/Investor DB

Designer Fund

Venture capitaloperating company · company profile

San Francisco · Pre-Seed–Series A · 15 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Early-stage investor in companies using design to improve health, sustainability, and prosperity, offering hiring/managing design teams, product and brand advice, and designer development through a design-leader community.

Source: firm website, verified Jul 31, 2026.

Stage
Pre-Seed–Series A
Check
$100K – $1M
HQ
San Francisco, CA, US
Leads rounds
Leads
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2014
Last 12 months
7 investments
AUM
$80M
Tracked investments
178
Unicorns
14
IPOs
3
Acquisitions
4

Team · 15 people

from the firm's website

Founder mafia

4 people who came through Designer Fund went on to found or lead other companies.

What they invest in

from 143 of 178 portfolio companies

SaaS ×65AI & Machine Learning ×52Enterprise Software ×38Developer Tools ×24Climate Tech ×21Healthtech ×18Cleantech ×17Digital Health ×16

HQs:United States×87Australia×1Canada×1Switzerland×1Germany×1India×1

Who they back

founder profiles across 102 portfolio companies
28%
solo founders
29 of 102 mapped founding teams
43%
repeat founders
of 134 founders with career history
~2 yrs
old at investment
median across 22 dated deals

Founding team size:solo founder×292 founders×243 founders×314+ founders×18

Where their founders studiedfrom 125 founders with education data

Stanford University ×17Massachusetts Institute of Technology ×9University of California, Berkeley ×8Stanford University Graduate School of Business ×6Columbia University ×4University of Pennsylvania ×4Harvard University ×3Princeton University ×3

What their founders studiedfrom 121 founders with field-of-study data

Engineering ×38Computer Science ×36Design & Architecture ×13Business & Management ×12Economics ×10Humanities ×6Mathematics & Statistics ×6Physics ×4

Where their founders worked beforefrom 134 founders with career history

Google ×19Stanford University ×11Stripe ×8Apple ×6Airbnb ×5Meta ×5Microsoft ×5Code for America ×4

Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program

Y Combinator ×10Techstars ×2

21 founders hold a PhD · 12 hold an MBA (of 129 with degree data) · backed the same founder in 2+ companies: 2 founders

Investments · 178 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2026 · 72025 · 22024 · 12023 · 72022 · 22021 · 92020 · 22019 · 22018 · 12017 · 12016 · 12015 · 137 dated

Ginkgo Bioworksginkgo.bioin𝕏NYSE: DNA

Ginkgo Bioworks builds autonomous labs that accelerate bioengineering for applications in pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial biotechnology.

AgTechAI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHealthtechRoboticsBoston, US

Jason Kelly(Founder)inReshma Shetty(Founder)inBarry Canton(Founder)inAustin Che(Founder)inTom Knight(Founder)inBartholomew Canton(Executive Officer)

Co-investors11.2 CapitalAllen Institute for AI (AI2) IncubatorAzure Capital PartnersB3 HoldingBlue Owl CapitalCannage Capital+62 more

Omada Healthomadahealth.comin𝕏NASDAQ: OMDAJul 2015

Omada Health provides virtual-first, integrated care programs for chronic disease management, delivered as data-driven solutions for employers, health plans, and healthcare organizations.

Digital HealthHealthtechWellness & FitnessSan Francisco, US

Andrew DiMichelle(Executive Officer, Director)Adrian James(Founder)inSean Duffy(Founder)inWei-Li Shao(President)inSteve Cook(Chief Financial Officer)inAndrew DiMichele(Founder)

Co-investorsaMoonAndreessen HorowitzBlackbird VenturesCanvas VenturesCivilization Ventures Management, LlcEnsemble Labs+18 more

Linearlinear.app𝕏✓ verified

Linear is a project and issue tracking tool for software development teams, offering features such as team documents, code diffs and reviews, an AI agent, and integrations with tools like GitHub, Slack, and Figma.

Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSSan Francisco, US

Karri Saarinen(Founder)inJori Lallo(Founder)inTuomas Artman(Founder)in

Co-investorsSeven Seven SixIndie.vc01 Advisors20VCAccelHeavybit+5 more

Netlifynetlify.comin𝕏✓ verified

Netlify is a platform for building, deploying, and scaling modern web applications, serving millions of developers and thousands of enterprises.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsSaaSSan Francisco, US

Mathias Biilmann(Founder)inChristian Bach(Founder)inChris Bach(Founder)Matt Biilmann(Founder)

Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzBessemer Venture PartnersBloomberg BetaKleiner PerkinsMenlo VenturesEQT Ventures+9 more

Plasmicplasmic.appin𝕏✓ verified

Plasmic is a visual development platform for building web applications and pages, with integrations for tools like Cursor.

Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsMarketing TechSaaS

Yang Zhang(Founder)inChung Wu(Founder)

Co-investorsArriveNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Tiny CapitalOlima Ventures

Rasporedraspored.netlify.appin𝕏✓ verified

Netlify provides a platform for building, deploying, and scaling modern web applications, including corporate sites, e-commerce platforms, and SaaS applications.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsEdTechSaaSSan Francisco, US

Mathias Biilmann(Co-founder & CEO)Christian Bach(Co-founder, Chief Strategy and Creative Officer)in

Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzBessemer Venture PartnersBloomberg BetaEQT VenturesKleiner PerkinsMenlo Ventures+4 more

SuperHi Basic Incomesuperhibasicincome.com𝕏✓ verified

SuperHi Basic Income is an experiment run by SuperHi that gives selected creative people a monthly stipend of $1,000 USDC for six months, plus hardware and access to SuperHi's courses, to test whether a financial buffer helps them advance their careers.

Crypto & Web3EdTech

Co-investorsExpaFramework VenturesReach CapitalTorch Capital

Abstract Design Toolsgoabstract.comin𝕏

Abstract is a design intelligence platform that gives design teams one space to gather requirements, track and assign work, review designs, handle feedback, and measure design outcomes.

Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaS

Co-investorsTiny Capital

Adam Dixonhelloimadam.com

Personal portfolio site of a photographer/image creator, Adam Dixon, who offers to produce photographs for business use.

Creator EconomyMedia & Entertainment

Adam Dixon

Adoraadora.soin𝕏Feb 2026 · $9.9M

Adora provides product teams with real-time visibility into user experience through a visual analytics platform.

Developer ToolsSaaSSurry Hills, AU

Omar(Co-founder)inNathan Scully(Founder)inOmar Salem(Founder)

Co-investorsBlackbird VenturesGaruda VenturesSoftware Holdings PtyAngel AcademeSkip Capital

Afresh Technologiesafresh.comin

Afresh builds AI-based demand forecasting, inventory management, and ordering software for grocery retailers, focused on fresh and perishable categories.

AI & Machine LearningCircular EconomyClimate TechEnterprise SoftwareFoodTechImpact & Social GoodRetail TechSaaS

Matt Schwartz(Founder)inNathan Fenner(Founder)in

Co-investorsBetter Food VenturesBlack Jays VenturesBright Pixel CapitalCaesar VenturesDoon CapitalGHC Fintech SPV+15 more

Airair.incin𝕏

Air provides a content organization and asset management platform for creative and marketing teams.

AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyMarketing TechSaaS

Shane Hegde(Founder)inTyler Strand(Founder)

Co-investorsAdvancit CapitalAvenir Growth CapitalBlack Jays VenturesGood FriendsLerer HippeauOlima Ventures+5 more

AltSchoolaltitudelearning.cominApr 2017

Guidepost Montessori operates Montessori schools offering early childhood education based on the Montessori philosophy, serving children and their families.

ConsumerEdTechSan Francisco, US

Max Ventilla(Founder & CEO)Sethi Komal(Executive Officer)Devin Vodickain

BoardBrian Singerman(Director)inMichael Dearing(Director)

Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzHemisphere Ventures LLCFirst Round CapitalFounders FundHarrison MetalLearn Capital+1 more

Ambrookambrook.comin𝕏

Ambrook offers bookkeeping and financial management software built for agricultural operations, with features like real-time transaction syncing, receipt scanning, expense cards, enterprise P&L tracking, and built-in Schedule F tax forms.

AgTechFintechSaaSNew York City, US

Dan Schlosser(Founder)inJeff Anders(Founder)inDan OBrien(Founder)Jeff Baker(Founder)Mackenzie Burnett(Founder)in

Co-investorsBoxGroupHomebrewLiam HorneThomson Reuters VenturesCameron VenturesField Ventures+2 more

Amply Energyamply.energyin

Amply is software for HVAC contractors that uses LiDAR scanning and home data to produce ACCA-certified Manual J load calculations and heat pump system designs on site.

CleantechEnergySaaSSouth Portland, US

Vic Shao(Executive Officer, Director)Eric Fitz(Co-founder)inEdward Smith(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsBay Bridge Ventures ClimateCongruent VenturesObvious VenturesPeopleFund

Andcouseandco.comin𝕏

Andco provides AI-powered case management software for personal injury law firms, automating document retrieval, medical record collection, insurance claim processing, and demand letter preparation from intake through settlement.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLegalTechSaaSSan Francisco, US

Ryan Xue(CEO)inDavid Lee(Founder)inMichael Lemm(COO)in

Co-investorsKadan CapitalRebel FundY CombinatorBatch VenturesBlast.ClubC Square Capital+6 more

Arcadia Powerarcadia.comin𝕏

Arcadia is an energy intelligence platform that helps businesses manage utility bills, procure energy, and track sustainability through a single interface.

AI & Machine LearningClimate TechEnergyEnterprise SoftwareSaaSWashington, US

Kiran Bhatraju(Founder)inRyan Nesbitt(Executive Officer)

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesBay Bridge Ventures ClimateBlue Ivy VenturesBoxGroupBroadscaleCamber Creek+17 more

AtoBatob.comin𝕏Seed

AtoB provides fleet fuel cards that consolidate fuel, vehicle maintenance, repairs, tolls, and operational expenses for businesses operating private fleets, OTR carriers, or single-vehicle operations.

FintechLogistics & Supply ChainMobility & TransportationSaaSSan Francisco, US

Vignan Velivela(CEO)inHarshita Arora(Founder)inTushar Misra(Founder)Nikhil Gupta(Product Manager)Ravi Chandra BandlamudiJesse Wang(Product Designer)

Co-investorsBloomberg BetaCleo CapitalCollaborative FundContraryGeneral CatalystJetstream+17 more

August Healthaugusthealth.comin𝕏

August Health builds software for senior living communities to support caregivers in delivering care.

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthEnterprise SoftwareHealthtech

Justin Schram(Founder)inErez Cohen(Founder)inMichael Watts(Founder)

Co-investorsEquitage Ventures, L.L.C.General CatalystMatrixMoxxie VenturesPrimetime PartnersUnanimous Capital+2 more

Beaming Healthbeaminghealth.comFeb 2023

Beaming Health helps families find and start pediatric care, providing a directory of in-network providers offering services such as speech-language and occupational therapy across in-clinic, in-home, and virtual settings.

Digital HealthHealthtechMarketplacesMinneapolis, US

Christopher Olmanson(Founder)inMarissa Pittard(Founder)

BoardJon Bassett(Director)in

Co-investorsFlare Capital PartnersMedMountain VenturesMoai CapitalMucker CapitalNextGen Venture PartnersTau Ventures+3 more

Bezibezi.comin𝕏Nov 2023

Bezi is an AI agent that operates within Unity to assist game developers with code generation, scene building, debugging, and automation tasks.

AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareGamingOakland, US

Cecilia Uhr(Founder)inJulian Park(Founder)inDenys Bastov(Founder)in

BoardChetan Puttagunta(Director)inSusan Liu(Director / investor representative)in

Co-investorsBessemer Venture PartnersUncork Capital2.12 Angels8VCAdverb VenturesAirAngels+16 more

Bird Scootersbird.coin

Bird operates a shared electric scooter and e-bike service designed to reduce car trips and emissions in urban environments across multiple continents.

CleantechMobility & TransportationSanta Monica, US

Adriaan Mol(Founder)inBob Violier(Founder)Joey van Ommen(Founder)Robert Vis(Founder)Travis VanderZanden(Founder)in

Co-investorsAccelAlate PartnersCanaan PartnersCoastCapComcast VenturesCraft Ventures+22 more

Bitrigbitrig.comin𝕏Seed

Bitrig is an AI-assisted development tool for building native applications.

AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US

Kyle Macomber(CEO)inTim Donnelly(Founder)inJacob Xiao(Founder)inMatt Ricketson(Founder)

Co-investorsPioneerY CombinatorBatch VenturesGeneral CatalystOffline Ventures

Brand.aibrand.aiinSeed · Oct 2024 · $5M

Brand.ai builds brand infrastructure that converts a company's brand assets and guidelines into machine-readable intelligence usable by AI systems and human teams.

AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaSKirkland, US

Chelsey Susin Kantor(Founder)Michael Carter(Founder)Nate Bosshard(Founder)

Co-investorsMento vcOffline VenturesTechstarsUncork Capital

C2Esc2es.orgin𝕏

The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is a nonprofit organization focused on climate policy, working to accelerate the transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through reports, briefs, and policy recommendations.

Climate TechEnergyImpact & Social GoodWashington, US

Nat Keohane(C2ES President)in

Capitol AIcapitol.aiin𝕏Apr 2026

Capitol builds sovereign AI infrastructure for regulated institutions including financial services firms, professional services organizations, and government agencies.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkGovTechWashington, US

Shaun Modi(CEO)inthomas hallaran(CTO)inEzra Lee(Founder)Tom Hallaran(Founder)Nikolay Saveliev(Creative Director)Elizabeth Cardenas(Executive Assistant)

Co-investorsY CombinatorFailup VenturesImagination CapitalInvestorXMaiora Rebel VenturesTogether Fund+6 more

Carbon Engineeringcarbonengineering.comin𝕏Acquired

Carbon Engineering is a Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology company, founded in 2009, that develops systems to capture large volumes of CO2 directly from the atmosphere.

CleantechClimate TechDeep TechSquamish, CA

David Keith(Founder)Dan Friedmann(CEO)

Co-investorsETCapitalKhosla VenturesLowercarbon CapitalRusheen Capital PartnersWUTIF CapitalAirbus+7 more

Chromaticchromaticqa.com𝕏

Chromatic is a cloud service that tests user interfaces by scanning every possible UI state across browsers to catch visual and functional bugs, with reviewer assignment and discussion resolution for team sign-off.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsSaaS

Dominic Nguyen(Founder)Tom Coleman(Founder)Zoltan Olah(Founder)

Co-investorsEmbedded VenturesGood Friends

Climatepapaclimatepapa.com

Climate Papa is a personal website and podcast by Ben Eidelson exploring the intersection of climate change, technology, and parenthood, featuring conversations with product people, parents, and others.

Climate TechMedia & Entertainment

Ben Eidelson

Climeworksclimeworks.comin𝕏

Climeworks develops Direct Air Capture technology to remove carbon dioxide directly from the air, and through Climeworks Solutions designs and manages carbon removal portfolios that combine engineered and nature-based methods.

CleantechClimate TechDeep Tech

Christoph Gebald(Co-CEO and co-founder)inJan Wurzbacher(Co-CEO and co-founder)in

Co-investorsCarbon Removal PartnersKhosla VenturesVerve VenturesGlobal Founders Capital

Coppercopperhome.comin

Copper makes induction stoves with integrated battery energy storage that enable home electrification without major electrical upgrades.

CleantechClimate TechConsumerHardwareBerkeley, US

Sam Calisch(Founder)inEric Wilhelm(Founder)inChris Cheng(Founder)Dmitry Tokarev(Founder)Eddie Behringer(Founder)Jon Lee(Founder)

Co-investorsChrysalixClimacticCollaborative FundLeap Forward VenturesMMC VenturesNecessary Ventures+15 more

David Energydavidenergy.comin𝕏

David Energy builds technology to enable electricity grids powered by 100% clean, renewable energy.

CleantechClimate TechEnergyHardwareNew York, US

James McGinniss(Founder)inAhmed Salman(Founder)inBrian Maxwell(Founder)inAhman Salman(Founder)

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesBlue Ivy VenturesBoxGroupCathay InnovationEqual VenturesFive Four Ventures+8 more

Delighteddelighted.comin𝕏

Delighted is customer feedback software that collects and analyzes feedback across digital experiences, contact centers, chat, email, and social media, using AI to surface themes and automate response workflows for enterprise organizations.

Enterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaS

Mike Gowen(Founder)in

Co-investorsA.Capital VenturesGV (Google Ventures)

DICE Event Ticketingdice.fmin𝕏

DICE is a ticketing platform that enables fans to discover and book live events including concerts, festivals, comedy shows, and club nights.

ConsumerCreator EconomyMarketplacesMedia & Entertainment

Phil Hutcheon(Founder)in

Co-investorsEvolution Equity PartnersSoftBank Vision FundStructural CapitalWhite Star Capital

Donutdonut.comin𝕏

Donut offers a Slack-based tool aimed at improving employee engagement, collaboration, and productivity within teams.

AI & Machine LearningFuture of WorkHR TechSaaS

Dan Manian(CEO & Cofounder)inJeff Manian(CTO & Cofounder)in

Co-investorsAccelBitkraft Esports VenturesBloomberg BetaFirstMark CapitalHack VCHomebrew+3 more

Drawdowndrawdown.orgin

Project Drawdown advances science-based climate solutions and strategies by making rigorous climate science actionable and compelling for diverse stakeholders through research, stakeholder engagement, and storytelling.

Climate TechImpact & Social Good

Jonathan Foley, Ph.D.(Executive Director)

BoardStephan Nicoleau(Chair, Project Drawdown Board of Directors)Jennifer Caldwell(Secretary, Project Drawdown Board of Directors)

Dupedupe.com𝕏

Dupe is a shopping tool that lets consumers find cheaper lookalike alternatives to products they want by searching the internet for the same or similar items at lower prices.

ConsumerE-commerceRetail Tech

Bobby Ghoshal(Founder)Ramin Bozorgzadeh(Founder)

Co-investorsAbstract VenturesKindred VenturesM13NextView Ventures

Elevateuseelevate.devin𝕏

Elevate provides data integration and automation software for private equity firms and portfolio companies, enabling system integration acceleration and automated close processes.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFintechNew York City, US

Scott Cara(CEO)inJesse Pickard(Founder)Angelica SchwartzJeff Day(CPO)

Co-investorsBlue Wire CapitalThe MBA FundY CombinatorAnthemis VentureBand of AngelsBrightspark Ventures+4 more

Elevateelevateapp.comin𝕏

Elevate is a mobile app offering science-backed brain games to strengthen cognitive skills including reading, writing, speaking, memory, and math through daily puzzles and problem-solving activities.

ConsumerEdTechWellness & Fitness

Andy MroczkowskiJeff EvansJesse Pickard

Co-investors500 GlobalEniac VenturesPear VCSequoia Capital

Eraera.appin𝕏

Era is building an AI-native personal finance platform that consolidates a user's accounts, balances, transactions, and insights into a single view with automated actions.

AI & Machine LearningConsumerFintechSan Francisco, US

Jasper Lau(Founder)inLindsay B(Founder)Alex Norcliffe(Founder)Lindsay Brady(Founder)

Co-investorsMaC Venture CapitalMoth FundProtagonistClocktower VenturesFusionFusion VC+1 more

Euclideuclid.vcinJan 2011

Euclid is a venture capital firm focused on Vertical AI, providing research-driven insights and investing in companies building vertical AI software.

AI & Machine LearningPalo Alto, US

William Smith(Executive Officer, Director)inNic Poulos(Founder)in

BoardMichael Dearing(Director)Patrick Chung(Director)

Co-investorsDeep AcreXG VenturesBenchmarkCommonweal VenturesSpero VenturesToba Capital+1 more

Euclid Powereuclidpower.cominSep 2025

Euclid provides software and services for renewable energy teams, including a platform that extracts and structures data from project documents into costs, risks, requirements, and action items.

CleantechClimate TechEnergySaaSNew York City, US

Jacob Sandry(Founder)inBrian DeMaio(Founder)inRyan Guay(Founder)in

Co-investorsBridges Fund Management Ltd.Coalition OperatorsCommonweal VenturesNextView VenturesSpero VenturesSquad Capital+3 more

Everever.greenin

Ever.green offers high-impact renewable energy certificates (RECs) that fund new renewable energy and storage projects, and runs a tech-enabled marketplace to help buyers acquire clean energy tax credits and guide developers through monetization under the Inflation Reduction Act.

CleantechClimate TechEnergyMarketplaces

Cris Eugster(Founder)inMichael Leggett(Founder)in

Co-investorsCity LightEclipse

Ezraezra.comin𝕏

Ezra offers advanced MRI-based full-body scans designed to screen for early signs of cancer and hundreds of other medical conditions.

Digital HealthHealthtechLongevity

Emi Gal(Founder)inDan Rosen(Founder)Dori Rutkevitz(Founder)

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesGood FriendsHealthier CapitalLDV CapitalA16Z SpeedrunCongruent Ventures+8 more

Fearnfearn.aiin𝕏Jun 2026 · $5.5M

Fearn is a patent prosecution firm that handles patent drafting and filing for technology teams, founded by former Big Law patent professionals and PhDs.

AI & Machine LearningLegalTechSan Francisco, US

Han Kim(Founder)inAngela Gao, PhD(Co-Founder & CTO)Angela Gao(Founder)

Co-investorsEssence Venture CapitalKindred VenturesA16Z SpeedrunESSENCE VC

Feltfelt.clinic

Felt provides clinical infrastructure for product and engineering teams to embed regulated healthcare services into applications through an SDK, licensed clinical network, and compliance contracts.

Developer ToolsDigital HealthHealthtechSaaS

Co-investorsDigiTx Partners LLCBain Capital VenturesBCVEnergize CapitalFootwork

Felt Mapsfelt.comin𝕏Aug 2021

Felt is a cloud-native, extendable platform for creating, visualizing, and analyzing geospatial data on interactive maps, with support for drag-and-drop file uploads, geocoding, and cartographic styling.

Data & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsSaaSTelluride, US

Tomer Alpert(Manager & Chief Executive Officer)inGRACIE EVERITT(FOUNDER)Sam Hashemi(Founder)inKearston Grace Everitt(Chief Operating Officer)Rachel Zack(Founder)inCan Duruk(Founder)

Co-investorsBain Capital VenturesCapital B Private HoldingsEnergize CapitalFootworkMoxxie VenturesSHAKTI+7 more

Flatfileflatfile.ioin𝕏May 2020 · $7.6M

Flatfile is an AI-powered data migration platform that lets enterprises collect, map, clean, transform, and validate data from files, APIs, webhooks, databases, and cloud storage.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSDenver, US

David Boskovic(Founder)inEric Crane(Founder)AVERY CHASE(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardRORY O'DRISCOLL(Director)inFRANCES SCHWEIP(Director)

Co-investorsAfore CapitalGradient VenturesScale Venture PartnersTiger Global ManagementTwo Sigma VenturesWorkday Ventures+5 more

Foliofolio.coin

Folio offers a procurement platform for hotel teams that compares vendor pricing in real time, applies GPO/negotiated rates, and automates approvals, budgets, and spend coding.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechPropTechRetail TechSaaSDurham, US

Kate Adamson(Founder)inAl Hertz(Founder)in

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesConstruct CapitalAntlerArray Ventures Management LlcCity LightDentsu Ventures+2 more

Formajoinforma.comin

Forma provides flexible employee benefits platforms designed for distributed and diverse workforces.

Enterprise SoftwareFintechHR TechSaaS

Jason Fan(Founder)inMax Hsieh(Founder)

Co-investorsAngelPadEmergence Capital PartnersNewView CapitalNimble PartnersRibbit CapitalUncork Capital+1 more

Formationformation.devPre-Seed · Nov 2019 · $1M

Formation helps engineers find career opportunities at technology companies.

EdTechFuture of WorkHR TechSan Francisco, US

Sophie Z. Novati(Founder)inMichael Novati(Founder)inSophie Novati(Founder)

Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzBrighter Capital

Foundationbuildwithfoundation.comin

Foundation builds a customer experience platform for home builders and construction companies, providing native mobile apps and integrated portals to manage buyer engagement alongside back-office systems like CRMs and ERPs.

AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechEnterprise SoftwarePropTechSaaSBoulder, US

Luke Groesbeck(Founder)inDerek Schairer(Founder)inArjun Sethi(Founder)Graham Place(Founder)Mike LeBlanc(Founder)Sankaet Pathak(Founder)

Co-investorsY Combinatora16z cryptoFortified VenturesFulgur Ventures

Foundationfoundation.appin

Foundation was a non-custodial platform for NFT trading and creator monetization.

Creator EconomyCrypto & Web3Santa Monica, US

Kayvon Tehranian(CEO)inElpizo Choi(CTO)inMatthew Vernon(CDO)in

Co-investorsa16z cryptoAndreessen HorowitzDraft Ventures LlcJustin “3LAU” BlauStandard Crypto

Foundationwithfoundation.com𝕏

Foundation was a non-custodial, onchain NFT platform that let users mint, list, and sell NFTs through smart contracts, with assets held in users' own wallets.

Crypto & Web3

Co-investorsPantera Capital

Framerframer.comin𝕏

Framer is an AI-powered website builder that enables users to design and develop websites through an integrated design canvas with AI agents.

AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyDeveloper ToolsAmsterdam

Jorn van Dijk(Founder)Koen Bok(Founder)in

BoardHillary Ball(Director)inZhenya Loginov(Director)inAlex Clayton(Director)in

Co-investorsAccelAtomicoFoundation CapitalGaldana VenturesIron Key CapitalMeritech Capital Partners+5 more

Gatheroundgatheround.comin𝕏

Gatheround is a meeting platform that helps teams structure and run engaging meetings with features like customizable agendas, breakout room management, and participation tools.

Enterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSSocial

Josin Chin-Sang(Founder)inAlexander McCormmach(Founder)Lisa Conn(Founder)Perry Rosenstein(Founder)

Co-investorsBloomberg BetaHomebrewThe E14 FundElsewhere PartnersSlack Fund

Groovehealthgroovehealth.comin

Groove provides a virtual bone health program for people with osteoporosis, pairing each member with a physician and a dedicated physical therapist for at-home strength training and monitoring.

Digital HealthHealthtechLongevity

Andrew Hourani(Founder)

Co-investorsNecessary Ventures

Gustogusto.comin𝕏

Gusto provides payroll processing, employee benefits administration, and HR management tools to businesses, offering integrated software alongside support services for these functions.

Enterprise SoftwareHR TechSan Francisco, US

Josh Reeves(CEO)inEdward Kim(Empowering Gusto's Engineering Team)inTomer London(; Empowering Gusto's Product and Design Teams)inJoshua Reeves(Founder)Nick Baum(Empowering the Payroll Product Team at Gusto)inNeal Kemp(Software Engineer (Consultant))

Co-investors137 VenturesA*Acrew CapitalAkkadian VenturesAspect VenturesAurum+63 more

Heartbeat Healthheartbeathealth.com

Heartbeat Health builds a modern cardiology ecosystem to deliver cardiovascular care through technology-enabled interventions.

Digital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesNew York, US

Jeffrey Wessler(Founder)inBrian Greer(Executive Officer)Mark Hanson(Executive Officer)Nayan Jain(Executive Officer)

BoardPayal Divakaran(Director)inSteve Dildine(Director)

Co-investors.406 VenturesEcho Health VenturesCollaborative FundEnsemble LabsHitachi VenturesKindred Ventures+3 more

Honeycombhoneycomb.ioin𝕏

Honeycomb provides observability and monitoring software that helps engineering teams understand how their software behaves in production.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US

Charity Majors(Founder)inChristine Yen(Founder)inChloe Sladden(Founder)

Co-investorsAfore CapitalDCVC (Data Collective)Merian VenturesMotive ForceOMERS VenturesScale Venture Partners+9 more

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

AbstractBay Area operating system Crypto SignalFireBezelClimate Change and Food SystemsCreativemorningsDoptEvergreen RenewablesFreepikLandingMage TechnologiesOperatePlayspacePounxSock FinanceSuperdaoTap MangoTheworldcountsTiffany NgTinwell Labstransición generacionaZyrl

Exits · 7

3 IPOs · 4 acquisitions · showing 3

Ginkgo BioworksNYSE: DNAOmada HealthNASDAQ: OMDAPathacq. by Kakao (Daum Kakao)

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Designer Fund made?
Designer Fund has 178 tracked investments, 7 of which have exited, including 9 dated in the last 24 months.
What stage does Designer Fund invest at?
Designer Fund invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
What is Designer Fund's typical check size?
Designer Fund typically writes checks of $100K – $1M.
What sectors does Designer Fund focus on?
Designer Fund focuses on Data & Infrastructure, Deep Tech, EdTech, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Healthtech, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
Where is Designer Fund located?
Designer Fund is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
Does Designer Fund lead rounds?
Yes, Designer Fund leads investment rounds.
Who does Designer Fund co-invest with?
Designer Fund most often shares deals with Collaborative Fund, Sequoia Capital, Y Combinator, among 524 tracked co-investors.

From the blog

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Designer Fund has recently written about AI transforming design work, with designers increasingly building and shipping code alongside traditional design tasks, and about tools that address practical challenges in scaled product development like maintaining design-to-production alignment and enabling AI-powered creative workflows. AI summary

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

Harnessing AI in Design: A Journey with Ben Blumenrose from Designer Fund

The Next Next · Ben Blumenrose

Ben Blumenrose from Designer Fund on how senior people should be scared by AI, not the junior ones.

The Next Next · Ben Blumenrose

Ben Blumenrose of Designer Fund: My Favorite Books, Tools, Habits and More | 20 Minute Playbook

Outliers with Daniel Scrivner · Ben Blumenrose

Learnings from Ten Years of Investing | 132 Ben Blumenrose of Designer Fund

Outlier Academy · Ben Blumenrose

AI and Design Tools | 132 Ben Blumenrose of Designer Fund

Outliers with Daniel Scrivner · Ben Blumenrose

Learning from Fiction | 132 Ben Blumenrose of Designer Fund

Outliers with Daniel Scrivner · Ben Blumenrose

Images

Designer Fund photoDesigner Fund photoDesigner Fund photo

Co-investors · 23

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
Sequoia Capital

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

$100K – $50M
Index Ventures

Index Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs founders across industries and geographies, emphasizing the people behind ideas as much as the businesses themselves.

$540K – $10.8M
Uncork Capital

Uncork Capital is a seed-stage venture firm that backs early founders, with a focus on AI-native companies driving scale and industry change.

$3M – $5M
Afore Capital

Afore Capital is a $500M pre-seed venture fund that invests in pre-traction, early-stage companies, leveraging product and investment expertise to support founders from day zero.

$500K – $2M
Founder Collective

Founder Collective is a seed and pre-seed stage venture capital firm that invests across sectors, describing itself as sector agnostic and anti-thematic.

Gradient Ventures

Gradient is a seed-stage venture fund focused on backing founders building artificial intelligence companies, providing hands-on support as builders and mentors.

$100K – $10M
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
Liquid Ventures

Liquid 2 Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Joe Montana and based in San Francisco.

$250K – $5M
Soma Capital

Soma Capital is a venture capital firm that backs founders building category-defining technology companies, emphasizing close, early relationships with ambitious entrepreneurs.

Both backed · 2
$100K – $300K
Crosslink Capital

Crosslink Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in San Francisco that partners with founders building category-defining enterprise and consumer technology companies.

Both backed · 2
PrimerSock Finance
$1M – $9M
Two Sigma Ventures

Two Sigma Ventures has rebranded and is now known as Deviation Capital; the page directs visitors to the new website.

Both backed · 2
$2M – $15M
▶11 more co-investors

Unusual VenturesOperator CollectiveWorklife VenturesHummingbird VenturesUnknown VenturesLookout VenturesStellar CapitalOperator LPFreigeist CapitalBasecamp FundAudacious

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

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