Sarah Smith
Venture capitalMenlo Park · Pre-Seed–Seed · 1 people tracked
Also known as Sarah Smith QP
Investment thesis
The fund backs 'irrationally intense' founder CEOs at the pre-seed and seed stages, writing checks of $250K or more. It differentiates through deep, trusting relationships with founders, providing people-operations expertise via on-demand office hours, direct messaging access, and a proprietary CEO 360 performance-review process. The founder draws on operating and executive experience from companies like Meta, Quora, and Bain Capital Ventures, plus board and multi-stage investing background, to help CEOs build company culture and navigate hiring, firing, compensation, and scaling challenges. A significant share of portfolio companies have a Stanford-affiliated founder.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 7, 2026.
Team · 1 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 14 of 52 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×9SaaS ×6Enterprise Software ×5Fintech ×4Consumer ×2Developer Tools ×2HR Tech ×2Media & Entertainment ×2
HQs:United States×9Mexico×1
Investments · 52 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathPartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Bandana is a job matching and application platform that recommends personalized job opportunities and provides tools to generate resumes and manage applications.
HR TechSaaS
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
BoltWise provides software for industrial distributors to simplify quoting, sourcing, and catalog management.
Enterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainSaaSDenver, US
COLE WEILER(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)JIE MIN WONG(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardCHRIS ERICKSON(Director)
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Casca provides business loan eligibility checks, with a focus on helping small businesses access SBA loans.
AI & Machine LearningFintechSan Francisco, US
Lukas Haffer(CEO & Co-Founder)in
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
F2 is a private markets intelligence platform that helps investment firms leverage their institutional knowledge to screen, diligence, underwrite, and monitor deals more efficiently.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSNew York City, US
Don Muir(Founder)in
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Finia is a fintech platform offering digital personal loans and credit cards to small businesses in Mexico, using artificial intelligence to automate credit approval and management without requiring perfect credit history.
AI & Machine LearningFintech
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Altadena, US
Anthony Ho(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)David Mellstrom(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
ConsumerNew York City, US
Alan Du(Founder)inJason Cai(Founder)inDerrick Xin(Founder)
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Galini provides a service that filters harmful inputs and outputs from AI applications according to company policies and industry regulations, enabling enterprises to create, test, deploy, and manage these safeguards.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
Shaun Ayrton(Founder, CEO)inRaul Zablah(Founder)in
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Courtyard.io is a marketplace and tokenization service that enables users to own and trade physical collectible cards on the blockchain, with options to store them vaulted, sell them, or redeem the NFT for physical delivery.
ConsumerCrypto & Web3MarketplacesMedia & EntertainmentNew York City, US
Devin Finzer(Founder/CEO)in
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Pika provides AI-powered creative tools for making videos and images.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyMedia & Entertainment
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Pinnacle provides text-based management coaching delivered via Slack, connecting managers with coaches for personalized guidance on leadership skills, team engagement, and conflict resolution.
Future of WorkHR Tech
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Predictive Horizons builds an AI-driven intelligence layer for service and diagnostics operations.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMobility & TransportationSaaSSan Ramon, US
Mohamad Yassine(Board Member, Chief Executive Officer)
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Rork Max is an AI-powered platform that enables developers to build and ship native iOS applications and games through conversational AI, with support for creating multiplayer games with physics simulations.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsGaming
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Skyfire provides financial infrastructure that enables AI agents to transact autonomously—making and receiving payments, managing accounts, and accessing services globally without traditional financial intermediaries.
AI & Machine LearningFintechSector AgnosticSan Francisco, US
Amir Sarhangi(Founder & CEO)
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
TrueMeter is an AI-powered utility management platform that automatically audits utility bills, secures the lowest rates, corrects billing errors, and automates accounts payable for multi-site businesses.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
PartnerSarah Smith· solo GP
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Sarah Smith invest at?
- Sarah Smith invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is Sarah Smith's typical check size?
- Sarah Smith typically writes checks of $250K.
- What sectors does Sarah Smith focus on?
- Sarah Smith focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Sarah Smith located?
- Sarah Smith is headquartered in Menlo Park, US.
- Does Sarah Smith lead rounds?
- Sarah Smith typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamSarah Smith - BBC News 21Sep2025
Sporadic Wasp · Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith - BBC News 12Aug2025
Sporadic Wasp · Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith Reporter Reel (March 2025)
Sarah B Smith · Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith - Live in Rome 2024
Massimo Cecchini · Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith BBC News 28Jun2024
Sporadic Wasp · Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith - Live at Aeolian Hall, London (FULL SHOW)
Sarah Smith · Sarah Smith
Images
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