Madison · Seed–Series A · 1 people tracked
Investment thesis
Solo GP with multi‑fund track record operating from Madison, backed by successful founders to create a founder-to-founder network and described as easy to work with.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 5, 2026.
Team · 1 people
from public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 4 of 4 portfolio companiesE-commerce ×2AI & Machine Learning ×1Consumer ×1Creator Economy ×1Digital Health ×1FoodTech ×1Impact & Social Good ×1Media & Entertainment ×1
HQs:United States×2
Investments · 4 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathInstacart operates a marketplace connecting grocery retailers with customers who order food and household items for same-day delivery or in-store pickup, serving millions of households across North America through partnerships with over 350 retailers.
ConsumerE-commerceFoodTechSan Francisco, US
Apoorva Mehta(Founder & CEO)inBrandon Leonardo(Founder)inMax Mullen(Founder)in
Co-investorsA*Andreessen HorowitzBling CapitalBright Pixel CapitalCanaan PartnersCoatue Management+28 more
AudioShake develops sound separation technology that splits audio into component parts for media, entertainment, and speech workflows.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyMedia & EntertainmentSan Francisco, US
Jessica Powell(CEO & Co-Founder)Luke Miner(CTO & Co-Founder)in
BoardAlexander Hartz(Director)in
PartnerRafael Corrales· solo GP
Co-investorsCoho DeeptechDisney AcceleratorOrigin VenturesPrecursor VenturesShine CapitalThomson Reuters Ventures+1 more
Reveri is a self-hypnosis application that delivers clinically validated relief from pain, stress, and sleeplessness without drugs or appointments.
Digital HealthMental HealthWellness & Fitness
David Spiegel(Co-founder)Dr. David Spiegel(Co-founder)Ariel Poler(Co-founder)
Co-investorsTheVentureCityInreach Ventures
ShoppingGives provides a social impact platform that enables businesses to integrate charitable giving into their commerce operations, allowing customers to donate at point of purchase or through customizable giving campaigns.
E-commerceImpact & Social GoodSaaS
Ronny Sage(Founder and CEO)in
PartnerRafael Corrales· solo GP
Co-investorsSerena VenturesSummit Peak Ventures20VCCaffeinated CapitalGlobal Founders CapitalSciFi VC+2 more
Exits · 1
IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolioInstacartNASDAQ: CART
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Instacart · superbcrew.com · Jul 18, 2026
AudioShake · slator.com · Nov 13, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does BACKGROUND CAPITAL invest at?
- BACKGROUND CAPITAL invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What is BACKGROUND CAPITAL's typical check size?
- BACKGROUND CAPITAL typically writes checks of $100K – $250K.
- Where is BACKGROUND CAPITAL located?
- BACKGROUND CAPITAL is headquartered in Madison, US.
- Does BACKGROUND CAPITAL lead rounds?
- BACKGROUND CAPITAL typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does BACKGROUND CAPITAL co-invest with?
- BACKGROUND CAPITAL most often shares deals with Andreessen Horowitz, Canaan Partners, Felicis Ventures, among 32 tracked co-investors.
Images
Co-investors · 20
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, known for pioneering the platform model with a large team of operators supporting founders across stages.
FundersClub is an online venture capital firm and startup investing platform that gives accredited investors access to vetted early-stage startups from Silicon Valley and beyond.
SciFi is the venture fund of Max and Nellie Levchin, an early-stage generalist firm partnering with founders tackling hard problems, with emphasis on fintech, artificial intelligence, and science.
Shine is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs entrepreneurs building iconic businesses.
InReach Ventures is an early-stage venture firm using its own AI platform to source and back Europe's most promising founders, investing at MVP stage with signs of user engagement.
General Catalyst is a venture capital firm operating as a partnership focused on company building and accelerating the growth of the businesses it backs.
Lightspeed is a global venture capital firm that has spent over two decades backing innovative companies as an early and first investor.
Benchmark is a venture capital firm with offices in San Francisco and Woodside that invests in early-stage startups.
Forerunner Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs companies redefining consumer behavior, health, commerce, fintech, and AI-native products.
Accel-KKR is an investor in enterprise software companies that has operated for 25 years, providing resources and expertise to help companies advance.
Amplify Partners is a venture capital firm that backs technical founders — engineers, researchers, and scientists — building companies across AI/ML, data infrastructure, developer tools, and life sciences.
Soma Capital is a venture capital firm that partners early with founders, emphasizing close relationships and running a fellows program for those just getting started.
▶8 more co-investors
AccompliceWorklife VenturesBedrockMosaic VenturesFuture Perfect VenturesLifeX VenturesAudaciousBase Case Capital
Firms observed investing alongside BACKGROUND CAPITAL, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with BACKGROUND CAPITAL's recorded portfolio.
Similar investors
4DI Ventures was co-founded by repeat tech operator and ESET Southern Africa founder Justin Stanford, giving it unusually deep cybersecurity and software operating experience rather than a purely financial background, and originated from Stanford's own angel-investing experiments that directly led to both the firm's creation and the launch of the Silicon Cape Initiative. The firm explicitly describes its style as "nurture capital" with intensive, hands-on engagement, and Stanford is vocal about avoiding the "unicorn at all costs" mentality in African tech, instead emphasizing sustainable market readiness and fundamentals in a more conservative, durability-focused investment approach.
83North is a global venture capital firm that invests in and helps entrepreneurs build large, category-defining companies, backing startups across multiple stages and sectors.
8VC is a venture capital firm investing across logistics, life sciences, healthcare, IT infrastructure, and government/defense, guided by its Smart Enterprise thesis focused on data integration and platform network effects.
ACT Venture Capital is an independent Irish venture capital firm that invests €1 million to €15 million in growth-stage private companies, with capacity for larger commitments through syndicated rounds.
Accel is a venture capital firm that partners with exceptional teams, positioning itself as a first partner to founders globally.






.png)





