San Francisco · Pre-Seed–Series A · 4 people tracked
Also known as Cortical Ventures SIC
Investment thesis
Cortical Ventures backs AI founders as operators who have built multi-billion dollar AI companies and deployed AI into production at scale. The firm partners early, leading at pre-seed and seed without waiting for other investors. It focuses on three areas: Physical AI (embedding intelligence into the physical world through robotic dexterity, skills learning and data collection), the AI Production Gap (applications and infrastructure bridging demos and production deployments, including AI pipelines, agentic infrastructure and vertical AI-first workflows), and AI for Good (using AI to improve health, safety and human connection, including AI-driven human engagement and defense tech).
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 4 people
from the firm's website & public directories
Founder mafia
2 people who came through Cortical Ventures went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 15 of 18 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×15Developer Tools ×4SaaS ×4Deep Tech ×3Robotics ×3Cloud Computing ×2Creator Economy ×2Hardware ×2
HQs:United States×6
Who they back
founder profiles across 8 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×52 founders×23 founders×1
Investments · 18 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Weaviate is a fully remote company with globally distributed teams that works on open-source technology.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper Tools
Co-investorsBattery VenturesIndex VenturesNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Zetta Venture PartnersING VenturesDeep Acre+1 more
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-investorsClear VenturesCRH VenturesPulse FundVoLo Earth Ventures
Airwave is an AI-powered wearable solution in the form of ANSI-rated safety glasses equipped with a camera, microphone, and speakers that automatically captures hands-free documentation and generates field reports without manual data entry.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHardware
Pankaj Prasad(Founder)in
Co-investorsDeep AcreHigh AlphaLegacy Capital VenturesOperator StackPage One Ventures
AngelQ is an AI-powered browser and search app for children that curates safe, age-appropriate content and acts as a homework helper and guided internet experience, while giving parents oversight.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerEdTech
Co-investorsCity Light
Claryo builds Spatial Generative AI that creates a photo-realistic, spatially accurate digital twin of a warehouse from phone or drone scans, letting operators design configurations, monitor inventory and safety compliance, and plan labor and automation.
AI & Machine LearningLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsSan Francisco, US
Mohamed Amer(Founder)inDylan Bourgeois(Director)Mohamed R. Amer(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardIgor Taber(Director)in
Co-investorsPage One VenturesThe Hivenoa
dataroomHQ is a virtual dataroom platform that lets startups upload documents and automatically generate investor-ready assets such as data decks, financial analysis, investment memos, and ARR schedules, with secure role-based sharing and watermarks.
AI & Machine LearningFintechSaaSOld Bridge, US
Jeff Schwartz(Founder)inJEFFREY SCHWARTZ(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Co-investorsBling CapitalGaruda VenturesOceans Ventures
E2B provides open-source, secure cloud sandboxes (built on Firecracker microVMs) where AI agents and LLMs can run untrusted, AI-generated code, use terminals and browsers, handle files, and access the internet.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper Tools
Co-investorsDecibel PartnersDeep AcreKAYAOperator CollectiveInsight Partners
Fal provides fast inference for generative AI models, particularly for image and video generation tasks like SDXL and Whisper.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingCreator EconomyDeveloper ToolsSan Francisco, US
Gorkem Yurtseven(Founder & CEO)inBurkay Gur(Founder)in
BoardSteve Jang(Director)inJennifer Li(Director)inGlenn Solomon(Director)in
Co-investors500 Emerging EuropeAlkeon InnovationAndreessen HorowitzBessemer Venture Partnerse2vcFirst Round Capital+14 more
hOS is a technology startup developing AI-driven technologies for people.
AI & Machine LearningDeep Tech
Jeremy Achin(Founder)inNick Bundzinski(Founder)
Co-investorsNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)
HyperWrite is an AI writing assistant delivered as a Chrome extension and web app, offering predictive autocomplete, web search, citations, and hundreds of tools to create, edit, and refine text.
AI & Machine LearningFuture of WorkSaaS
Co-investorsChapter One
Membrane (getmembrane.com) is an integration platform that lets developers connect their products, AI agents, and internal tools to external apps such as CRMs and databases through a single interface, offering pre-built connectors for a large catalog of applications.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsSaaS
Kyber Labs builds a bimanual robotic manipulation platform and novel low-cost, mechanically compliant robotic hands designed for embodied AI, targeting assembly and manufacturing tasks in unstructured environments.
AI & Machine LearningHardwareRoboticsBrooklyn, US
Neo Cybernetica is a stealth-mode company developing cybernetics technology that combines advances in neuroscience, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, simulation, and robotics.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechRoboticsSalem, US
Jeremy Achin(Founder)
Co-investorsNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Open Field Capital
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesE2B · nasdaqprivatemarket.com · Apr 3, 2026
Weaviate · salestools.io · Oct 10, 2025
fal · reuters.com · Aug 1, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Cortical Ventures made?
- Cortical Ventures has 17 tracked investments.
- What stage does Cortical Ventures invest at?
- Cortical Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Cortical Ventures's typical check size?
- Cortical Ventures typically writes checks of $500K – $2M.
- What sectors does Cortical Ventures focus on?
- Cortical Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Data & Infrastructure, Deep Tech, Defense Tech, Healthtech, Robotics, SaaS.
- Where is Cortical Ventures located?
- Cortical Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
- Does Cortical Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Cortical Ventures leads investment rounds.
- Who does Cortical Ventures co-invest with?
- Cortical Ventures most often shares deals with Deep Acre, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Page One Ventures, among 39 tracked co-investors.
Co-investors · 13
Page One Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm.
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.
Village Global is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage founders and connects them with a network of experienced operators, angels, and prominent tech LPs.
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General Catalyst is a venture capital firm operating as a partnership focused on company building and accelerating the growth of the businesses it backs.
Accel is a venture capital firm that partners with exceptional teams, positioning itself as a first partner to founders globally.
Global Founders Capital (GFC) is the global venture capital platform of Rocket Internet, investing early and across sectors in fast-growing technology companies.
Dell Technologies Capital (DTC) is the venture investment arm of Dell Technologies, investing in early-stage enterprise technology companies across the U.S., Israel, and Europe.
Tenaya Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs building enduring companies, focusing on growth-stage investments.
Summit Partners is a growth investing firm that backs category-leading companies across technology, healthcare and life sciences, and growth products and services, providing capital and resources to support their expansion.
Thomvest is a group of investment companies that invests on behalf of Peter J. Thomson and his family, backing teams across market cycles and supporting portfolio companies with mentorship, strategic guidance, and resources.
Active Capital is a venture firm led by Pat, an entrepreneur turned investor, focused on pre-seed investments in technical founders building AI-native software, infrastructure, and products for business use cases.
Acton Capital is an early-growth-stage venture investor with over 25 years of industry experience, partnering with a small number of founder-led companies each year to support their growth strategies.
▶1 more co-investors
Firms observed investing alongside Cortical Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Cortical Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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