First Spark Ventures, Llc
Venture capitalMenlo Park · Pre-Seed–Series A · 7 people tracked
Investment thesis
First Spark Ventures invests in Deep Tech startups built on fundamental technological insights, concentrating on three areas: Advanced Compute, Digital Biology & Biotech, and CyberPhysical Systems. The firm believes advanced computation will boost productivity and add imagination to computing, that AI-driven computational biology could be the century's largest source of advancement in human health through digital biology, therapeutics, and personalized medicine, and that software-scale physical systems will transform traditionally slow-moving industries through automation and intelligence. It backs pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds, seeking strong teams, large accessible markets, and sustainable differentiation, and leverages a partnership with SRI International to support founders across their journey.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 7, 2026.
Team · 7 people
from public directories
What they invest in
from 18 of 25 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×13Deep Tech ×9Biotech ×4Medical Devices ×4Data & Infrastructure ×3Enterprise Software ×3Healthtech ×3Cleantech ×2
HQs:United States×8
Investments · 25 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Alljoined develops neural decoding technology using machine learning to enable computers to interpret human brain activity, aiming to enhance human capability, mental health, and interpersonal understanding.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechDigital HealthHealthtechSan Francisco, US
Jonathan(CEO)Anthony(Chief Scientific Officer)
SpaceNews is a news publication covering the space and satellite industry, reporting on space companies, launches, defense, and related business developments.
Media & EntertainmentSpace Tech
Confidencial provides data-centric security technology that protects sensitive information automatically at the point of creation or ingestion, for organizations across industries handling confidential documents and data.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityData & InfrastructureEnterprise Software
Karim Eldefrawy(CTO & Co-Founder)in
Flower develops collaborative AI infrastructure and tools, including federated learning platforms, AI agents, and language models that enable organizations to build and deploy AI networks while maintaining data privacy and control.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise Software
Daniel J. Beutel(Founder)inNic Lane(Founder)inTaner Topal(Founder)in
Flower builds a full-stack platform for collaborative and federated AI, including a federated learning framework (Flower SuperGrid), an LLM (Flower Model), and an AI agent (Flower Agent), enabling model training across decentralized data without centralizing it.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper Tools
Fundamental Research Labs builds autonomous, socially intelligent AI agents capable of reasoning and multi-agent collaboration.
AI & Machine Learning
Inworld AI provides a full-duplex audio streaming platform that enables real-time conversational AI interactions with intelligent turn-taking, function calling, and multi-model routing capabilities for developers building conversational applications.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper Tools
Inlyte designs and manufactures iron-sodium (sodium metal chloride) batteries for commercial, industrial, and utility-scale energy storage systems.
CleantechEnergyHardware
Normal builds AI-driven electronic design automation (EDA) software and custom ASIC silicon based on novel device physics, aimed at improving AI inference efficiency per dollar and per watt.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechSemiconductors
Radical Numerics is an AI lab focused on building general biological intelligence, and is offering early access to a research preview called Omnii.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep Tech
SoloPulse develops advanced physics-based and AI-powered systems for threat detection and intelligence gathering, offering SIGMA™ for payload-based situational awareness and NOVA™ for synthetic aperture radar processing across unmanned and satellite platforms.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechDefense Tech
Tidal Metals uses patented electrochemical technology to produce primary magnesium from seawater or desalination brine using clean electricity, aiming to re-establish domestic magnesium production in the United States.
CleantechDeep TechNew Materials
Unnatural Products is a drug discovery platform company that develops synthetic macrocycles to target previously undruggable disease targets.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechMedical DevicesSanta Cruz, US
Cameron Pye(Co-Founder & CEO)Joshua Schwochert(Co-Founder & CSO)Vasudev Bailey(Director)
Valitor develops bioactive molecule therapies using a multivalent biopolymer technology platform to create long-acting treatments for ophthalmologic diseases, with its lead candidate VLTR-559 targeting wet age-related macular degeneration.
BiotechMedical Devices
Carole H Bellis(Executive Officer)Drew Lanza(Director)Kevin E Healy(Director)Walter Moos(Director)Jackson M Wesley(Executive Officer, Director)Wesley Jackson(President, Chief Scientific Officer & Member of the Board)
Vitara Biomedical develops medical technology for the care of extremely premature newborns.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesPhiladelphia, US
Bernard Lyons(Executive Officer, Director)Arthur Dantchik(Director)James McGlone(Executive Officer, Director)Jeffrey Kahn(Executive Officer)Nelson Hill(Director)
BoardThomas Todorow(Director)
Burlingame, US
Sky Dayton(Director)Ryan Johnson(Director)Adrien Perkins(Director)Brian Manning(Executive Officer, Director)Tyler Reid(Director)Jeff Crusey(Director)
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does First Spark Ventures, Llc invest at?
- First Spark Ventures, Llc invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What sectors does First Spark Ventures, Llc focus on?
- First Spark Ventures, Llc focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cybersecurity, Deep Tech, Robotics.
- Where is First Spark Ventures, Llc located?
- First Spark Ventures, Llc is headquartered in Menlo Park, US.
- Does First Spark Ventures, Llc lead rounds?
- First Spark Ventures, Llc typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Images
Co-investors · 3
Patron is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders building consumer and application startups that have already launched, focusing on intuitive, automated, and taste-driven products.
Benchmark is a venture capital firm with offices in San Francisco and Woodside that invests in early-stage startups.
Unknown is an investment firm focused on emerging market opportunities in live entertainment, biosciences, technology startups, and real estate, with a portfolio spanning music festivals, artist platforms, creator financial services, and event infrastructure.
Firms observed investing alongside First Spark Ventures, Llc, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with First Spark Ventures, Llc's recorded portfolio.
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