apartments that fit their preferences and lifestyle.
AI & Machine LearningMarketplacesPropTechSan Francisco, US
John Douglas Kobs II(Executive Officer, Director)Charles Christopher Herndon(Executive Officer, Director)John Kobs(Founder)inChris Erickson(Co-founder)in
BoardJosh Hannah(Director)Dana Stalder(Director)in
Co-investorsAndre IguodalaCanaan PartnersGlynn Capital ManagementMatrixTenaya CapitalTribeca Early Stage Partners+3 more
Karat conducts technical interviews and talent assessments for organizations to evaluate engineering capability, including AI-native evaluation scenarios.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkHR TechSaaS
Co-investorsBBG VenturesCowboy VenturesScribble VenturesCleo Capital
Cambly connects language learners with tutors for online English instruction.
EdTechFuture of WorkSan Francisco, US
Sameer Shariff(Founder)inKevin Law(Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer / learning leader)in
Co-investors500 GlobalBessemer Venture PartnersChapter OneHaystackMONASHEESRitual Capital+4 more
Cerebrium provides a cloud platform for deploying and operating AI applications, including real-time voice bots and large-scale inference pipelines, abstracting infrastructure complexity for teams building AI products.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareNew York City, US
Michael Louis(Founder)inJonathan Irwin(Founder)in
Co-investorsDepth VenturesGradient VenturesY Combinator
Clearbrief is an AI-powered legal research and brief-drafting tool that helps attorneys verify citations, extract facts from documents, and create hyperlinked briefs with built-in fact-checking and timeline generation.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLegalTechLas Vegas, US
Jacqueline Schafer(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)in
BoardMonique Idlett(Director)in
Co-investorsHow Women InvestReign VenturesMadrona Venture GroupSequoia Capital
Credit Mountain provides a white-labeled platform that converts a credit union's loan declines and adverse action notices into a "path back to approval," giving declined members plain-English explanations, a credit-improvement roadmap, and branded credit monitoring, then alerting the credit union when members are ready to reapply.
FintechSaaS
Co-investorsCurql Collective, LLCEarly Light VenturesNext Level VenturesRiptide Ventures
DataDasher provides a compliance-first platform for financial services that automates note-taking and client management tasks while maintaining strict data security and privacy standards.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Datatron provides machine learning model governance and management software for enterprises, enabling faster deployments, early problem detection, and improved operational efficiency when managing multiple models at scale.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise Software
Co-investorsSynapse Partners500 GlobalStartX
DeepGrove builds ultra-efficient ternary-weight AI models intended to run frontier-level intelligence on edge and low-power devices.
Enterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US
Shayaan Emran(Founder)Edward Zhang(Founder)in
Co-investorsOlive Tree CapitalTranspose Platform ManagementY CombinatorBonAngels Venture PartnersKakao Ventures
Dimension AI is a precedent-based SEC filing software that extracts and structures data verbatim from public EDGAR filings to draft, benchmark, and review documents such as annual reports, capital markets filings (S-1, 424(b)), and N-2 reports for registered funds.
AI & Machine LearningFintechLegalTech
Co-investorsAbstract VenturesAscension VenturesFelicis VenturesLove VenturesMVPSie Ventures+4 more
Gametime is a ticket marketplace for live events including sports games, concerts, and shows, offering all-in pricing with fees included and a lowest-price guarantee.
ConsumerMarketplacesSports TechSan Francisco, US
Brad Griffith(Founder)inColin Evans(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardBrian O'Malley(Director)Jeff Mallett(Director)
Co-investorsAccelBlitzscaling VenturesIconica PartnersMaven VenturesNext Legacy PartnersNimble Partners
GlareDB is a lightweight SQL database for running analytics queries across a variety of data sources.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper Tools
Juxta develops a UPS (positioning system) that enables real-time location tracking and coordination for organizations across industries including defense, logistics, and manufacturing.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareIoTSector AgnosticSan Francisco, US
John Ferrara(Founder)in
Co-investorsCRV (Charles River Ventures)Duke Capital PartnersY Combinator
Keygraph builds automated penetration testing for enterprise application security using AI, providing continuous vulnerability identification and exploit validation on every build.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityDeveloper Tools
Varun
Co-investorsPear VCUrban Innovation
Kit provides email marketing and commerce tools for creators and independent businesses to reach audiences and monetize their work through newsletters and storefronts.
Creator EconomyMarketing TechSaaS
Nathan Barry(Founder + CEO)in
Co-investorsBrighter CapitalExpaMission Bay CapitalMission BiocapitalWAGMI VenturesOceans Ventures+1 more
Kuli Kuli sells moringa-based food and wellness supplements, including gummies, capsules, and powders aimed at consumers focused on nutrition and wellness.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechImpact & Social GoodWellness & FitnessOakland, US
Lisa Curtis(Founder)in
Co-investorsAstiaCeniarthCerity Partners VenturesInvestEcoNext Wave ImpactPortfolia+2 more
Puntt provides AI-driven automation of manual marketing content reviews for regulated brands, checking creative assets and copy for compliance.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaSWashington, US
Ronnie Coleman(Executive Officer, Director)inStephanie Nachemja-Bunton(Executive Officer)
BoardMandy Cole(Director)in
Co-investorsStage 2 CapitalReach CapitalRethink Capital PartnersRethink Education
Namecoach offers audio name-pronunciation recordings that embed online so people can learn how to correctly say each other's names, and supports gender pronoun communication.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSPalo Alto, US
Praveen Ramesh Shanbhag(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investors640 OxfordAiSprouts VCBisk VenturesForefront VentureImpact America FundMetaplanet+5 more
Newday is an impact investing firm that manages portfolios for values-oriented investors seeking to align their capital with social and environmental outcomes.
FintechImpact & Social Good
Co-investorsEMERGENT VENTURES
Offsight provides software for managing production, quality control, materials tracking, and project management in prefabrication and offsite construction.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningConstruction TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Andrew XueinVikas Muraliin
Co-investorsAllied Venture PartnersGaruda VenturesOyster VenturesThe MBA Fund
Osmosis provides automated fundraising research for asset managers, generating allocator briefs, ranked LP targets, and timing alerts from real-time allocator conversations such as IC meetings and CIO interviews.
AI & Machine LearningFintechSaaS
Nate Weinstein(Founder)in
Co-investorsFelicis Ventures
Patreon is a membership platform that enables creators to build communities, share exclusive work, and monetize their output through direct fan support, eliminating algorithmic dependence.
Creator EconomyMarketplacesSaaSSan Francisco, US
Jack Conte(Founder)inSam Yam(Founder)in
BoardDaniel Rimer(Director)inDick Costolo(Director)Goli Sheikholeslami(Director)Anne Raimondi(Director)
Co-investorsAccompliceAtelierCoatue ManagementCRV (Charles River Ventures)Defy PartnersDeviation Capital+12 more
Pilot provides bookkeeping and accounting services, modernizing financial operations for small businesses and startups.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechHR TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Jessica McKellar(Founder)inWaseem Daher(Founder)
Co-investorsIndex VenturesAkkadian VenturesBezos ExpeditionsCRV (Charles River Ventures)Founders Circle CapitalGeodesic Capital+6 more
Puntt is a compliance and brand review platform that automates the approval of marketing assets across digital, print, social, and ecommerce channels for regulated brands.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Ronnie Kwesi Coleman(Founder)in
RealRoots is a women's community that matches members into small groups of compatible women in their city through a short survey, then organizes guided in-person social experiences and events led by a host.
ConsumerMarketplacesSocial
Co-investorsAtland VenturesLobster CapitalVery Serious VenturesLombardstreet Ventures
SendOwl is a platform for selling digital products—including media files, software, courses, and subscriptions—with flexible checkout options that integrate into existing websites and tools.
Creator EconomyE-commerceSaaSLondon, GB
Co-investorsCostella KirschGeneral PartnershipStripe
Sisense provides embedded analytics software that enables teams to integrate data visualization and insights into business applications.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSaaSNew York, US
Ariel Katz(Chief Executive Officer)inAmir Orad(Executive Officer, Director)inTodd Sloan(Executive Officer)in
BoardTeddie Wardi(Director)inBob Goodman(Director)inItzik Parnafes(Director)in
Co-investorsBattery VenturesBessemer Venture PartnersInsight PartnersClaltechFounders Circle CapitalGrand Ventures+7 more
Snyk is a developer-focused security platform that identifies and fixes vulnerabilities in code, dependencies, containers, and cloud infrastructure using AI-powered analysis.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityDeveloper ToolsBoston, US
Guy Podjarny(Director)inPeter McKay(Executive Officer, Director)inStephanie Dominy(Executive Officer)in
BoardPhilippe Botteri(Director)inMatthew Weigand(Director)inKen Fox(Director)in
Co-investors2050 CapitalAccelAlkeon InnovationAmity VenturesAmplify PartnersAtlassian Ventures+32 more
Sparrow provides a leave management and FMLA compliance solution that combines software and human expertise to handle leave policies, payroll, and regulatory requirements for employers.
Future of WorkHR TechSaaS
Co-investorsDu CapitalSignum Capital
AI & Machine LearningMilpitas, US
Swupnil Sahai(Executive Officer)inRichard Hsu(Director)
Co-investorsAfterWork VenturesAmino CapitalSony Ventures CorporationTechstars
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Therapydia provides physical therapy services with individualized treatment plans tailored to each patient's needs and recovery goals.
HealthtechWellness & FitnessMill Valley, US
Edward Benjamin Dehan(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardBen Capell(Director)Michael de Anda(Director)
TrueShort produces original movies and series designed for viewing on mobile phones, offered exclusively through its own platform.
ConsumerMedia & Entertainment
DJ Furthin
Co-investorsBackwards CapitalKhosla Ventures
Sparrow provides employee leave management software and expert services that automate federal, state, and local leave filings, integrate with HRIS, payroll, insurance carriers, and state agencies, and help HR and People Ops teams maintain compliance and contain costs.
Future of WorkHR TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Deborah Hanus(Founder)Samarth Keshava(Founder)
Vacatia operates an online platform for buying, selling, and booking timeshare and resort vacation accommodations, offering resort-style lodging paired with hotel-like services.
ConsumerMarketplacesPropTechTravel & HospitalitySan Francisco, US
Steven Muldowney(Executive Officer)Caroline Shin(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardNoah Doyle(Director)inAmy Errett(Director)inRobert Spottswood(Director)Keith Cox(Director)in
Co-investorsBee PartnersBrainstorm VenturesJavelin Venture PartnersZenStone Venture CapitalTrue Ventures
Verbal is an AI platform that audits healthcare interactions—including calls, video telemedicine, clinical notes, and chat—to ensure compliance with internal protocols and external standards like TJC and URAC.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechSaaSCovina, US
Eric Lee Escobedo WuWaleed Mohsen
Co-investors500 GlobalCivilization Ventures Management, LlcCosmic Venture PartnersEast Post Road VenturesK20 FundTechstars+1 more
Alterion provides a runtime control plane that sits between enterprise AI agents and infrastructure to observe, monitor, and govern agent behavior in real time.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US
Asim Husain(Founder)inAlharith Hussin(Founder)in
Co-investorsWestbound Equity Partners
Wicked Saints Studio is a game development studio that designs narrative-driven, interactive story games, including its World Reborn project.
GamingMedia & EntertainmentMedford, US
Jessica Murrey(CEO & Co-Founder)inThomas Gewecke(Director)inAlicia Clifton(COO & Co-Founder)in
Co-investorsBronze InvestmentsOregon Venture FundPortland Seed FundRogue Womens FundCap Table CoalitionGaingels+2 more
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Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
Chat SportsHumans Anonymous
Exits · 3
2 IPOs · 1 acquisitions · showing 2Applovin (Exit)NASDAQ: APPGuardant HealthNASDAQ: GH
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesCredit Mountain · themiddlemarket.com · Aug 4, 2026
Applovin (Exit) · applovin.com · Jul 17, 2026
Guardant Health · investing.com · Jul 16, 2026
DeepGrove · en.wowtale.net · Jul 1, 2026
Sisense · calcalistech.com · Jul 1, 2026
AI Insurance · devx.com · Jun 26, 2026
Wicked Saints Studios · rv-times.com · May 18, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has AUTHENTIC VENTURES made?
- AUTHENTIC VENTURES has 49 tracked investments, 3 of which have exited.
- What stage does AUTHENTIC VENTURES invest at?
- AUTHENTIC VENTURES invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is AUTHENTIC VENTURES's typical check size?
- AUTHENTIC VENTURES typically writes checks of $100K – $1M.
- What sectors does AUTHENTIC VENTURES focus on?
- AUTHENTIC VENTURES focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Deep Tech, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is AUTHENTIC VENTURES located?
- AUTHENTIC VENTURES is headquartered in Oakland, US.
- Does AUTHENTIC VENTURES lead rounds?
- AUTHENTIC VENTURES typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does AUTHENTIC VENTURES co-invest with?
- AUTHENTIC VENTURES most often shares deals with Y Combinator, Backwards Capital, Accel, among 154 tracked co-investors.
Images
Co-investors · 17
Predictive is an early-stage venture capital firm based in New York City that partners closely with founders to secure enterprise design partners, validate products, and drive go-to-market execution in foundational industries.
Alumni Ventures (AV) is a venture capital firm that co-invests alongside lead VCs in startups, backing founders with capital and access to a large investor and operator community.
Redpoint Ventures is a venture capital firm established in 1999 by former partners from leading venture firms, focusing on early-stage technology companies across multiple sectors. The firm leverages its partners' technology investment experience and an extensive network of entrepreneurs and industry contacts to support portfolio company growth.
Uncork Capital (formerly SoftTech VC) is a seed-stage venture firm that invests early in founders, with a focus on AI-native companies building leverage and scale.
Fifth Wall is an investment firm focused on technology for the built environment (PropTech), backing startups that make the spaces where people live, work, and play smarter, safer, and more energy efficient.
South Park Commons is a community and early-stage fund supporting talented founders and technologists exploring what to build, offering a residency program and first-check funding.
Adapt Ventures is a private investment firm that backs founders building disruptive companies.
Notable Capital is a venture capital firm that has partnered with founders for over two decades, backing companies from the earliest stages through to exit.
Foundation Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that commits to founders at the idea stage and maintains long-term relationships with portfolio companies through their growth journey.
Believes that best ideas happen offline. Offline Ventures is Interested in companies that are driven by both profit and purpose while taking great care of the world around them
Stellar Capital invests in founders building software, internet, and technology companies.
▶5 more co-investors
Not Boring CapitalHanabi CapitalCompany CapitalSRB VenturesParadox Capital
Firms observed investing alongside AUTHENTIC VENTURES, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with AUTHENTIC VENTURES's recorded portfolio.
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