Fundraising Fox

Cowboy Ventures

Venture capital

Palo Alto · Pre-Seed–Series A · 12 people tracked

Also known as COWBOY CAPITAL, LLC

Fox Verdict
Sign up to see your fit

Investment thesis

Cowboy Ventures is purpose-built for partnering with founders at the seed stage. The firm concentrates on pre-seed and seed-stage startups, with a large share of its investments made pre-product. It aims to help founders build generational companies by contributing connections, operating experience, and hands-on, human-centered support throughout the journey from seed to Series A.

Source: firm website, verified Aug 25, 2026.

Stage
Pre-Seed–Series A
Check
$500K – $3M
HQ
Palo Alto, CA, US
Leads rounds
Leads
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2012
Last 12 months
3 investments
AUM
$455M
VC funds
6
Tracked investments
94

Team · 12 people

from the firm's website & curated & public directories
Joanne Yuan· Associate Partner
James Cross· Scoutin
Ryan Libster· Advisorin𝕏

What they invest in

from 37 of 94 portfolio companies

SaaS ×18AI & Machine Learning ×12Enterprise Software ×12Consumer ×9HR Tech ×5Developer Tools ×4E-commerce ×4Fintech ×4

HQs:United States×33

Who they back

founder profiles across 27 portfolio companies
52%
solo founders
14 of 27 mapped founding teams
46%
repeat founders
of 28 founders with career history
~1.5 yrs
old at investment
median across 8 dated deals

Founding team size:solo founder×142 founders×83 founders×44+ founders×1

Where their founders studiedfrom 28 founders with education data

Stanford University ×4Stanford University Graduate School of Business ×4Columbia University ×2University of Pennsylvania ×2

Where their founders worked beforefrom 28 founders with career history

Lyft ×4Coursera ×2Google ×2Gusto ×2Handshake ×2The Aspen Institute ×2

Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program

Y Combinator ×5

1 founders hold a PhD · 6 hold an MBA (of 27 with degree data)

Investments · 94 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2026 · 32025 · 32021 · 12019 · 22018 · 12017 · 22015 · 22014 · 317 dated

Effxeffx.com✓ verified

effx built a platform to help engineering teams collaborate and work more productively, with a focus on microservices architectures.

Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaS

Co-investorsESSENCE VCKleiner PerkinsTokyo BlackModern TechnicalEssence Venture Capital

Contra.Work Inc.Feb 2021SEC filingmedium confidence

San Francisco, US

Board seatTed Wang· per SEC Form D · $14.2M raise · filed Feb 2021

Co-investorsUnusual Ventures

Dratadrata.comin𝕏Feb 2025

Drata offers a compliance automation platform that centralizes controls and evidence, continuously monitors controls, and tracks remediation so teams can maintain audit readiness across multiple frameworks.

AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Diego, US

Adam Markowitz(Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder)inDaniel Marashlian(Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder)inTroy Markowitz(Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder)Tim Jackson(Director)William Griffith(Director)

BoardOren Yunger(Director)

Board seatTed Wang· per SEC Form D

Co-investorsAAF Management Ltd.Alkeon InnovationBallistic VenturesBasis Set VenturesComcast VenturesConverge+11 more

Proxima AnalyticsFeb 2019SEC filingmedium confidence

Oakland, US

Michael DeVries(Executive Officer, Director)Bala Krishna Kandula(Executive Officer, Director)John Wallace(Executive Officer, Director)

Board seatTed Wang· per SEC Form D · $2M raise · filed Mar 2019

ADAYthisisaday.com

Technical, seasonless, sustainable wardrobe staples

Co-investorsElizabeth Street VenturesTrue.SoGal Ventures

Arcolarcol.io

Arcol is a building design authoring platform that integrates construction and preconstruction intelligence into the design process, supporting collaboration between teams and AI agents.

Construction TechPropTechSaaS

Co-investorsCraft VenturesEssence Venture Capital

Area 1 Securityarea1security.comin𝕏acquired by Cloudflare

AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareMenlo Park, US

Derek W. Smith(Director)Oren J. Falkowitz(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsAllegisCyber CapitalDCVC (Data Collective)EPIC VENTURESForgePoint CapitalKleiner Perkins

August Home

San Francisco, US

Jason Johnson(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardDavid Wu(Director)Michael Levit(Director)

Co-investorsModerne VenturesBessemer Venture Partners

Auraaurahealth.ioin𝕏

Aura is a wellness app used by over 7 million people to support emotional wellbeing and sleep, with an offering for teams that provides partnership and bulk discount arrangements for employers.

ConsumerDigital HealthMental HealthWellness & Fitness

Steve Lee(Founder)inDaniel Lee(Founder)in

Co-investorsAllied Venture PartnersFarvatn VenturePrototype CapitalReach CapitalStand Together Ventures Lab1517+5 more

Avisoaviso.comin𝕏

Aviso builds an AI-guided revenue platform that serves go-to-market (GTM) teams, particularly sales organizations, by combining predictive AI, generative AI, and agentic AI capabilities to guide deal execution and forecasting.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSales TechRedwood City, US

Andrew Abrahams(Founder)Trevor A. Rodrigues-Templar(CEO & President)

Co-investorsStorm VenturesBloomberg Beta

Basata
Basis Setbasisset.comin𝕏May 2026 · $21M

An AI-native venture capital firm that uses machine learning and its own AI tools to identify and support AI companies.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise Software

Lan Xuezhao(Founder)in

Co-investorsFoundryBasis Set VenturesPeak XV PartnersPHX VenturesPivotal VenturesSequoia Capital+1 more

Binti
Branchbranch.ioin𝕏

Branch is an AI-powered mobile measurement partner (MMP) and omnichannel linking platform that helps brands measure marketing impact and guide customers across apps, web, email, paid media, social, and connected TV.

AdTechAI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaS

Mada Seghete(Founder)Mike Molinet(Founder)

Co-investorsCoelius CapitalMadrona Venture GroupNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Pear VCPlayground GlobalZenStone Venture Capital+5 more

Brandlessbrandless.comJul 2017

US e-commerce company selling own-label food, beauty, personal care and household goods direct to consumers.

San Francisco, US

Tina Sharkey(Executive Officer, Director)in

BoardIdo Leffler(Director)in

Co-investorsNext Legacy PartnersGV (Google Ventures)JAZZ Venture PartnersNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Redpoint VenturesSlow Ventures+2 more

Brava Homebrava.com𝕏Defunct

Brava is a technology company that makes a countertop cooking appliance using its Pure Light Cooking technology to prepare home-cooked meals and snacks quickly.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechHardware

Brendan Hutchinson(Founder)in

Co-investorsDGNL VenturesLong Venture PartnersNext Coast Ventures

Brickwork
Brit + Cobrit.co𝕏

Brit + Co is a digital media company that inspires and educates women through content, online classes, and products focused on creativity and DIY lifestyle.

ConsumerCreator EconomyMedia & Entertainment

Brit Morin(Founder)in

Co-investorsAdvance Venture PartnersLerer HippeauOak Investment PartnersSlow Ventures

Byteboardbyteboard.devin𝕏

Byteboard offers a technical interview platform used by companies to assess and hire engineering candidates, with an emphasis on reducing bias in the hiring process.

Future of WorkHR TechSaaS

Co-investorsScribble VenturesAUTHENTIC VENTURESCleo Capital

CapStack
Charthopcharthop.comin𝕏

ChartHop provides a people operations platform that unifies people data and HR workflows including onboarding, compensation management, performance reviews, and employee engagement surveys.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHR TechSaaSBrooklyn, US

Ian White(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsAbstract VenturesAndreessen HorowitzFiDi VenturesFlybridge Capital PartnersSemperVirens Venture CapitalShrug Capital+3 more

Chime
Continuum
Contracontra.comin𝕏

CatchBack is a platform that links digital NFTs with physical Pokémon cards, letting collectors buy, trade, and own cards through digital-to-physical ownership.

AI & Machine LearningConsumerCreator EconomyCrypto & Web3E-commerceFintechFuture of WorkMarketplacesSaaS

Gajus Kuizinas(Founder)in

Co-investorsAtelierNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Unusual VenturesVibe CapitalThe Fund

Crunchbase

Crunchbase is a subscription database of private and public company, funding and investor information.

Co-investorsEmergence Capital PartnersFelicis VenturesMayfield FundOMERS Ventures

DocSendacquired by Dropbox

Document sharing and analytics service; acquired by Dropbox.

Co-investorsAugust CapitalUncork Capital

Dollar Shave Clubdollarshaveclub.com𝕏acquired by Unilever

Dollar Shave Club offers razors and grooming products through a subscription model, delivering sharp stainless steel blades and shaving essentials directly to consumers at lower price points.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceLos Angeles, US

Michael Dubin(Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer)inDaniel Murray(Executive Officer)Kevin Datoo(Executive Officer)Mark Levine(Director)

BoardMichael Jones(Director)David Pakman(Director)

Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzComcast VenturesFelicis VenturesForerunner VenturesFounders Circle CapitalHinge Capital+5 more

Dropdrop.com

Drop is a gaming collaboration hub under CORSAIR that partners with video game titles to create branded hardware and merchandise, including gaming peripherals, streaming equipment, and accessories for gamers and esports enthusiasts.

ConsumerGamingHardware

Nelson Wu(Founder)in

Co-investorsMultiplier CapitalRunway Growth Capital

Eisen
Elementary Data
Enrich
Fullcast
Getaway
GetSetUpgetsetup.io

St. George, US

Lawrence Kosick(Executive Officer, Director)inNeil D'Souza(Executive Officer, Director)Neil Dsouza(Founder)in

BoardMatthew Greenfield(Director)in

Co-investorsHDS CapitalLightShed VenturesPrimetime PartnersRethink EducationGeneral PartnershipRethink Capital Partners

Gixo
Guildguild.comin𝕏

Guild operates a global education benefits platform that connects employees to a curated learning marketplace, 1:1 coaching, and analytics so employers can develop talent, fill critical roles, and build internal mobility.

EdTechFuture of WorkHR TechDenver, US

Brittany Stich(Founder)inGREG SIEGEL(Executive Officer)RACHEL ROMER CARLSON(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)NATALIE MCCULLOUGH(Executive Officer)PAUL FREEDMAN(Executive Officer)LEIGHANNE LEVENSALER(Director)

Co-investorsBessemer Venture PartnersBuilders + BackersFelicis VenturesGSV VenturesICONIQNew Ground Ventures+17 more

GuilderyOct 2014

Los Altos, US

Kelly Berger(Executive Officer, Director)Shane Reilly(Executive Officer, Director)Kirsten Green(Director)

Heartwork
Homebase
Hone
Hooked
Ironcladironcladapp.comin𝕏Sep 2018

Ironclad is an AI platform for digital contract management that helps companies execute faster deals, reduce contract surprises, and measure value.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLegalTechSaaSSan Francisco, US

Jason Boehmig(Founder/CEO)inCai GoGwilt(Director)Jason Springer(Chief Executive Officer)Jeremy Smith(President)Vedavati Verma(Chief Technology Officer)Jason Herman(Chief Product Officer)

Co-investors500 GlobalAccelAmplo VenturesBetter Tomorrow VenturesElevate VenturesEmergence Capital Partners+17 more

Joyride
Kernelkernel.aiinMar 2026 · $20M

Kernel offers a data management platform that RevOps teams use to clean, deduplicate, and enrich account data and manage account hierarchies across enterprise CRMs.

Data & InfrastructureSaaSSales Tech

Co-investorsMoonfire VenturesSarah SmithAccelCintrifuse CapitalCoreWeaveEricsson Ventures+5 more

Kerros Health
Kiavi

Real estate lending platform, formerly LendingHome.

Co-investorsR136 Ventures

Kimono Labskimonolabs.comAcquired

Kimono Labs provides browser-based tools that allow users to convert unstructured website data into machine-readable APIs without coding knowledge, using a bookmarklet or Chrome extension to automate web scraping and crawling.

Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareLos Angeles, US

Ryan Rowe(Founder)in

Co-investorsKarlin VenturesY CombinatorFounders FundTuesday Capital

Launchnoteslaunchnotes.comin𝕏

LaunchNotes is a platform that connects product feedback, roadmap, and release communication so stakeholders know what is shipping and why it matters.

Developer ToolsMarketing TechSaaSCalifornia, US

Tyler Davis(Co-founder & CEO)inJake Brereton(Co-founder & COO)inEvan Michner(Director of Product)inAdam Wardlow(Director of Product Marketing)inJack Sneeringer(Director of Sales)

Co-investorsAtlassian VenturesBull City Venture PartnersInsight PartnersEssence Venture Capital

Libratolibrato.comin𝕏acquired by SolarWinds

Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsSaaS

Co-investorsBaseline VenturesHeavybit

Lightsteplightstep.com

Acquired by ServiceNow; investment from prior firm

Co-investorsAmplify PartnersHeavybit

Manifest
MBXmemebox.comin

Memebox is a cosmetics and beauty products e-commerce platform that sells makeup items including eyeshadows, blushers, tints, and multi-stick products.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceSan Francisco, US

Hyungseok (Dino) Ha(Founder/CEO)in

Co-investorsClick VenturesCota CapitalFundersClubMontage CapitalOrbiMedPROOF+3 more

Mighty Networksmightynetworks.comin𝕏

Mighty Networks builds a platform for community management, courses, and events that helps community leaders and entrepreneurs build engaged member bases and generate revenue.

Creator EconomySaaSPalo Alto, US

Gina Bianchini(CEO & Co-Founder)Tim Herby(Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder)Thomas Aaron(Chief Product Officer & Co-Founder)inDAVID GALE(PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

BoardNANCY BERGLASS(Director)

Co-investorsFloodgateFounder CollectiveGeek VenturesGreat Oaks Venture CapitalOwl VenturesWonder Ventures+4 more

Mixhalomixhalo.cominJun 2019

San Francisco, US

Ann Marie Simpson(Executive Officer)Michael Einziger(Executive Officer, Director)inMarc Ruxin(Executive Officer, Director)Chrystine Villarreal(Executive Officer)Ryan McIntyre(Director)

Co-investors359 CapitalDefy PartnersFounders FundFoundrySapphire Sport

Mon Amimonami.ioin𝕏

Mon Ami provides outcome measurement and impact documentation software for social service agencies, helping them prove program effectiveness, comply with regulatory requirements, and secure funding by centralizing evidence from assessments, service hours, and caseworker notes.

GovTechImpact & Social GoodPalo Alto, US

Joy Zhang(Co-founder)Madeline Dangerfield-Cha(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)in

BoardClint Korver(Director)in

Co-investorsCity LightFelicis VenturesThe MBA FundUlu VenturesWestbound Equity Partners37 Angels+2 more

Mutinymutinyhq.comin𝕏

Mutiny is an AI-powered GTM assistant that helps customer-facing teams create branded marketing assets, conduct account research, and manage sales workflows.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSales TechNew York City, US

Nikhil Mathew(Founder)inJaleh Rezaei(Founder)in

BoardBogomil Balkansky(Director)in

Co-investorsEarl Grey CapitalSequoia CapitalY CombinatorGTMfundInsight PartnersTiger Global Management

Natalist
Newness
Novi
NuORDERnuorder.cominAcquired

NuORDER is a commerce platform owned by Lightspeed that provides tools for independent businesses to manage and scale their operations globally.

E-commerceEnterprise SoftwareSaaSLos Angeles, US

Heath Wells(Executive Officer, Director)inOlivia Skuza(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsBrighton Park CapitalGreycroftImaginary Venture CapitalThe Argentum GroupUpfront Ventures

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 · 4

IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolio

Area 1 Securityacq. by CloudflareDocSendacq. by DropboxDollar Shave Clubacq. by UnileverLibratoacq. by SolarWinds

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Cowboy Ventures made?
Cowboy Ventures has 82 tracked investments, 8 of which have exited via acquisition or IPO, including 2 dated in the last 24 months.
What stage does Cowboy Ventures invest at?
Cowboy Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
What is Cowboy Ventures's typical check size?
Cowboy Ventures typically writes checks of $500K – $3M.
What sectors does Cowboy Ventures focus on?
Cowboy Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Consumer, Enterprise Software, Sector Agnostic.
Where is Cowboy Ventures located?
Cowboy Ventures is headquartered in Palo Alto, US.
Does Cowboy Ventures lead rounds?
Yes, Cowboy Ventures leads investment rounds.
Who does Cowboy Ventures co-invest with?
Cowboy Ventures most often shares deals with Y Combinator, Andreessen Horowitz, Emergence Capital Partners, among 134 tracked co-investors.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

E988 Cowboy Ventures' Aileen Lee on pioneering diversity in tech & VC, lessons from backing winners

This Week in Startups · Aileen Lee

Caroline Duffy, Partner Cowboy Ventures: Investing in AI & Foundational Tech

Grace Gong · Caroline Duffy

Aileen Lee (Cowboy Ventures) & Emily Chang (Bloomberg) - Ten Years of Unicorns: What's next?

Startup Grind · Aileen Lee

4 Lessons from Aileen Lee @ Cowboy Ventures

ConfluenceVC: The VC Operating Playbook · Aileen Lee

The Unicorn Club 10 years later with Cowboy Ventures’ Aileen Lee | Equity Podcast

TechCrunch · Aileen Lee

'Unicorn' headquarters dispersing to different cities after COVID: Cowboy Ventures' Aileen Lee

Aileen Lee · cnbc.com

Images

Cowboy Ventures photoCowboy Ventures photo

Co-investors · 99

Andreessen Horowitz

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.

$500K – $50M
Felicis Ventures

Felicis Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs founders primarily at the Seed and Series A stages, frequently leading or co-leading rounds. It operates with a founder-first approach, including a founder pledge and voting commitments.

Both backed · 4
$500K – $15M
Sequoia Capital

Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders to build technology companies.

$4.4M – $214M
Founders Fund

Founders Fund is a venture capital firm that backs technology companies building transformative products.

$500K – $5M
Accel

Accel is a venture capital firm that partners with exceptional teams, positioning itself as a first partner to founders globally.

Both backed · 3
$1.6M – $70M
New Enterprise Associates (NEA)

New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is a venture capital firm that invests in and provides long-term support to founders building new companies.

$200K – $40M
Kleiner Perkins

Kleiner Perkins is a venture capital firm that backs founders across technology and life sciences, from early stage through growth.

$500K – $15M
Slow Ventures

Slow Ventures is a generalist early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2011, with offices in San Francisco, Boston, and New York, investing in the earliest rounds of companies across many sectors.

$50K – $1M
Emergence Capital Partners

Emergence Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders building B2B software companies, from early-stage cloud and SaaS pioneers to AI-native innovators.

Both backed · 3
IroncladTextioCrunchbase
$500K – $10M
Essence Venture Capital

Essence VC is a rare "engineer-first, solo GP" fund led by Timothy Chen, who was initially rejected as "too technical/too nerdy" for traditional VC but built Essence into what's considered "one of the hottest startup funds in tech," backed by top-tier LPs like Marc Andreessen and Martin Casado. The fund explicitly positions itself as investing in infrastructure companies before they exist, backing founders at the repo/demo stage with comfort writing checks when there's only GitHub traction and an alpha—much earlier and more technically driven than most infra-focused VCs.

$10K – $10M
General Catalyst

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm operating as a partnership focused on company building and accelerating the growth of the businesses it backs.

Both backed · 2
$30M
Bessemer Venture Partners

Bessemer Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs across enterprise, consumer, and healthcare sectors from early stages through growth.

Both backed · 2
$5M – $100M
87 more co-investors

Notable CapitalInsight PartnersSV AngelFirst Round CapitalUlu VenturesBaseline VenturesGSV VenturesLightspeed Venture PartnersCraft VenturesGreylock PartnersUncork CapitalDCVC (Data Collective)Tiger Global ManagementMayfield FundAdditionFloodgateAcrew CapitalMaveronHarrison MetalUpfront VenturesVibe CapitalAugust CapitalUpside PartnershipReach CapitalConvictionDefy PartnersLightShed VenturesVista Venture PartnersBull City Venture PartnersIndex VenturesBain Capital VenturesBoxGroupCoatue ManagementTrue VenturesIVP (Institutional Venture Partners)CRV (Charles River Ventures)ACME CapitalLiquid VenturesAfore CapitalBond Capital ManagementTrinity VenturesTrajectory VenturesHack VCNot Boring CapitalSherpalo VenturesSocial Leverage2048 VenturesQueensBridge Venture PartnersLightbankHustle FundGSV AccelerationSalesforce Japan Co.,Ltd.NorthzoneThe Chernin Group (TCG Crypto)FootworkNext Play VenturesNextGen Venture PartnersCompany CapitalHighland Capital PartnersAnthemis VentureMucker CapitalBrand Foundry VenturesRecursive VenturesFormation GroupLa FamigliaMakers FundMorado Venture PartnersEnsemble VCGFT VenturesCoalition OperatorsCrane Venture PartnersSchematic VenturesCambrian VenturesEvolve VC FundsFin CapitalFirework VenturesM25C2 VenturesDream MachineCenter ElectricSaturn PartnersCrossover VCEveningDispersion Capital1982 VenturesU&I VenturesVerity Venture Partners

Firms observed investing alongside Cowboy Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Cowboy Ventures's recorded portfolio.

Similar investors

Featured in lists