Fundraising Fox
Palo Alto · Pre-Seed–Series A · 43 people tracked
Also known as CLEAR VENTURE MANAGEMENT, LLC
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Investment thesis
Clear Ventures focuses on investing at the earliest stages of company formation, backing fast-growing businesses often as the first institutional investor. The firm positions itself as a partner that provides not only seed capital but also strategic connections and company-building insights to help founders build and scale their companies. Its track record includes funding more than 70 companies, being the first investor in roughly 90% of them, and realizing 54 exits with a combined market capitalization of about $85 billion.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 29, 2026.
Team · 43 people
from the firm's website & public directories
Founder mafia
5 people who came through Clear Ventures went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 27 of 80 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×15Enterprise Software ×11Hardware ×8SaaS ×8Data & Infrastructure ×7Cloud Computing ×5Semiconductors ×5Cybersecurity ×4
HQs:United States×23India×1Japan×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 24 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×112 founders×93 founders×34+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 25 founders with education data
Stanford University ×6University of Southern California ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 26 founders with field-of-study data
Engineering ×13Computer Science ×12Business & Management ×2Mathematics & Statistics ×2Physics ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 27 founders with career history
Google ×5Stanford University ×5Qualcomm ×3Apple ×2Greo ×2Kaiam Corporation ×2Mentor Graphics ×2Microsoft ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
15 founders hold a PhD · 1 hold an MBA (of 26 with degree data)
Investments · 80 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 32024 · 12022 · 42021 · 52020 · 12019 · 32018 · 32017 · 42016 · 12015 · 12014 · 128 dated
GoPro manufactures cameras and mounting accessories designed for capture during action and outdoor activities, along with associated software applications and subscription services for content editing and cloud storage.
San Mateo, US
Nicholas Woodman(Executive Officer, Director)inBrian McGee(Executive Officer)inBrian Tratt(Chief Financial Officer)inNick Woodman(Founder)
BoardEmily Culp-Hogue(Director)Miguel A. Lopez Ben(Director)
Co-investorsArcher Capital GroupArcher Venture CapitalEnerdigm VenturesRiverwood CapitalSageview CapitalUS Venture Partners+1 more
Kognitos builds an agentic AI automation platform that lets business users write automation logic in plain English, executed deterministically by a patented neurosymbolic engine across 130+ enterprise integrations.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Jose, US
Binny Gill(Founder)in
BoardAshmeet Sidana(Director)in
Board seatRajeev Madhavan· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsEngineering CapitalFin CapitalKhosla VenturesAlumni VenturesDentsu VenturesPrime Partners+2 more
Avicena develops microLED-based optical interconnect technology, including the LightBundle transceiver ICs that pair microLED emitters and photodetectors with multi-core fiber for high-speed chip-to-chip communications.
Deep TechHardwareSemiconductorsLos Angeles, US
Rob Kalman(Founder & Chief Scientist)inAlex Tselikov(Founder & Principal Engineer)inBardia Pezeshki(Founder, Board of Directors)inSean Brady(Executive Officer)Marco Chisari(CEO)in
BoardMatthew Tasooji(Director)
Co-investorsHitachi VenturesMicron VenturesProsperity7 VenturesSamsung Catalyst FundCerberus Capital ManagementMaverick Silicon+3 more
Gen1e builds healthcare solutions supported by a network of physicians across hospitals and medical centers.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesSan Francisco, US
Ritu Lal(Founder)inSoujanya Bhumkar(Executive Officer, Director)Clint Webb
BoardNoor Kamruddin(Director)Francois Nader(Director)Alan Levy(Director)
Co-investorsY CombinatorKhosla VenturesEndurance28Flucas VenturesHarmonix FundStartX+13 more
Wherobots builds cloud-based spatial data processing and analytics infrastructure, enabling users to perform geospatial queries and AI-driven analysis on large datasets.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureScottsdale, US
Jia Yu(Founder)inMo Sarwat(Founder)inMohamed Elsayed(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsFelicis VenturesJetBlue VenturesProsperity7 VenturesSKY VCWing
Arrcus builds Smart Distributed Networking software through its Arrcus Connected Edge (ACE) platform, offering software-defined routing, switching, and ethernet fabrics for AI training and inferencing, datacenter fabrics, 5G transport, and multicloud networking.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSan Jose, US
Keyur Patel(Founder)Derek Yeung(Founder)inShekar Ayyar(Founder)inDevesh Garg(Founder)
BoardChristopher Rust(Director)inSteve Herrod(Director)
Board seatChristopher J. Rust· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsSoftBank GroupGeneral CatalystHitachi VenturesLightspeed Venture PartnersProsperity7 VenturesNVIDIA+1 more
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Milpitas, US
Dean Nelson(Executive Officer, Director)inShankar Ramamurthy(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardVinod Dham(Director)Peter Gross(Director)Amber Caramella(Director)
Board seatRajeev Madhavan· per SEC Form D · $2.1M raise · filed Mar 2016
Co-investorsDCVC (Data Collective)
Espresa provides an employee engagement and benefits platform designed to help companies deliver personalized employee experience programs across languages, time zones, and currencies.
AI & Machine LearningFuture of WorkHR TechSaaSPalo Alto, US
Alex Shubat(Founder)inRaghavan Menon(Founder)in
BoardChristopher Rust(Director)inAdoram Gaash(Director)inMichael Stark(Director)inGideon Argov(Director)in
Board seatChristopher J. Rust· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsCrosslink CapitalMoneta VCNew Era Capital PartnersRidge VenturesBlumberg CapitalGradient Ventures
Opsera provides a no-code, AI-powered platform for DevOps and DevSecOps automation that helps enterprises orchestrate software delivery and security across multiple tools and cloud environments.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwarePalo Alto, US
Kumar Chivukula(Founder)Ravi Kumar Chivukula(Executive Officer, Director)Chandra Ranganathan(Founder)
BoardWesley Chan(Director)inHuang Lee(Director)
Board seatRajeev Madhavan· per SEC Form D
Co-investors25MadisonAlumni VenturesFelicis VenturesHitachi VenturesProsperity7 VenturesTrinity Ventures+2 more
San Mateo, US
Amar Chokhawala(Founder)inSean S. Moran(Executive Officer, Director)Mark Sean Moran(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatRajeev Madhavan· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsBattery VenturesGreat Oaks Venture Capital
Cohu supplies test, automation, inspection, metrology, and software analytics products and services to the semiconductor industry, helping manufacturers optimize yield and productivity.
Advanced ManufacturingHardwareSemiconductorsSeattle, US
Jon Herlocker(Founder)inMatthew R McLaughlin(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardAshmeet Sidana(Director)in
Board seatChristopher J. Rust· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsDN CapitalM VenturesEngineering CapitalThe Hive
WaterGuru provides an automated water monitoring system that measures chemical composition, temperature, and pump performance for residential and commercial pools and spas.
ConsumerHardwareIoTSan Francisco
Tadmor Shalon(Executive Officer, Director)Peter Bergman(Executive Officer)in
BoardChristian Wichert(Director)Larry Bloom(Director)
Board seatRajeev Madhavan· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsLauder Partners
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Acante provides an AI co-pilot for data governance, security, and privacy, helping data platform and governance teams manage compliance and access controls for sensitive enterprise data used in AI systems.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityData & Infrastructure
AICrete develops AI-based software, including AICreteOS, for concrete mix design and production, helping ready-mix and precast concrete producers optimize mixes and reduce CO2 emissions.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechNew MaterialsSaaS
Parham(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsCortical VenturesCRH VenturesPulse FundVoLo Earth Ventures
Arrcus transforms networking infrastructure through cloud-native, autonomous solutions designed to make networks agile, elastic, and intelligent.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingCybersecurityData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSector AgnosticSan Jose, JP
Co-investorsSoftBank GroupFujitsu VenturesGeneral CatalystLightspeed Venture Partners
Atmosic designs ultra-low-power wireless connectivity and compute chips for connected devices, aiming to extend battery life or enable battery-free operation.
HardwareIoTSemiconductorsCampbell, US
David Su(Founder)inMasoud Zargari(Founder)in
Co-investorsDolby Family VenturesSutter Hill VenturesWalden International
Avaamo builds a conversational AI platform for enterprise that deploys autonomous agents across healthcare, customer support, and employee support operations.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechSaaS
Ram Menon(CEO)inSriram Chakravarthy(Founder)in
Co-investors11.2 CapitalAlexander Geza Marcus PejacsevichIntel CapitalLiquidity CapitalMonta Vista CapitalRembrandt Venture Partners+4 more
Chkk provides a platform for managing Kubernetes upgrades and lifecycle operations, automating risk assessments, version tracking, and add-on compatibility management.
Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsSaaSSunnyvale, US
Awais Nemat(Founder)in
Co-investorsSequoia CapitalSwisscom Ventures
Concentric Silicon supplies electronic components to manufacturers through a combination of model-driven sourcing for critical parts and direct purchasing of excess inventory, backed by certified inspection and quality control.
Advanced ManufacturingData & InfrastructureHardwareLogistics & Supply ChainSemiconductorsAustin, US
Jonah Van Bourg(Co-founder)in
Co-investorsAsylum VenturesBallistic VenturesCiti VenturesCore Ventures GroupEndowusEngineering Capital+2 more
Concentric AI provides AI-powered data security and governance solutions that help organizations discover, classify, and protect sensitive information across cloud and on-premises environments.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSan Jose, US
Paolo Gaudiano(Executive Officer, Director)Greg Silverman(Executive Officer, Director)Karthik Krishnan(Founder)inMadhu Shashanka(Founder)Shankar Subramaniam(Founder)
Co-investorsAlphaDriveBallistic VenturesCore Ventures GroupHomebrewCiti VenturesEngineering Capital+2 more
Santa Clara-based provider of advanced threat protection software for detecting next-generation malware.
Santa Clara, US
Manoj Leelanivas(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsDell Technologies CapitalSapphire VenturesZouk CapitalFoundation CapitalMatrixMatrix Capital Management+1 more
DevOps Institute is a global learning community providing professional development, certifications, and networking resources for IT professionals focused on DevOps, SRE, and DevSecOps practices.
Developer ToolsEdTechEnterprise SoftwareFuture of Work
Co-investorsRenegade PartnersCrane Venture PartnersFelicis VenturesInsight PartnersIrregular ExpressionsLeo Capital+3 more
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DriveU.auto develops autonomous vehicle deployment solutions for diverse use cases.
AI & Machine LearningHardwareIoTLogistics & Supply ChainMobility & TransportationRobotics
Co-investorsProeza VenturestheDOCKTwo Lanterns Venture PartnersUnitus Seed
DriveU is an on-demand and scheduled chauffeur service that connects car owners with background-verified drivers, and also offers DriveU Reserve, a premium car-and-driver service for airport, local, and outstation travel.
ConsumerMarketplacesMobility & Transportation
Ashok Shastry(Founder)in
Co-investorsCapria VenturesUnitus Seed
Frore Systems develops active cooling chips (AirJet® Mini and AirJet® Pro) for consumer devices that remove heat silently while improving processor performance.
Data & InfrastructureDeep TechHardwareSemiconductorsSan Jose, US
Seshu Madhavapeddy(Founder)inSurya Ganti(Founder)
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesMayfield FundMVP VenturesProsperity7 VenturesQualcomm VenturesStrawberry Creek Ventures+1 more
Invisible AI develops computer vision and AI solutions for the manufacturing industry, with expertise in human body and motion tracking derived from autonomous vehicle technology.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine Learning
Eric Danziger(Founder)inPrateek Sachdeva(Founder)in
Co-investorsBY Venture PartnersFraser McCombs CapitalK9 VenturesSierra VenturesSilent Capital8VC+2 more
LILT provides a multilingual AI platform that uses agentic AI models combined with expert human verification to translate and localize enterprise content such as product materials, technical documentation, and marketing campaigns.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
John DeNero(Founder)inSpence Green(Founder)in
BoardWilliam Coughran(Director)Mark Rostick(Director)in
Co-investorsCAL InnovationCalifornia Innovation FundIn-Q-TelIntel CapitalKube VCRedpoint Ventures+3 more
Co-investorsFlucas VenturesGradient VenturesBackend Capital
Naren Shaam(Founder)
Co-investorsAtlanticAtomicoBattery VenturesG SquaredKinnevikNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)+10 more
Swift Navigation provides low-cost, high-accuracy GPS and GNSS positioning solutions for autonomous vehicles, mobility applications, and mass-market uses.
Deep TechHardwareMobility & TransportationCalifornia, US
Timothy Harris(CEO and Co-Founder)
Co-investorsEnerTech CapitalEssentia VenturesEvolution VenturesFirst Round CapitalFraser McCombs CapitalGen Capital+19 more
Tessera provides a multi-agent AI platform for enterprise system modernization, automating processes across ERP, CRM, HCM, and finance systems with governed execution.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Kabir Nagrecha(Chief Executive Officer)inMing Chang(Chief Operating Officer)inAnirudh Sriram(Chief Technology Officer)inPrakash Gupta(Chief Revenue Officer)in
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzFoundation CapitalOUP (Osage University Partners)Myriad Venture Partners
Vori operates a B2B operating system that connects data across the food supply chain for the grocery industry.
B2B MarketplacesEnterprise SoftwareFoodTechRetail TechSaaSEast Palo Alto, US
Brandon Hill(Founder)inTre Kirkman(Founder)inRobert Pinkerton(Founder)inMax Mullen(Co-Founder)Tremaine Kirkman(Founder)Prince Arora(Head of Product)
Co-investorsAtelierCherryrock CapitalGreylock PartnersSouth Park CommonsVillage GlobalY Combinator+5 more
Zerto provides software for ransomware resilience, disaster recovery, and data mobility across on-premises and cloud environments, enabling enterprises to protect, replicate, and recover applications and data at scale.
Cloud ComputingCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareHerzliya Pituach
Ziv Kedem(Founder)inOded Kedem(Founder)inLiat Nachmani(Executive Officer)inGil Levonai(Executive Officer)inPaul Zeiter(Executive Officer)inShlomi Oren(Executive Officer)in
Co-investors83NorthBattery VenturesCheyenne VenturesClaltechCRV (Charles River Ventures)Harmony Partners+3 more
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
Falcon Computing SolutionsVera SecurityAbrizioAccountingAfaraApplicationAppthorityAvanexAvicena TechChipstackCloudfabrixComputeCynchDrug DiscoveryDune NetworksEvidentlyGeneral NewsInfosecInfra SoftwareKatana GraphLumoidLVL7Lvl7 SystemsMeasureMeMellanoxMextNetworkOnettaPlumgridRoadrunnerRobin.ioSabio LabsSantur CorporationSemiconductorShoobxSoha SystemsSpringbankStorageSwitchOn NetworksSyndesisTeleraTranslation ServicesTransportTurin NetworksVeraVxTelWootcloud
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.
Exits · 7
1 IPOs · 6 acquisitions · showing 5GoProNASDAQ: GPROTignisacq. by CohuAbrizioacq. by PMC-SierraRobin.ioacq. by Rakuten Symphony, Inc.Zertoacq. by HPE
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesVori · finance.yahoo.com · May 8, 2026
Tessera Labs · finsmes.com · May 6, 2026
Kognitos · kognitos.com · Apr 10, 2026
Swift Navigation · finsmes.com · Jul 23, 2025
Avicena · finsmes.com · May 14, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Clear Ventures made?
- Clear Ventures has 80 tracked investments, 7 of which have exited, including 5 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Clear Ventures invest at?
- Clear Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Clear Ventures's typical check size?
- Clear Ventures typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.
- What sectors does Clear Ventures focus on?
- Clear Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Data & Infrastructure, Deep Tech, Enterprise Software, IoT, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Clear Ventures located?
- Clear Ventures is headquartered in Palo Alto, US.
- Does Clear Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Clear Ventures leads investment rounds.
- Who does Clear Ventures co-invest with?
- Clear Ventures most often shares deals with Prosperity7 Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Battery Ventures, among 111 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the team520th 1Mby1M Entrepreneurship Podcast With Rajeev Madhavan, Clear Ventures - 1Mby1M Entrepreneurs...
1Mby1M Roundtables · Rajeev Madhavan
Images
Co-investors · 14
Prosperity7 Ventures is the diversified growth fund of Aramco Ventures, investing globally in next-generation technologies and business models across a wide range of industries.
Engineering Capital is a seed-stage venture firm that backs founders driven by technical insights, investing early and leading seed rounds in companies building new categories in information technology.
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.
Trinity Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in mission-driven entrepreneurs and their companies.
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 Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm that backs founders from Seed through Series F and beyond, emphasizing deep, immersive partnerships with the companies it invests in.
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs bold, early-stage, technology-driven companies across deep tech and other sectors, providing hands-on 'venture assistance' to help founders build category-defining businesses.
DN Capital is a global early-stage venture firm founded in 2000, investing in Seed, Series A and select Series B companies across Europe and North America.
Samsung Next is the venture investing arm associated with Samsung that backs ambitious founders across AI, healthtech, consumer services, and frontier technology.
Healthy Ventures is an early-stage venture investor focused on health tech, backing founders reimagining healthcare infrastructure.
Nexus Venture Partners invests in early and early growth stage companies operating in India and the United States across multiple sectors. The firm was founded by entrepreneurs with experience building companies.
Framework Venture Partners is a venture capital firm backing vertical SaaS and AI founders across Canada and the USA.
▶2 more co-investors
Firms observed investing alongside Clear Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Clear Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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