The Council
Venture capitalSan Francisco · Pre-Seed–Seed · 8 people tracked
Investment thesis
The Council invests in 'high slope operators' and first-time founders who are transforming the essential industries that support everyday life, with a focus on making these sectors more efficient, reliable, and sustainable, and on expanding access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. The firm's partners are themselves early operators from companies like Cruise and Komodo Health, having worked in new product introduction, business operations, and customer success. Positioning themselves as fellow builders, they aim to be first in line to support talented specialists and generalists when they decide to start companies, coaching portfolio founders through day-to-day challenges from the earliest stages.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 7, 2026.
Team · 8 people
from the firm's website & public directories
Founder mafia
2 people who came through The Council went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 26 of 31 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×15SaaS ×11Digital Health ×9Healthtech ×9Fintech ×4Wellness & Fitness ×4Advanced Manufacturing ×3Enterprise Software ×3
HQs:United States×11
Investments · 31 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathCo-investorsResponsibly Ventures
Arvist provides an AI platform for warehouse operations that integrates with existing systems to automate claims management, detect errors, and improve supply chain efficiency.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareIoTLogistics & Supply ChainWilmington, US
Nilay Parikh(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardWerner Stapela(Director)
Co-investorsChicago Early Growth Ventures (CEGV)Geek VenturesIron PrairieKOMPAS VCNew Leaf InvestRackhouse Venture Management Lp+5 more
Aster provides patient management software and agentic AI voice tools for healthcare providers.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtech
Co-investorsCake VenturesCornerstone VCOctopus VenturesCambrian VenturesIVP (Institutional Venture Partners)Sequoia Capital+1 more
Co-investorsOyster VenturesSugar Capital
Carry is an investment platform offering tax-advantaged retirement accounts—including Solo 401(k)s and IRAs—aimed at self-employed individuals and high-income professionals in the U.S.
FintechSaaS
Co-investorsTrust FundWorklife VenturesThe Fintech Fund
Daybreak Health provides mental health support services to schools, helping school districts build and manage student mental health programs serving over 1 million students across the U.S.
Digital HealthEdTechHealthtechMental HealthWellness & FitnessSan Francisco, US
Alex Alvarado(Founder)inSid Cidambi(Founder)in
Co-investorsAtacama VenturesMaven VenturesMoxxie VenturesOpen Opportunity FundUnion Square Ventures (USV)Y Combinator+2 more
Dirac builds BuildOS, software that generates work instructions and 3D animated build sequences for complex mechanical assemblies directly from uploaded CAD files.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningSaaSNew York, US
Co-investorsAcequia Capital (AceCap)Acre Venture PartnersDeep AcrePredictive VCSilent Ventures
The page shows only generic customer testimonials referencing a "Sinza" financial management platform, with no clear description of the company's own product, team, or offering.
Fintech
Co-investorsCommon Oceanf7 VenturesFrontier VenturesKube VCMontage VenturesVesey Ventures+2 more
Flex is a financial platform for internationally operating business owners that combines global banking with local-currency accounts and cross-border payments, stablecoin-based dollar accounts, a business rewards card with no credit check, and revenue-based financing.
FintechSaaS
Co-investorsCarnrite VenturesCompanyon VenturesFlorida FundersLiam HorneMS&AD VenturesRestive Ventures+2 more
GC AI is an AI platform for in-house legal teams that drafts, reviews, and analyzes legal documents, with features like verifiable citations, a skill library, contract agents inside Microsoft Word, and legal research across US court opinions.
AI & Machine LearningLegalTechSaaS
Cecilia Ziniti(Co-Founder & CEO)
Co-investorsAZURO CAPITAL VENTURESWorklife VenturesSound Ventures
GRIN is a creator marketing platform that helps brands discover influencers, manage relationships, handle payments and shipping, run affiliate programs, and track campaign performance.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyMarketing TechSaaS
Brandon Brown(Founder)Ryan Brown(Founder)Ryan Debenham(CEO)in
Co-investorsBase Venture Management, Inc.Bullpen CapitalEscalate Capital PartnersEudemian VenturesForefront VentureGood Friends+4 more
Joyful Health builds an AI-powered financial operating system for healthcare revenue cycle management, focused on following up on denied and aged insurance claims.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthFintechHealthtech
Co-investorsDesigner FundInflect Health
Leaficient uses computer vision and AI, including a large language model interface, to track plant stress and photosynthesis at the leaf level and forecast crop yield and harvest dates before signs of stress are visible.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningIoT
Co-investorsParade Ventures
Loamy is an operations platform for the food supply chain that combines food safety and quality management (including FSMA 204 compliance and traceability), inventory control, order tracking, financials, and harvest planning in one system.
FoodTechLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS
Co-investorsAmplify.LASlauson & Co.
Molli offers health insurance plans for self-employed and 1099 independent workers, using the Cigna PPO network and transparent pricing that it claims is lower than ACA plans.
Digital HealthHealthtechInsurTech
NOX operates AI-powered metal manufacturing facilities that provide cut-to-spec metal products to American manufacturers with quote and delivery times measured in milliseconds rather than days.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningDeep TechRoboticsDetroit, US
Zane Hengsperger(Founder)in
Co-investorsAnorak VenturesOperator CollectiveTrail Run CapitalY CombinatorE1 Ventures
ONTO Health provides personalized fertility, hormone, and longevity care for patients at various stages of reproductive health, combining evidence-based medicine with diagnostics and wellness therapies.
Digital HealthFemTechHealthtechLongevityWellness & Fitness
Dr. Roohi Jeelani(REI, OB/GYN)
Co-investorsArtis VenturesCortado Ventures
Oscar AI is an operations automation platform that ingests franchise and multi-unit business data to detect anomalies in sales, labor, voids/discounts, fraud, compliance, and product availability, then routes alerts and action plans to managers.
AI & Machine LearningRetail TechSaaSRockville, US
Quratul-Ann Malik(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardBrett Brohl(Director)in
Co-investorsNew Stack VenturesRedstick VenturesService Provider CapitalUrban InnovationBread And Butter Ventures, Llc
PortexPro provides a freight procurement platform that lets shippers request quotes and bids from carriers, brokers, and forwarders.
B2B MarketplacesLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS
Co-investorsGood FriendsREFASHIOND Ventures
Quintess is a voice-first AI troubleshooting agent that helps fleet and field maintenance technicians diagnose complex equipment faults using their manuals, schematics, parts catalogs, and maintenance history.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise Software
Zach Esmili(Founder & CEO)
Co-investorsGeek VenturesIncisive Ventures
Respell built a no-code, AI-first automation suite that let professionals chain LLM prompts and agents to automate workflows such as document writing, spreadsheet updates, and research.
AI & Machine LearningFuture of WorkSaaS
Matt Rastovac(CEO)
Co-investorsAbstract Ventures
Rezilient Health provides primary and specialty care to employers and their families through a combination of in-person CloudClinics and telehealth services for a single flat fee.
Digital HealthEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechWellness & FitnessSt. Louis, US
Danish Nagda(Founder & CEO)Jeff Gamble(Founder & COO)
Co-investorsAcorn Pacific VenturesGOVO Venture PartnersHeadwater VenturesMissouri Technology CorporationSeae VenturesTechstars+1 more
Rosarium Health provides home accessibility and home modification services, coordinating clinical evaluations, project management, and insurance for individuals and families needing improved home safety and accessibility.
Digital HealthHealthtechPropTech
Co-investorsAmerican Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social ImpactBlack Tech Nation VenturesFlare Capital PartnersGroundBreak VenturesHDS CapitalPrimetime Partners+4 more
Serenity Connect provides a voice-first platform with automated workflows and real-time communications designed for older adults and their care networks.
Digital HealthHealthtechWellness & Fitness
Co-investorscoreteq ventures
ShopMy operates a creator commerce platform linking premium brands, curators and shoppers via storefronts and affiliate tools.
Tiffany Lopinsky(Founder)inChristopher Tinsley(Founder)inHarry Rein(Founder)in
Co-investorsAlleyCorpAvenir Growth CapitalBain Capital VenturesBessemer Venture PartnersInspired CapitalMenlo Ventures+2 more
Siena is an AI customer experience platform for consumer and ecommerce brands, providing AI agents that handle support, shopping recommendations, social media engagement, post-purchase workflows, and subscription management across customer channels.
AI & Machine LearningE-commerceSaaS
Co-investorsAglae VenturesSierra VenturesSuperAngel.Fund
Co-investorsTranspose Platform ManagementGoAhead Ventures
SquareDash provides residential roof replacement using AI-based satellite measurement to instantly estimate a roof's dimensions and generate transparent, published pricing.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechPropTechPhoenix, US
Thumbprint Furniture builds AI-powered software that reads 2D commercial floor plans and automatically generates furniture layouts, renderings, spec sheets, and bills of materials.
AI & Machine LearningPropTechRetail TechSaaS
Co-investorsHow Women InvestIron Prairie
Trially uses AI and data science to match patients with clinical trials and accelerate trial recruitment.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesKansas City, US
Kyle McAllister(CEO & Founder)inTrevor Welch(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardThad Langford(Director)in
Co-investorsAlpaca VCCorigin VenturesFlyover CapitalRedbud VC
Exits · 1
IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolioAsteracq. by Elation
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesAster · digitalhealthnews.com · Jul 27, 2026
Flexbase · techfundingnews.com · Jul 14, 2026
Nox Metals · ecosistemastartup.com · Jun 27, 2026
Rosarium Health · houston.innovationmap.com · May 28, 2026
Daybreak Health · mobihealthnews.com · Feb 11, 2026
Arvist · menlotimes.com · Oct 6, 2025
Trially · pulse2.com · Sep 22, 2025
GRIN · finsmes.com · May 28, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has The Council made?
- The Council has 27 tracked investments, including 3 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does The Council invest at?
- The Council invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is The Council's typical check size?
- The Council typically writes checks of $10K – $100K.
- What sectors does The Council focus on?
- The Council focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, AI & Machine Learning, Digital Health, E-commerce, Energy, Fintech, Healthtech, Mobility & Transportation, SaaS.
- Where is The Council located?
- The Council is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
- Does The Council lead rounds?
- The Council typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does The Council co-invest with?
- The Council most often shares deals with Geek Ventures, Good Friends, Iron Prairie, among 80 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamHow to Raise a VC Fund in a Tough Market?💰 - Amber Illig, Founding General Partner, The Council
VC10X with Prashant Choubey · Amber Illig
Amber Illig awarded $100K from Recast backed by Melinda Gates to launch The Council Venture Arm
Brydge Club · Amber Illig
Similar investors
Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders globally, supported by a community of founders and operators as LPs.
Analog Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that writes first checks to startups reshaping foundational industries such as healthcare, financial services, energy, and everyday infrastructure.
MPG Fund is an early-stage venture investor backing technology startups.
.jpeg){kind=logo}
B Capital is a global investment firm backing early to late-stage technology innovators across technology, healthcare, and energy & resilience sectors.
Hyderabad Angels is an angel investor network founded in 2010, comprising entrepreneurs, industrialists, and family offices that back early-stage startups across India with capital, mentorship, and strategic networks.