Fundraising Fox

Brightstone Venture Capital

Venture capital

Minneapolis · Seed–Late Stage · 10 people tracked

Fox Verdict
Sign up to see your fit

Investment thesis

Brightstone manages a $100 million venture fund targeting early-growth stage opportunities, leveraging the operating and investment experience of its partners. It invests in technology sectors including data storage, AR/VR, AI/machine learning, enterprise security, blockchain, cloud infrastructure and marketplaces, as well as life sciences areas such as regenerative medicine, stem cells, next-gen diagnostics, genomics/gene editing, medical devices, drug discovery tools and personalized medicine.

Source: firm website, verified Aug 23, 2026.

Stage
Seed–Late Stage
Check
$250K – $10M
HQ
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Leads rounds
Leads
Instruments
Equity
Founded
1985
AUM
$100M
Tracked investments
27

Team · 10 people

from the firm's website & public directories
David Novak

Advisor focused on enterprise application software and SaaS.

Grant Mitchell

Advisor focused on AI/ML.

Joe Sriver

Advisor focused on UX/UI.

John Erb

Advisor focused on healthcare.

Mark Christopherson

Advisor focused on medtech.

Tom Kieffer

Advisor focused on IT and cloud.

Tony Petelin

Advisor focused on dermatology.

What they invest in

from 19 of 27 portfolio companies

Biotech ×6Healthtech ×6SaaS ×6AI & Machine Learning ×3Creator Economy ×3Enterprise Software ×3Cloud Computing ×2Data & Infrastructure ×2

HQs:United States×16

Who they back

founder profiles across 11 portfolio companies
36%
solo founders
4 of 11 mapped founding teams

Founding team size:solo founder×42 founders×53 founders×2

Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program

Y Combinator ×3

Investments · 27 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2021 · 12016 · 12 dated

Celcuitycelcuity.comin𝕏NASDAQ: CELCApr 2021

Celcuity is a commercial-stage biotechnology company developing targeted cancer therapies for tumors involving the PAM (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway, including breast, prostate, lung, endometrial, colon, and ovarian cancers.

BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesMinneapolis, US

Lance G. Laing(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Brian F. Sullivan(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inVicky Hahne(Executive Officer)

BoardDavid F. Dalvey(Director)inRichard E. Buller(Director)Leo T. Furcht(Director)

Board seatDavid Dalvey· per SEC Form D

Co-investorsNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)

HomeSpotterhomespotter.comJan 2016

HomeSpotter provides mobile and marketing software for real estate brokerages, teams, and agents, including automated listing ads across Facebook, Instagram, and the web, digital open house lead generation, and branded MLS search apps.

Marketing TechPropTechSaaSMinneapolis, US

Aaron Kardell(Executive Officer, Director)

Board seatDavid Dalvey· per SEC Form D

Co-investorsMatchstick VenturesSandalphon Capital

Afriexafriexapp.com𝕏

Afriex provides a remittance service enabling immigrants to transfer money to over 25 countries at low costs with rapid settlement.

FintechSan Francisco, US

Tope Alabi(Founder)inJohn Obirije(Founder)in

Co-investorsAdaverseDragonflyFoundersMetastableOpen Opportunity FundPrecursor Ventures+2 more

Aria CVariacv.com

BiotechHealthtechSt. Paul, US

Joshua Woolley(Executive Officer)Ryan Gladney(Executive Officer)Gary Graham(Executive Officer)Dan W. Gladney(Executive Officer, Director)Peter DeLange(Executive Officer)Karl Vollmers(Executive Officer)

Co-investorsAngel Physicians FundBroadview VenturesPortfoliaCatalyst Health VenturesXeraya Capital

Bitesquadbitesquad.com
Brilliant

Affordable smart home platform integrating with a range of internet-enabled devices; raised a $40M Series B.

Cnex Labscnexlabs.com

San Jose, US

Yiren Huang(Executive Officer, Director)Alan Armstrong(Executive Officer, Director)Joseph DeFranco(Executive Officer)Yiren Ronnie Huang(Executive Officer, Director)Mike Raam(Director)

BoardLip Bu Tan(Director)in

Co-investorsCastor Ventures (an Alumni Ventures Fund)Cisco InvestmentsM12 (Microsoft's Venture Fund)We VenturesCelesta CapitalDell Technologies Capital+1 more

CodeStreamcodestream.comin𝕏acquired by New Relic

CodeStream built a developer collaboration tool that brought code discussion, review, and issue tracking directly into the IDE, integrating with editors like VS Code and JetBrains.

AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSNew York City, US

Claudio Pinkus(Founder)in

Co-investorsPJCY CombinatorS28 Capital

CREXi

End-to-end commercial real estate platform for brokers, agents, tenants and owners; raised a $40M Series B.

Co-investorsFounder CollectiveHypothesis

CryOSAcryosa.com

BiotechHealthtechArden Hills, US

Laura Stoltenberg(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardDavid Belitz(Director)inDoug French(Director)James Eadie(Director)Donald Gonzales(Director)

Co-investorsSolas BioVentures

Eternaleternal.plus
Flipgridflipgrid.com
Flyrflyrlabs.comin𝕏

FLYR provides a modular Offer & Order retailing platform for airlines, layered on top of existing passenger service systems to enable omnichannel shopping carts, dynamic AI-driven pricing, marketplace bundling of flights with hotels and activities, post-booking servicing, and cross-airline commerce.

AI & Machine LearningSaaSTravel & HospitalitySan Francisco, US

Alexander Mans(Executive Officer)Alex Mans(Founder and Chief Executive Officer)inCyril Guiraud(Co-Founder and Former Chief Marketing Officer)inJean Tripier(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardUllas Naik(Director)inPankaj Shah(Director)

Co-investorsBeyond CapitalBoeing HorizonX VenturesCota CapitalHaymaker VenturesJetBlue VenturesSKY VC+4 more

Graviegravie.comin𝕏

Gravie provides health benefits products for small and midsize businesses, including its flagship Comfort level-funded health plan with zero-cost coverage of common services, as well as traditional copay/HSA plans and ICHRA administration.

Digital HealthHealthtechInsurTechMinneapolis, US

Abir Sen(Director)Marek Ciolko(Executive Officer)Marlon Cush(Executive Officer)Dan Schabold(Executive Officer)Steve Wolin(CEO)Jill Prevost(Executive Officer, Promoter)

Co-investorsFirstMark CapitalGeneral AtlanticK2 HealthVenturesAtlantic Vantage Point

Intact Therapeuticsintacttherapeutics.comin

Intact Therapeutics develops next-generation biopharmaceutical therapies for gastrointestinal diseases to address unmet clinical needs.

BiotechHealthtechSan Francisco, US

Ravi Pamnani(Founder/CEO)inSidhartha Sinha(Founder)in

Co-investorsY Combinator

LifeLens

Platform to monitor human physiologic and cardiology measurements in real time.

Miromatrixmiromatrix.com

Miromatrix develops bioengineered human organs using a proprietary perfusion decellularization and recellularization technology, in which cells are removed from a pig organ and human cells are introduced into the resulting matrix.

BiotechLongevityMedical DevicesEden Prairie, US

Jeff Ross(Executive Officer)Robert Cohen(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)

BoardRonald Eibensteiner(Director)Timothy Flynn(Director)Walter Sembrowich(Director)Timothy J. Pawlenty(Director)

Mosaicmosaic.usin

Mosaic is a general contractor for build-to-rent (BTR) residential communities, combining construction services with proprietary software to plan, schedule, contract, and deliver homes at scale.

Construction TechPropTechSaaSPhoenix, US

Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzBuilding VenturesAZ-VCFounders FundGreylock PartnersInnovation Endeavors+5 more

ShareFilesharefile.comin𝕏

ShareFile provides secure file sharing, document collection, e-signature capabilities, and automated workflow management for teams collaborating with clients, partners, and vendors.

Enterprise SoftwareSaaS

Co-investorsAstellaBlack Diamond VenturesCID CapitalConcord Health PartnersH Venture PartnersRiverVest Venture Partners+1 more

StemoniXstemonix.comin

BiotechEden Prairie, US

Yung-Ping Yeh(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Ryan Gordon(Executive Officer)Murdoc Khaleghi(Executive Officer)Robert Petcavich(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)

BoardSteven Snyder(Director)Paul Hansen(Director)

Co-investorsRockies Venture Club

Versusversusgame.com

Versus provides an interactive content platform that enables audiences to make predictions and express opinions about live and on-demand entertainment content like TV shows and sports.

AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyMedia & Entertainment

John Vitti(Founder & CEO)

Co-investors7BC Venture Capitalalphabet angelsBeresford VenturesEvolution VenturesMoonshots CapitalMotivate Venture Capital+5 more

Vioseraviosera.cominDefunct

Viosera Therapeutics is a biotechnology company founded to develop resistance-proof antimicrobial drugs.

Co-investorsDreamers VC

Vori Healthvorihealth.com

Vori Health is a nationwide specialty medical practice that treats back, neck, and joint pain using board-certified orthopedic specialists and integrated care teams.

Digital HealthHealthtechWellness & FitnessNashville, US

Ryan Grant(Executive Officer, Director)Mary O'Connor(Executive Officer, Director)Ryan A. Grant, MD, MS, MBA, FAANS(Founder)in

BoardHui Cheng(Director)inMohamad Makhzoumi(Director)inJane Suh(Director)in

Co-investorsAlleyCorpAscension VenturesEcho Health VenturesGood FriendsNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Alley Robotics Ventures

Vrchatvrchat.net𝕏

VRChat is a social platform where users explore and build 3D virtual worlds and avatars, meet others, and join communities and events, accessible on PC, standalone VR headsets (Meta Quest, Pico), and mobile.

Creator EconomyGamingSocial

VRChatvrchat.com𝕏

VRChat is a social virtual reality platform where users explore user-generated worlds, use custom avatars, and connect with others across PC, standalone VR headsets (Meta Quest, Pico), and mobile.

Creator EconomyGamingSocialHouston, US

Graham Gaylor(Manager)inJesse Joudrey(Manager)

Co-investorsGFR FundMakers FundAnthos CapitalHTCRothenberg Ventures

Wasabi, Inc.wasabi.comin𝕏

Wasabi provides low-cost cloud object storage for businesses storing data such as backups, medical images, surveillance footage, financial records, and multimedia.

Cloud ComputingCybersecurityData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareBoston, US

David Friend(Co-founder)Jeff Flowers(Co-founder)

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesBasecamp FundBoston Harbor AngelsEnergy Impact PartnersNorth Atlantic CapitalProsperity7 Ventures+1 more

Xplorexplore.comin

Xplore provides space infrastructure and satellite operations services to commercial, government, and nonprofit organizations.

Cloud ComputingData & InfrastructureSaaSSpace Tech

Jeff Rich(Chief Executive Officer)Dave Claussen(Chief Technology Officer)David Floyd(Engineering Director)Lisa Rich(Chief Operating Officer)Henry Lin(Chief Financial Officer)

Co-investorsBatshit Crazy VenturesHelios CapitalIndustrious VenturesStarbridge Venture Capital LlcSwan Venture FundTremendous View Capital+3 more

Exits · 2

IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolio

CelcuityNASDAQ: CELCCodeStreamacq. by New Relic

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Brightstone Venture Capital made?
Brightstone Venture Capital has 26 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited via acquisition or IPO.
What stage does Brightstone Venture Capital invest at?
Brightstone Venture Capital invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth, Late Stage stages.
What is Brightstone Venture Capital's typical check size?
Brightstone Venture Capital typically writes checks of $250K – $10M.
What sectors does Brightstone Venture Capital focus on?
Brightstone Venture Capital focuses on AdTech, AI & Machine Learning, B2B Marketplaces, Biotech, Cloud Computing, Crypto & Web3, Cybersecurity, Data & Infrastructure, Digital Health, Enterprise Software, Healthtech, Marketplaces, Medical Devices, Semiconductors.
Where is Brightstone Venture Capital located?
Brightstone Venture Capital is headquartered in Minneapolis, US.
Does Brightstone Venture Capital lead rounds?
Yes, Brightstone Venture Capital leads investment rounds.
Who does Brightstone Venture Capital co-invest with?
Brightstone Venture Capital most often shares deals with Y Combinator, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), VU Venture Partners, among 74 tracked co-investors.

Similar investors

Featured in lists