Differential Ventures
Venture capitalNew York · Pre-Seed–Seed · 13 people tracked
Also known as DIFFERENTIAL VENTURE PARTNERS, LLC
Investment thesis
Differential Ventures positions itself as AI-native investors focused on the emerging AI economy. The firm backs founders building data-centric B2B technology companies, investing at the pre-seed and seed stages with the flexibility to lead, co-lead, or follow, and reserving capital for follow-on rounds. Its core investment themes span AI-powered business, advancing the machine learning technology stack, the future of engineering and infrastructure, and responsible data management and information analysis. The team emphasizes hands-on support, drawing on decades of operational, technical, and investing experience to help portfolio companies with challenges ranging from critical hires to complex technical problems.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 13 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 24 of 59 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×14Enterprise Software ×10Data & Infrastructure ×7SaaS ×7Fintech ×5Cloud Computing ×3Developer Tools ×3Hardware ×3
HQs:United States×14Canada×2United Kingdom×1
Investments · 59 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathSan Francisco, US
Xiaoran Zhang(Executive Officer, Director)Suman Kanuganti(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatDavid Magerman· per SEC Form D · $23.1M raise · filed Dec 2025
Ocrolus provides cash flow analytics and document processing tools for lenders and financial institutions to make funding decisions for small businesses.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureFintechSaaSNew York, US
Nick Adams(Director)David Arcara(Director)Sam Bobley(Executive Officer)
Board seatNicholas Adams· per SEC Form D
Armilla AI is a managing general agent offering liability coverage, performance warranties, and risk assessments for AI systems.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFintechInsurTechToronto, CA
Dan Adamson(Founder)inKarthik Ramakrishnan(Founder)inBaiju Hasmukhrai Devani(Executive Officer, Director)Raif Barbaros(Director)
San Francisco, US
Samuel Bazze Semwangu(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardNick Adams(Director)
Synopsys provides design automation tools and intellectual property for semiconductor and electronics companies to develop smart, connected devices.
Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSemiconductors
Doug Levin(Founder)
Carver Edison provides equity plan management software for public companies, enabling employees to participate in stock purchase plans through patented cashless participation technology that reduces expense and dilution while creating employee wealth.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechHR TechSaaSAustin, US
Eli Broverman(Director)Greg Barton(Executive Officer)Aaron Shapiro(Executive Officer, Director)David Herbert(Director)Lawrence Hamilton(Director)Prakash Sinha(Executive Officer)
Centrum AI develops a deterministic AI platform designed to optimize cost, risk, and resilience in global supply chains by providing decision intelligence and forward-looking insights.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply Chainunknown
Intelligent software that automates electronic circuit design for engineers.
Circuit Mind develops a platform that converts hardware architecture into verified schematics and bills of materials using algorithms and software for electronics engineers and design teams.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsHardwareLondon, GB
TomideBasilioEd
Company that announced an expanded partnership with Cornerstone.
New York, US
NICHOLAS J. ADAMS(Director)TOMER MORAD(Executive Officer, Director)TOMER PAZ(Director)ANDREY GELMAN(Executive Officer)
Montreal
Rob May(Director)Sudhakar Sah(Executive Officer)Nick Romano(Executive Officer, Director)Davis Sawyer(Executive Officer)Venkat Srinivasan(Director)Ehsan Saboori(Executive Officer, Director)
Risk-based vulnerability management platform automating vulnerability analysis and prioritization.
Portland, US
Timothy Morgan(Executive Officer, Director)James Dirksen(Executive Officer, Director)Mitchell Kleinhandler(Director)John Ewert(Director)Nathanael V. Lentz(Director)
AI-powered live demo assistant and sales discovery platform for sales teams.
Golioth provides an IoT platform designed to simplify the development and deployment of connected devices for hardware teams and IoT developers.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsHardwareIoTSan Francisco, US
Jonathan Beri(Founder and CEO)Dan(Engineering Leader)Brian(Operations Leader)Ariana(Strategic Marketing & Product Marketing Lead)Dylan(Product Management Leader)Jocelyn Goldfein(Director)
AI intelligence platform for nonprofits; raised a $3M seed round led by Differential.
Builds personal AIs to augment human memory and creativity.
MartechSeries is a media and publishing site covering marketing technology news, trends, and company announcements across AI, advertising, data platforms, CRM, and related martech categories.
Marketing Tech
Intelligent monitoring platform, including monitoring for GPT-based applications.
IBM is a multinational technology company offering enterprise software, AI, hybrid cloud, automation, and data solutions to support business transformation across various industries.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingEnterprise Software
Jit Saxena(Founder)
A machine learning platform that enables users to explore and analyze language data without requiring coding expertise.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureSaaSBrooklyn, US
Dhiraj Singh(Director)Mitchell Kleinhandler(Director)Karthik Dinakar(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Birago Jones(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Private AI's product Limina is a context-aware data de-identification tool that detects and removes PII, PHI, and PCI across structured and unstructured data in 52 languages, deployable on-premises or in a customer's VPC.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityData & Infrastructure
Retrocausal develops AI-powered intelligence augmentation systems for manufacturing shopfloors, helping assembly operators, plant managers, and industrial engineers boost productivity, quality, and safety.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSeattle, US
Zeeshan Zia(Founder & CEO)Muhammad Zeeshan Zia(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Rick Faulk(Director)Kleida Martiro(Director)Quoc-Huy Tran(Director)Baiyin Murphy(Director)
Row64 provides real-time data visualization and analytics software that uses GPU-accelerated rendering to enable organizations to explore large datasets and make rapid, data-driven decisions.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainCheyenne, US
John Hantzis(CEO & Founder)Michael Isner(Co-founder & CEO)Marc Stevens(Co-founder & CTO)June Isner(Chief Data Scientist)Jeff Brown(Director)
BoardJeremy Kirsch(Director)
Web platform giving developers virtual cloud access to physical boards, sensors, and test equipment.
AI company acquired by IBM; led by CEO Sarah Nagy.
New York, US
Sarah R. Nagy(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardSarah Guo(Director)James Shinn(Director)
Squire Solutions develops a smart digital assistant platform for military and first responders that improves information flow and communication in field operations.
Defense TechEnterprise SoftwareGovTech
Brett Whitsitt(Founder/CEO)
StreamYard is a browser-based live streaming and recording platform that enables users to multistream to multiple social platforms simultaneously and create studio-quality recordings.
Creator EconomyMedia & EntertainmentSaaS<UNKNOWN>
Company led by CEO Ryan Austin.
Valence provides a trading terminal that unifies execution across prediction markets including Kalshi and Polymarket, routing orders intelligently across multiple venues to achieve optimal pricing.
FintechMarketplacesSan Francisco, US
Neo Wang(Founder)inDaniel Kasabov-Nouvion(Founder)inArthur Zhou(Founder)in
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.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Differential Ventures invest at?
- Differential Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is Differential Ventures's typical check size?
- Differential Ventures typically writes checks of $250K – $3M.
- What sectors does Differential Ventures focus on?
- Differential Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Data & Infrastructure, Deep Tech, Developer Tools, Enterprise Software, SaaS.
- Where is Differential Ventures located?
- Differential Ventures is headquartered in New York, US.
- Does Differential Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Differential Ventures leads investment rounds.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamFunded: Inside Differential Ventures, How Nick Adams Approaches Seed Stage Investing and Fundraising - YouTube
airCFO for Startups · Nick Adams
Nick Adams, Managing Partner at Differential Ventures, discusses how to get your generative AI st... - YouTube
PeopleReign · Nick Adams
Risks of Building a Company with Gen-AI - David Magerman, Co-Founder of Differential Ventures - YouTube
Miguel Armaza · David Magerman
David Magerman, Co-Founder of Differential Ventures - YouTube
Miguel Armaza · David Magerman
You Cannot Apply Data Science to VC Investing - David Magerman, Co-Founder of Differential Ventures - YouTube
Miguel Armaza · David Magerman
The Concerning Impact of Information Technology on Society - David Magerman, Differential Ventures - YouTube
Miguel Armaza · David Magerman
Images
Co-investors · 14
Bessemer Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs from early stages through every stage of growth, publishing investment roadmaps across multiple technology sectors.
B Capital Group is a global venture capital firm that backs founders from early to late stage, with dedicated stage-based funds and a portfolio spanning technology, healthcare, and energy and resilience sectors.
Bullpen Capital is an early-stage venture firm that has funded over 100 companies, focusing on businesses that have found product-market fit but are overlooked by other investors.
QED Investors is a venture capital firm founded by former Capital One executives that invests in founders building transparency and fairness into financial services.
ICONIQ Capital is a global investment firm with offices including New York, San Francisco, and London, managing over $100B in assets. It combines wealth management for its client community with investing in technology companies and supporting collaborative philanthropy.
Zetta Venture Partners provides early-stage capital and hands-on support to founders building AI-native applications, infrastructure, and developer tools.
Unpopular Ventures is an investment firm that backs standout startups found off the beaten path, favoring opportunities that are contrarian or unpopular early on.
Jetstream is a San Francisco-based venture fund run by Tommy Leep that backs startups at the pre-seed stage. It emphasizes quick decisions and helps portfolio founders with customer introductions, strategy, and raising follow-on rounds through its community of founders and investors. Its investments include companies in areas such as disaster recovery, fintech, health, and EV charging.
Frontier is an early-stage technology investor backing entrepreneurs building innovative technologies aimed at improving joy, well-being, safety and productivity worldwide.
Celesta Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in deep tech companies at the forefront of science and engineering.
Bow Capital is a venture firm that aims to accelerate the path of innovation from scientific research to real-world impact, leveraging a distinctive partnership with the University of California system.
Blackhorn Ventures is a venture capital firm backing startups that apply data, AI, and robotics to major industries considered vital to national security and economic stability.
▶2 more co-investors
Firms observed investing alongside Differential Ventures, from public investor directories.
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