Fundraising FoxThe Council
Venture capitalSan Francisco · Pre-Seed–Seed · 6 people tracked
Find your way into The Council
1,065 people in our graph share verified history with the The Council team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
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 · 6 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 ×16SaaS ×14Digital Health ×9Healthtech ×9Enterprise Software ×5Fintech ×4Wellness & Fitness ×4Advanced Manufacturing ×3
HQs:United States×15Netherlands×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 18 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×112 founders×53 founders×14+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 23 founders with education data
California State University, Chico ×2Washington University in St. Louis ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 19 founders with field-of-study data
Engineering ×6Computer Science ×5Business & Management ×4Economics ×4Medicine ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 25 founders with career history
Loring, Inc. ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
2 founders hold a PhD · 3 hold an MBA (of 22 with degree data)
Investments · 32 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 32024 · 22023 · 16 dated
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)in
BoardWerner Stapela(Director)
Co-investorsChicago Early Growth Ventures (CEGV)Geek VenturesIron PrairieKOMPAS VCNew Leaf InvestRackhouse Venture Management Lp+10 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
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
Ankur Nagpal 💰(Founder)in
Co-investorsHustle FundTrust FundWorklife VenturesThe Fintech Fund
Cecilia uses microwave-based technology to convert industrial plastic waste into carbon materials and clean hydrogen.
Circular EconomyCleantechNew Materials
Co-investorsChrysalixAglae VenturesNorthzoneScale Venture PartnersSound Ventures
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+3 more
Dirac builds BuildOS, a manufacturing execution platform that consolidates work instructions, routings, BOMs, quality, and tooling in one system and generates 3D animated build steps directly from CAD files.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSNew York, US
Filip Aronshtein(Founder)in
Co-investorsAcequia Capital (AceCap)Acre Venture PartnersAsymmetric Capital PartnersCoatue ManagementDeep AcrePredictive VC+2 more
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
Tory Reiss(Founder)inItay Vinik(Founder)in
Co-investorsCommon Oceanf7 VenturesFrontier VenturesKube VCMontage VenturesVesey Ventures+5 more
Flex provides flexible credit and financing solutions to business owners using AI technology.
AI & Machine LearningFintechSaaS
Zaid Rahman(Founder)in
Co-investorsCarnrite VenturesCompanyon VenturesFlorida FundersHustle FundLiam HorneMS&AD Ventures+4 more
GC AI is an AI platform built for corporate in-house legal teams, letting lawyers draft, review, and analyze legal documents, research case law, and run contract-review workflows.
AI & Machine LearningLegalTechSaaSSan Mateo, US
Cecilia Ziniti(Co-Founder & CEO)inBardia Pourvakil(Co-founder & CTO)in
Co-investorsAZURO CAPITAL VENTURESNorthzoneScale Venture PartnersTech Square VenturesWorklife VenturesSound Ventures
GRIN is a creator marketing platform for brands, offering tools to discover influencers, manage relationships, handle payments and shipping, run affiliate programs, and track campaign performance.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaS
Brandon Brown(Founder)inRyan Brown(Founder)inRyan Debenham(CEO)in
Co-investorsBase Venture Management, Inc.Bullpen CapitalEscalate Capital PartnersEudemian VenturesForefront VentureGood Friends+6 more
Joyful Health builds an AI-powered financial operating system for healthcare providers that specializes in revenue cycle management, specifically handling claim denials and aged claims follow-up.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthFintechHealthtechSaaSNew York City, US
Eliana Berger(Founder)inWarren Green(Founder)
Co-investorsCRV (Charles River Ventures)Designer FundInflect Health
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Leaficient provides a camera system that measures plant vitals to deliver real-time insights on photosynthesis, growth, and disease detection for agricultural growers.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningHardwareIoT
Brian Stancil(CEO – Co-founder)inAndy Rape(COO – Co-founder)in
Co-investorsParade VenturesBen Franklin Technology Partners
Loamy is an operations hub that consolidates inventory, sales, purchasing, food safety, quality control, and traceability functions for food supply chain businesses, ensuring compliant and safe product handling.
FoodTechLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS
Charles Julius(Founder)in
Co-investorsAmplify.LASlauson & Co.
Molly Health builds a unified interface platform that integrates claims data, benefit decisioning logic, and consumer-facing tools to guide patients toward appropriate and accessible care decisions across fragmented health insurance systems.
Digital HealthHealthtechInsurTechSaaS
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-investors640 OxfordAnorak VenturesOperator CollectiveTrail Run CapitalY CombinatorE1 Ventures+1 more
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 CapitalTechstarsUrban 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 ChainSaaSRotterdam, NL
Brittany Ennix(Founder)
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 SoftwareSan Francisco, US
Zach Esmili(Founder & CEO)Zacharie Esmili(Founder)
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 VenturesHawk Hill VenturesCraft 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)inJeff Gamble(Founder & COO)inJeff Gamble, PhD(Founder)in
Co-investorsAcorn Pacific VenturesGOVO Venture PartnersHeadwater VenturesMissouri Technology CorporationSeae VenturesTechstars+2 more
Rosarium Health provides home modification and safety services—clinical assessments by OTs and PTs plus credentialed contractor work—to make homes more accessible for aging and disabled individuals.
Digital HealthHealthtechLongevity
Cameron Carter(Founder)in
Co-investorsAmerican Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social ImpactBlack Tech Nation VenturesFlare Capital PartnersGroundBreak VenturesHDS CapitalPrimetime Partners+4 more
Serenity Smart provides a software platform for senior living, hospice, home health, and long-term care operators that coordinates messaging and workflows between care staff, families, and older adults.
Digital HealthEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechIoTLongevitySaaSWellness & Fitness
Co-investorscoreteq venturesDragonX
ShopMy operates a creator commerce platform linking premium brands, curators and shoppers via storefronts and affiliate tools.
Holden, US
Tiffany Lopinsky(Founder, President)inChristopher Tinsley(Founder)inHarry Rein(Founder, CEO)inChris Tinsley(Founder, Chief Business Development Officer)inChristopher C. Tinsley(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)in
BoardScott Friend(Director)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
Lisa Popovici(Founder)in
Co-investorsAglae VenturesOpenSky VenturesSierra VenturesSuperAngel.FundVillage Global
Nathan Mathews(Founder)in
Co-investorsHawk Hill VenturesHustle FundTranspose Platform ManagementGoAhead Ventures
SquareDash uses satellite imagery and AI to measure residential roofs and provide transparent, standardized pricing for roof replacement services.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechPropTechPhoenix, US
Thumbprint is an AI platform for furniture sales and design professionals that generates photorealistic 3D visualizations, AI interior backgrounds, automated look books and spec sheets, and accurate project pricing.
AI & Machine LearningSaaSSales Tech
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 VCGaingelsLooking Glass Capital
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Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
AmperefinancialBountyLexsy
Exits · 1
1 acquisitionsAsteracq. by Elation
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesNox Metals · noxmetals.co · Jun 14, 2026
Arvist · arvist.ai · Sep 16, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has The Council made?
- The Council has 31 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 5 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 Techstars, Geek Ventures, Good Friends, among 90 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
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