Brainstorm Ventures
Venture capitalActively deployingSan Francisco · Pre-Seed–Series A · 3 people tracked
Investment thesis
Brainstorm Ventures is a small, generalist early-stage venture firm founded in 1999 by former exited founders. Operating from Silicon Valley and Mexico City, the firm backs category-defining startups at the earliest stages across North America. It emphasizes deep empathy for entrepreneurs and a hands-on partnership approach, drawing on operating experience as founders themselves. The firm points to a track record of top-decile returns delivered across multiple market cycles and early involvement with companies such as Zappos, OpenTable, KIO Networks, and Turing.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 3 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 48 of 93 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×21SaaS ×16Consumer ×9Enterprise Software ×7Fintech ×7Deep Tech ×5Digital Health ×5Marketing Tech ×5
HQs:United States×20Mexico×3Canada×1Spain×1European Union×1United Kingdom×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 23 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×122 founders×93 founders×14+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 13 founders with education data
Stanford University ×3Cornell University ×2Harvard University ×2Massachusetts Institute of Technology ×2Tecnológico de Monterrey ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 12 founders with career history
Foundation Capital ×2Revcontent ×2Stanford University ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
Investments · 93 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 12024 · 22023 · 22017 · 12016 · 12000 · 18 dated
Pacific Catch is a California-based seafood restaurant serving fresh, sustainably sourced dishes inspired by Pacific cuisine, and offers a customer rewards program with points and offers.
ConsumerSan Francisco, US
AARON NOVESHEN(Director)JEAN-PIERRE LACHANCE(Executive Officer)STEVE STODDARD(Executive Officer)TOM HANSON(Executive Officer)W.L. (SCOOTER) SIMMONS, JR.(Director)KEITH COX(Director)
Board seatEduardo Rallo· per SEC Form D · $27.7M raise · filed Jul 2016
Co-investorsBrentwood AssociatesPacific Community Ventures
AIO is a restaurant marketing platform that combines website building, guest CRM, automated campaigns, online reputation management, loyalty programs, gift cards, and on-premise digital screens in one system.
AI & Machine LearningFoodTechHR TechMarketing TechRetail TechSaaS
Co-investorsEvolution VC PartnersSanta Cruz Venture
Anvil provides a composable platform for building physical AI systems.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechRobotics
Co-investorsHumba Ventures
Bleeding Edge designs, builds, and owns modular AI data center facilities that provide single-tenant private NVIDIA GPU clusters (Hopper, Blackwell, and rack-scale NVL systems) which attach to a customer's existing infrastructure.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & Infrastructure
Co-investorsExpansion Venture CapitalSpacecadet VenturesTrucks VC
Cafler provides an AI platform that automates aftermarket operations for automotive workshops, handling processes from customer reception through vehicle delivery.
AI & Machine Learning
Co-investorsBStartupEoniq.fundWIND Ventures
San Francisco, US
Andrew Smith Lewis(Executive Officer, Director)Kenneth Young(Director)Paul Mumma(Executive Officer, Director)Emmanuel Kampouris(Director)Joseph Keating(Director)Eric Young(Director)
Class Companion is an AI-powered teaching platform that generates assignments, gives students instant feedback and scores, and provides an AI tutor for real-time, differentiated coaching.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechSaaS
Avery Pan(Founder)in
Co-investorsIndex VenturesOpenAI Startup Fund
Commonwealth Fusion Systems develops commercial fusion power plants using high-temperature superconducting magnet technology to provide grid-scale energy.
CleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnergyCambridge, US
Brandon Sorbom(Founder)Robert Mumgaard(Executive Officer, Director)Daniel Brunner(Executive Officer)Bob Mumgaard(Founder)in
BoardMassimiliano Pieri(Director)Katie Rae(Director)in
Co-investorsAdvection Growth CapitalArmada Investment AGBay Bridge Ventures ClimateBeni Venture CapitalBreakthrough Energy VenturesCoatue Management+38 more
ControlHub is a procurement software platform that automates purchase-to-pay (P2P) workflows for businesses, including requisition management, purchase order generation, approval workflows, and supplier management.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Rodrigo Santibanez(Founder)inLeonardo de la Cerda(Founder)in
Co-investorsCommerce VenturesMerus CapitalOpen Opportunity FundUlu VenturesY Combinator
Delightree is an operating platform for multi-location franchise businesses, consolidating location launches, team training, daily task management, audits, communications, and SOP-based answers into one system used by both HQ and frontline staff.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSDenver, US
Madhulika Mukherjee(Executive Officer, Director)Tushar Mishra(Executive Officer, Director)Khushboo Jain(Executive Officer)
BoardXiaolei Cong(Director)Anupam Rastogi(Director)in
Co-investorsAccelAxilor VenturesEMERGENT VENTURES
Eclipsebio provides RNA biology analytical services and sequencing-based assays that help drug developers and researchers characterize RNA at nucleotide-level resolution and generate datasets for AI-driven drug discovery.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechSan Diego, US
Eugene Yeo(Director)Peter Chu(Executive Officer, Director)Eric L Van Nostrand(Director)Hallie Kuhn(Director)
BoardEdmond Wong(Director)inDaniel Vasella(Director)
Co-investorsiGlobe PartnersMagnetic VenturesPhoenix Venture Partners
Eden creates digital products to deliver healthcare services and health solutions to a broad audience.
Cloud ComputingDigital HealthHealthtechMexico, MX
Julián Cantú(Founder/Co-Fundador, CEO)inRaymundo Gonzalez(Co-Founder / CTO)in
Co-investorsAtacama VenturesCathexis VenturesDalus CapitalHummingbird VenturesSierra VenturesY Combinator
Finvero offers an AI-based credit platform that integrates over 80 alternative and traditional data sources to provide credit scoring, income verification, fraud detection, and collections scoring for lenders and financial entities.
AI & Machine LearningFintechSaaS
Co-investorsNuMundo Ventures
Focal develops heating technology focused on balancing communicative design, energy efficiency, operational simplicity, and integration to improve comfort.
CleantechEnergyHardwareSan Francisco, US
Rohan Pandya(Founder)
Co-investorsCool Climate CollectiveMomentum CapitalDangerous Ventures
Glaut is an AI-powered market research platform that runs AI-moderated voice interviews and performs automatic thematic coding, entity recognition, and interpretative analysis of open-ended responses, delivering dashboards, CSV/SPSS exports, and executive reports.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSEurope, EU
Co-investorsItalian Founders Fund
Haplotype Labs develops population genetics software and polygenic risk scores with improved security, accessibility, and sophistication to enhance human healthspan.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesSaaSSan Francisco, US
Mike Polcari(Founder)inMichael Polcari(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsY CombinatorSoma Capital
Hicap provides a unified API platform that routes AI requests to 100+ language models across multiple providers, with built-in observability, cost optimization, and access controls.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsSan Francisco, US
Ben Green(Founder)Javier C(Founder)
Co-investorsBetter Ventures Central Llc
Immersion offers SIX, a mobile app that identifies six key daily moments intended to support personal fulfillment and wellbeing.
ConsumerMental HealthWellness & Fitness
Paul J. Zak(Founder)in
Co-investorsDraper Associates
Inner Cosmos develops a minimally invasive brain-computer interface, described as a "digital pill," aimed at treating depression.
Deep TechDigital HealthMedical DevicesMental HealthScotts Valley, US
Meron Gribetz(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsAIR CapitalKrillion VenturesLool VenturesLoup VenturesStarlight Ventures
Keep provides an all-in-one financial platform for Canadian businesses, offering business cards with higher credit limits, expense automation, global banking services, and growth capital financing.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSCanada, CA
Co-investors305 VenturesAngel Collective Opportunity FundBase Venture Management, Inc.Data TechEvolution VenturesSouth Quad+1 more
Knotel provides managed office spaces and workplace services with design-led workspaces across multiple international locations.
Future of WorkPropTechLondon, GB
Amol Sarva(Executive Officer, Director)Edward Shenderovich(Director)
BoardLinda Fayne Levinson(Director)
Co-investorsEcoMachines VenturesReshapeBloomberg BetaPeak State Ventures
Kolors offers premium economy intercity bus travel in Mexico, with online booking and payment by card or cash on boarding, pickup/drop-off at designated Kolors points, 24/7 customer support, and a rewards program.
ConsumerMobility & TransportationTravel & Hospitality
Rodrigo Martínez(Founder & CEO)Anca Gardea(Founder)in
Co-investorsCrunchFundManiv MobilityMGV.VCTuesday CapitalAMPLIFICABling Capital+8 more
Kolors operates a digital bus travel service in Mexico, offering premium economy intercity trips that passengers can book and pay for online or in cash on boarding.
ConsumerMobility & TransportationTravel & Hospitality
Rodrigo Martínez(Founder & CEO)
Co-investorsAmplifica CapitalBling CapitalK50 VenturesMGV.VCNorte VenturesUP Partners+10 more
Krush Media is a programmatic advertising platform that gives advertisers access to premium inventory through private marketplace (PMP) deals, transparent supply paths, and real-time optimization across devices and channels.
AdTechMarketing Tech
Ladder is a subscription strength-training app that delivers daily, coach-programmed workout plans with in-ear coaching, video demonstrations, and integrated rep and weight tracking.
ConsumerSports TechWellness & Fitness
Co-investorsPoint72 VenturesTapestry VCGROOVE CAPITALNina Capital
Lightbox OOH offers video advertising in a large-format out-of-home display format.
AdTechMedia & EntertainmentNew York, US
Co-investorsLobby CapitalUpfront VenturesW Capital PartnersWindspeed Ventures
Varda industrializes low Earth orbit by manufacturing pharmaceuticals and other specialized products in space, then returning them to Earth via reusable reentry capsules.
BiotechDeep TechSpace TechEl Segundo, US
Will Bruey(Founder)inDelian Asparouhov(Founder)in
Co-investorsAlso CapitalCaffeinated CapitalFounders FundKhosla VenturesLux CapitalGeneral Catalyst+25 more
Co-investorsNorte VenturesGilgamesh Ventures
mitú is a digital media outlet publishing news, culture, sports, and lifestyle content focused on Latino and Hispanic American audiences.
Media & Entertainment
Co-investorsAdvancit CapitalThe Chernin Group (TCG Crypto)Upfront Ventures
Momos provides AI agents for hospitality brands that automate guest relations across channels such as reviews, SMS, email, and third-party delivery, auto-resolving support tickets and generating customer experience insights.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaS
Sai Alluri(Founder)in
Co-investorsAlpha Wave GlobalHOF Capital645 VenturesCorrelation VenturesFJ LabsPeak XV Partners+3 more
NachoNacho operates a B2B marketplace where small and mid-sized companies, startups, freelancers, and agencies buy SaaS and AI products at discounts, discover new tools via an AI-powered recommendation engine, and monitor their software subscriptions and spending.
B2B MarketplacesSaaS
Co-investorsA'Z AngelsFlyer One VenturesTunitas VenturesMAGIC Fund
Co-investorsBenchmark
OrkestaPay is a payment orchestration platform that connects multiple payment processors, anti-fraud systems, and payment methods through a single API, with intelligent routing, a customizable checkout, and unified reconciliation and reporting.
E-commerceFintechSaaS
Outcome is an AI orchestration platform that connects to an organization's existing systems and data sources, applies governed AI reasoning through its central agent "Delphi," and surfaces auditable recommendations that require human approval before action.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise Software
Jason Petralia(Founder & Chief Executive Officer)John M. Olson(Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer)Matt Burger(Chief Operating Officer)
Owners is a website-building service that creates professional websites for non-technical small business owners, handling the technical work on their behalf.
Marketing TechSaaS
Co-investorsSpice Capital
Co-investorsForm Capital
Boulder-based game studio building the Unioverse, a community-owned, blockchain-linked sci-fi videogame franchise.
Boulder, US
ANTHONY HARMAN(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)ANNA FARR(Executive Officer)WYETH RIDGWAY(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Co-investors2 Punks CapitalAppWorks VenturesResolute VenturesAsymmetric
Sail Internet is a fiber-based internet service provider serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley since 2015.
Fremont, US
Kevin Fisher(Chief Product Officer)George GinisDana Wayne Tom(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardAshmeet Sidana(Director)inClint Korver(Director)in
Co-investorsBetter Ventures Central LlcLong Venture PartnersUlu VenturesV1 VCEngineering Capital
Shackleton is an AI-agent platform for the development and construction industry that automates administrative work such as report drafting, bid leveling, RFI tracking, and budget management.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechSaaS
Smirk offers portable, modular health benefits — starting with dental insurance underwritten by Chubb — delivered through the Smirk Wallet and an AI health concierge (Ailene) that handles scheduling, reminders, prescriptions, and upfront cost estimates.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthInsurTech
Co-investorsCity LightStone Mountain Ventures
Solara is a Mexican fintech that provides turnkey solar energy solutions and flexible financing plans for commercial and industrial businesses, managing design, installation, maintenance, and monitoring.
CleantechEnergyFintechWalnut, US
Christofer Voegelin Diener(Founder)inJavier de la Calle Pardo(Director)Dori Rutkevitz(Executive Officer, Director)Christofer Voegelin(Executive Officer, Director)Thomas Dinwoodie(Director)Daniel Rosen(Director)
Co-investorsLowercarbon CapitalSunna Ventures
Southbridge builds AI programs (called "hanks") and an open-source long-horizon execution runtime (hankweave) that coordinates multiple LLM agents to automate first-mile data ingest and data engineering at scale.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsSingapore, SG
Minu Choi(Co-founder)Hrishi Olickel(Co-founder)
Co-investorsGeneral Partnership
San Francisco, US
Sunil Paul(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardMartin Lagod(Director)Robert Day(Director)in
Co-investorsSpring Lane CapitalCity Light
Stylus Medicine develops in vivo genetic medicines using engineered recombinases, with initial focus on creating CAR-T therapies delivered via lipid nanoparticles for oncology, autoimmune, and genetic diseases.
BiotechDigital HealthMedical Devices
Michael C. Bassik, Ph.D.(Scientific Founder)inEmile Nuwaysir, Ph.D.(Chairman & Chief Executive Officer)inJason Fontenot, Ph.D.(Chief Scientific Officer)
Co-investorsKhosla VenturesNeva Sgr.RA CapitalTachyon Ventures
Tangibly provides AI-powered trade secret protection and governance software for companies to identify, protect, and leverage proprietary assets.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechLegalTechSeattle, US
Erich Spangenberg(Co Founder and CEO)Timothy Londergan(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Tim Londergan(Founder)inLiat Belinson(Executive Officer)Christopher Buntel(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardAseem Datar(Director)in
Co-investorsMadrona Venture GroupHOLT VenturesIncisive VenturesMVP VenturesSpike VenturesVolo Ventures+1 more
AGI infrastructure company solving the human intelligence bottleneck and empowering enterprises to harness generative AI.
AI & Machine LearningSilicon Valley, US
Jonathan Siddharth(Founder)inVijay Krishnan(Founder)in
Co-investorsAltaIR CapitalAmino CapitalAngel Collective Opportunity FundAVVChapter OneFlucas Ventures+11 more
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)
Co-investorsAUTHENTIC VENTURESBee PartnersJavelin Venture PartnersZenStone Venture CapitalTrue Ventures
Co-investorsAltelan
Wavedash is a web-based gaming platform that runs games natively in browsers without downloads or installs, enabling instant multiplayer by sharing a link.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerGamingSaaSSan Francisco, US
Kyler Blue(Co-Founder & CEO)inRaymond (George) Kennedy(Founder)inMatthew Portner(Founder)in
Co-investorsFloodgateY CombinatorAdvancit CapitalGriffin Gaming PartnersLowercase CapitalMarch Capital Partners+1 more
Webacy provides risk intelligence for crypto assets, wallets, and transactions, offering products to screen tokens (KYA), wallets (KYW), and transactions (KYT).
Crypto & Web3CybersecurityFintech
Co-investorsPure Ventures
Steven Kramer(Founder)in
Co-investorsBlumberg CapitalHarmony PartnersInovia Capital
Zappos is an online retailer selling shoes, sandals, and related footwear accessories from brands such as Crocs across men's, women's, and kids' categories.
ConsumerE-commerceRetail Tech
Co-investorsAccelerator VenturesAurumBase Venture Management, Inc.Glynn Capital ManagementMillennium New HorizonsMillennium Technology Value Partners+1 more
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesKlay · alleywatch.com · Aug 24, 2026
Kolors · timesofindia.indiatimes.com · Aug 18, 2026
Kolors · timesofindia.indiatimes.com · Aug 18, 2026
Commonwealth Fusion Systems · techcrunch.com · Jul 30, 2026
Eden · investing.com · Jun 25, 2026
Ladder · orrick.com · Jun 24, 2026
Finvero · finvero-pro.net · Jun 17, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Brainstorm Ventures made?
- Brainstorm Ventures has 89 tracked investments, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Brainstorm Ventures invest at?
- Brainstorm Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What sectors does Brainstorm Ventures focus on?
- Brainstorm Ventures focuses on Consumer, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Media & Entertainment, New Materials, Retail Tech, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Brainstorm Ventures located?
- Brainstorm Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
- Who does Brainstorm Ventures co-invest with?
- Brainstorm Ventures most often shares deals with Angel Collective Opportunity Fund, HOF Capital, Khosla Ventures, among 147 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamInvestor Series - Ariel Jaduszliwer, VC, Brainstorm Ventures - RBL1 Live
Rebel One · Ariel Jaduszliwer
Images
Co-investors · 22
Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders to build technology companies.
MVP Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that partners with founders building differentiated, defensible software and hardware technologies. It emphasizes post-investment value creation, helping companies with go-to-market, hiring, and raising growth capital.
Peak State Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in the future of work, PropTech, and digital healthcare.
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.
Plug and Play is an innovation platform that connects corporations, governments, startups, investors, and universities to drive innovation.
AVV is a Vietnam-focused early-stage venture capital firm that has been investing since 2015, backing over 100 companies including several unicorns.
Mindset Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in and actively supports technology startups, providing capital as well as business development, strategy, and mentorship, with a notable focus on helping companies expand into markets such as Brazil.
Long Journey Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that backs unconventional, 'magically weird' founders and ideas, positioning itself as a hands-on, community-oriented partner to its companies.
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.
.jpeg){kind=logo}
B Capital is a global investment firm backing early to late-stage technology innovators across technology, healthcare, and energy & resilience sectors.
UpHonest Capital is a Silicon Valley-based investment firm founded in 2017 that supports cross-border entrepreneurship and investment between China and the United States, and runs media, scout, and incubation programs.
▶10 more co-investors
Canvas VenturesGaingelsArray Ventures Management LlcClimate CapitalFrontier Venture Capitalf7 VenturesProof GroupUnchained Capital, Inc.GroWrkIdeas y Capital
Firms observed investing alongside Brainstorm Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Brainstorm Ventures's recorded portfolio.
Similar investors
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies focused on technology, mobile, and clean energy sectors, including biotechnology applications. The firm provides capital and strategic support to entrepreneurs developing breakthrough technologies across multiple markets.
Blue Wire Capital is a venture capital firm that backs founders across sectors including fintech, consumer, AI, and biotech.
Portland Seed Fund is a private fund and non-resident accelerator that invests in early-stage companies and provides mentoring and networking support.
DFF Ventures is an early-stage investment fund with a hands-on, no-nonsense approach to company building, backing founders known for grit and execution. Its team draws on experience building companies such as WeTransfer, Just Eat, Hiber, Treatwell, and fonQ.
Highline Beta is a venture studio and venture capital firm that co-creates new ventures with corporate partners and co-invests alongside founders. It helps enterprises design, launch, and run corporate venture studios and build new ventures from idea to launch.