/Investor DB

Urban Innovation

Venture capital

San Francisco · Pre-Seed–Seed · 4 people tracked

Also known as URBAN INNOVATION MANAGEMENT LLC

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Investment thesis

Urban Innovation Fund invests in startups shaping the future of cities, focusing on three themes: Built World (transportation, energy and sustainability, proptech), Social Systems (health, public safety, edtech), and Economic Vitality (regulatory and compliance tech, fintech, small business services, govtech). It writes pre-seed and seed checks of $500K to $3.5M and provides hands-on support along with regulatory expertise to companies operating in massive, heavily regulated industries. The firm publishes an annual Urban Outcomes Report highlighting portfolio impact on issues like government permitting, at-home cancer screening, and e-waste recycling.

Source: firm website, verified Oct 13, 2026.

Stage
Pre-Seed–Seed
Check
$500K – $3.5M
HQ
San Francisco, California, US
Leads rounds
Follows
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2016
Last 12 months
2 investments
Private fund assets
$416.2M
VC funds
9
Tracked investments
77
Unicorns
1
Acquisitions
1

Team · 4 people

from the firm's website
Andrew Felbinger· Partnerin𝕏

Andrew Felbinger brings Wall Street trading, real estate private equity and YC-backed fintech leadership, bridging coastal capital to Midwestern founders and making napkin-stage bets that become multibillion-dollar companies.

Clara Brenner· General Partnerin𝕏

Clara Brenner is co-founder and General Partner at Urban Innovation Fund, a seed-stage venture firm backing startups tackling urban challenges with capital and regulatory guidance. She previously co-founded Tumml, an urban tech startup hub that supported 38 companies with seed funding and mentorship, and she continues to serve on its board as well as the LISC Bay Area Local Advisory Committee. Named to Forbes' 2014 "30 Under 30" list for Social Entrepreneurship, she holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a BA from NYU.

Jenieri Cyrus· Associatein

Jenieri Cyrus is a Senior Associate at Urban Innovation Fund, a venture firm that provides seed capital, hands-on support, and regulatory insights to startups transforming large, regulated industries such as energy, transportation, and fintech. The firm writes $500K-$3.5M checks at the Pre-Seed and Seed stage across sectors it groups as the built world, social systems, and economic vitality.

Julie Lein· General Partnerin𝕏

Julie Lein is a Managing Partner at Urban Innovation Fund, a venture firm she co-leads that invests at the Pre-Seed and Seed stage in startups transforming massive, regulated industries such as energy, transportation, proptech, health, fintech, and govtech. The firm writes checks between $500K and $3.5M and offers portfolio companies regulatory insight alongside capital, publishing an annual Urban Outcomes Report tracking the impact of its investments on cities. She was recognized on Business Insider's "Seed 40" list of top women seed investors.

What they invest in

from 56 of 77 portfolio companies

SaaS ×31AI & Machine Learning ×26Fintech ×18Enterprise Software ×16Consumer ×6GovTech ×6Energy ×5PropTech ×5

HQs:United States×44United Kingdom×2Cyprus×1Ireland×1Israel×1Mexico×1

Who they back

founder profiles across 43 portfolio companies
44%
solo founders
19 of 43 mapped founding teams
43%
repeat founders
of 54 founders with career history
~2 yrs
old at investment
median across 8 dated deals

Founding team size:solo founder×192 founders×163 founders×44+ founders×4

Where their founders studiedfrom 52 founders with education data

University of Oxford ×5Harvard Business School ×4Stanford University Graduate School of Business ×4Columbia University ×3Harvard University ×3University of California, Berkeley ×3Lancaster University ×2Massachusetts Institute of Technology ×2

What their founders studiedfrom 51 founders with field-of-study data

Business & Management ×14Computer Science ×12Engineering ×12Economics ×8Politics & Policy ×5Humanities ×4Mathematics & Statistics ×3Physics ×3

Where their founders worked beforefrom 54 founders with career history

McKinsey & Company ×3ActiView.io ×2Apple ×2Bain & Company ×2Barclays ×2Deutsche Bank ×2First Republic Bank ×2Google ×2

Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program

Y Combinator ×11Techstars ×4

7 founders hold a PhD · 11 hold an MBA (of 53 with degree data)

Investments · 77 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2026 · 22025 · 12024 · 32023 · 22022 · 12021 · 22020 · 22019 · 22018 · 12017 · 12016 · 219 dated

Electriphielectriphi.aiSeed · Dec 2019 · $4M

San Francisco, US

Muffadal Ghadiali(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Naeem Zafar(Director)

BoardPaul Straub(Director)in

Board seatJulie Lein· per SEC Form D

Co-investorsAcario InnovationBlackhorn VenturesWireframe VenturesLemnos VC

KarmaSuitekarmasuitesoftware.cominApr 2024

KarmaSuite is a software platform for nonprofits to manage restricted funds and post-award grants, automating expense allocation, budgeting, compliance tracking, forecasting, and financial reporting without changing the organization's general ledger.

FintechImpact & Social GoodSaaSOakland, US

Srikar Chinam(Founder)inJonathan Allen(Director)

Board seatClara Brenner· per SEC Form D

Route Reportsroutereports.cominJan 2022

Route Reports provides AI-powered infrastructure monitoring for local authorities and rail operators, using embedded hardware and computer vision to detect road conditions, asset damage, and network risks.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureGovTechIoTLogistics & Supply ChainLondon

Connell McLaughlin(Executive Officer)

Board seatJulie Lein· per SEC Form D

Co-investorsTrucks VCUbiquity Ventures

Allocate Holdingsallocate.coin

Allocate provides infrastructure software for private markets, enabling wealth advisors and asset managers to efficiently handle subscriptions, capital flows, and portfolio operations.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSPalo Alto, US

Samir Kaji(Founder)inHana Yang(Founder)in

BoardCarter Reum(Director)

Co-investorsAnthemis VentureAtacama VenturesCommunity Access FundFikaFJ LabsFour Acres Capital+16 more

Apply Designapplydesign.ioinSeed

Apply Design is an AI-powered virtual staging platform for real estate that automatically removes furniture from photos and generates photorealistic renders with customizable furniture and styling.

AI & Machine LearningPropTechSaaSTel Aviv-Yafo, IL

Asaf Amit(Founder)inYaniv Knoll(Founder)in

Co-investorsFusion VCY CombinatorCabra VCCathexis VenturesCitrine VentureFusion+3 more

Avelaavela.orgin𝕏

Avela provides software to school districts, charter networks, and early childhood programs to streamline student enrollment and help families discover and apply to schools.

EdTechGovTechSaaS

Dr. Joshua Angrist(Co-Founder)Greg Bybee(CEO & Co-Founder)inParag Pathak(Co-Founder)in

Co-investorsUlu VenturesRethink Capital PartnersRethink Education

BookNookbooknook.comin𝕏Oct 2016

BookNook provides live, research-based reading and math tutoring for K–8 students through a synchronous learning platform, supporting small-group intervention.

EdTechBerkeley, US

Michael Lombardo(Founder)in

Co-investorsAmerican Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social ImpactBetter Ventures Central LlcEdovate CapitalKapor CapitalLumos Capital GroupMontage Capital+3 more

Builders Patchbuilderspatch.comin𝕏

Builders Patch is a software platform for managing the multifamily housing finance process, covering deal application intake, document organization, due diligence, in-context communication among deal parties, AI-generated deal documents and reports, and asset management.

FintechPropTechSaaSMount Kisco, US

Kanan Ajmera(Founder)

Co-investorsThe Artemis FundTenOneTen VenturesThird Sphere

Bundlebundle.build

Kayla Lebovits(Founder)in

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesSlauson & Co.The MBA Fund

Catchcatch.coin𝕏SeedAcquired

Catch provides automated financial management and benefits solutions for independent workers and freelancers, handling tax withholding, retirement savings, and health insurance enrollment without relying on traditional employer-provided benefits.

FintechHealthtechInsurTechNew York City, US

Andrew Ambrosino(Founder)inKristen Anderson(Founder)Alexandra Smith(Director, Engineering)Carl Reyes(Lead, Apps)Jess Little(Director, Partnerships)Alvin Ohlenbusch(Lead, Platform)

Co-investorsArdent VentureCrosslink CapitalDeepwater Asset ManagementKube VCLoup VenturesPrehype+20 more

Chief AIgetchief.aiin𝕏

Chief AI builds AI-native software products for leaders and their teams across governments and corporate C-suites.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareGovTechSaaS

Co-investorsStartX

Cleancardcleancard.bioin

CleanCard is developing at-home cancer diagnostics combined with high-volume health data collection and proprietary models aimed at earlier intervention and better patient outcomes.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthSan Francisco, US

Co-investorsTq Ventures Llc

ClimateWellsclimatewells.comin𝕏

ClimateWells develops and implements projects to prevent methane and other harmful gases from entering the atmosphere by plugging abandoned oil and gas wells, removing infrastructure, and restoring land and water resources.

CleantechClimate TechEnergyImpact & Social Good

Reid Calhoon(Co-founder)inCharlie Wohleber(Co-founder)

Co-investorsPeterson VenturesRevolutionThird Derivative

Codesparkcodespark.com𝕏Jul 2016

codeSpark is a learn-to-code app for children ages 3-10 that teaches coding concepts such as sequencing, loops, conditionals, and variables through word-free visual puzzles and game creation.

ConsumerEdTechGamingPasadena, US

Grant Hosford(Executive Officer, Director)Craig Chrisney(Executive Officer)

BoardBill Gross(Director)Marcia Goodstein(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsFusionIdealabKapor CapitalVentek

Codicodiwork.com

Codi runs a marketplace that matches remote workers and small teams with workspace in private residences.

Co-investorsNFXAndreessen Horowitz

Coinrulecoinrule.comin𝕏Seed

Coinrule provides automated cryptocurrency trading bots that execute buy and sell strategies on crypto exchanges without requiring coding.

AI & Machine LearningCrypto & Web3FintechSaaSLondon, GB

Gabriele Musella(CEO)inOleg Giberstein(Founder)inZdeněk Höfler(Founder)inAndrew Salvadore(CTO)

Co-investorsCV VCKube VCNZVCY CombinatorMF SuperfundPioneer+1 more

Commendacommenda.ioin𝕏

Commenda provides finance teams with a unified platform for managing entity compliance, tax filings, and corporate records across multiple subsidiaries and jurisdictions.

Enterprise SoftwareFintechLegalTechSaaS

Co-investorsBling Capital

Datashipsdataships.ioin𝕏Seed · Sep 2021 · $3M

Dataships provides a consent-collection tool for Shopify merchants that uses AI trained on consent interactions and a global privacy rules engine to convert more buyers into marketing subscribers while maintaining regulatory compliance.

E-commerceMarketing TechSaaSDublin, IE

MikeRyanin

Co-investorsOsage Venture PartnersOUTBOUND CAPITALLavrock Ventures

DINYA DNA Exponential DNA Synthesisdinyadna.com

DINYA DNA builds an enzymatic "Exponential Synthesis" platform that directly synthesizes long, complex double-stranded DNA up to 5kb from a pre-built material library without oligo assembly, delivering custom sequences in 3-10 days.

BiotechDeep Tech

Ben Lerman(Founder)in

Co-investorsSpacecadet Ventures

ethicethic.comin

Ethic offers direct indexing and tax-smart portfolio management, providing customizable passive portfolios engineered for tax efficiency, factor exposures, and values alignment.

FintechImpact & Social GoodPropTechSaaSNew York, US

Doug Scott(CEO & Co-founder)inJay Lipman(Founder)inJohny Mair(Founder)inJordan Lipman(Director)

BoardJohn Morris(Director)

Co-investors500 GlobalBetter Tomorrow VenturesBlackhorn VenturesFarvatn VentureFifty YearsKapor Capital+8 more

Exanteexante.appin

Exante provides software for finance teams to manage payments, reconciliation, and workflows.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS

Giedrius Daubaris(Co-Founder & CEO)inSebastian Vargas(Co-Founder & CTO)in

Fabricafabrica.landin𝕏Jan 2020

A marketplace platform for buying, selling, and borrowing against land properties across the United States.

Crypto & Web3MarketplacesPropTechSan Francisco, US

Federico Pomi(Founder)inSimone Brunozzi(Director)

Co-investorsBloccelerate VCBVP InvestorsTechstarsAlvenFELIX CAPITALFJ Labs+4 more

Ferrum Healthferrumhealth.cominSeed · Aug 2024 · $6M

Ferrum Health develops AI accountability solutions, though the specific products and customer base are not detailed on the company page.

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthEnterprise SoftwareSunnyvale, US

Pelu Tran(CEO and Co-founder)inKen Ko(CTO and Co-founder)

BoardPatrick Steele(Director)inJaclyn Hester(Director)inKenneth Ko(Director)

Co-investorsBlumberg CapitalFelicis VenturesFoundryHeadwater VenturesInformed Ventures Advisors, LlcWellstar+3 more

Finlifinli.comin𝕏

Finli provides financial management tools and digital banking solutions for small businesses and financial institutions.

FintechSaaSSales TechSan Marino, US

Lori Shao(CEO)Lori S(Founder)

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesaVentureCore Venture CapitalMaC Venture CapitalMotley Fool VenturesMuse Capital+5 more

Graintrygrain.comin𝕏

Grain is a mobile app that lets users draw on a line of credit linked to their existing debit card, offering credit access based on their spending patterns rather than traditional credit assessment.

FintechSan Francisco, US

Patrick De Suza(Founder)inChristian-Robert Joseph(Founder)inCarl-Alain Memnon(Founder)inAharon Navon(Founder)Dor Golan(Founder)Jake Adams(Founder)

Co-investorsAperture Venture CapitalGaingelsMerus CapitalPioneerPlug and Play VenturesSLVC+16 more

Infillainfilla.comin

Infilla provides software tools for municipal planning departments to streamline permitting and housing approval workflows.

GovTechPropTechSaaS

Jenny Song(Founder)

Co-investorsBloomberg BetaSHAKTIBase10 Partners

Ivy Investivyinvest.coin

Ivy Invest provides individual investors access to alternative investments and endowment-style portfolio strategies traditionally available only to large institutions.

FintechNew York, US

Matt Pauker(CEO)inWendy Li(Chief Investment Officer)inArash(CTO)

Co-investorsStartX

Jeevestryjeeves.comin𝕏Seed

Jeeves provides flexible payment and expense management solutions for businesses, including prepaid cards, payment processing, and cross-border transaction services across multiple jurisdictions.

Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSMiami, US

Dileep Thazhmon(Founder)inVictor Garrido(Strategy Lead)inAmy Cooperstock(Head of People)Ted Michaels(Head of Finance \u0026 Strategy)inKati Reaugh(CPO)Matthieu Hafemeister(Head of Growth)in

Co-investors17SigmaAltaIR CapitalAlumni VenturesAndreessen HorowitzClocktower VenturesCrew Capital+36 more

Jiffyjiffyondemand.com

Jaimie Grossman(Founder)in

Co-investorsBling CapitalFlucas VenturesGolden Ventures

Joyridejoyride.cityin𝕏Seed · Jun 2021 · $4M

Joyride provides an integrated IoT and software platform for original equipment manufacturers of lightweight electric vehicles, offering fleet management, connectivity, and telematics capabilities.

HardwareIoTMobility & TransportationSaaS

Co-investorsCapria VenturesProeza VenturesExport Development Canada (EDC)Liil VenturesTwo Small Fish Ventures

Keygraphkeygraph.ioin

Keygraph builds automated penetration testing for enterprise application security using AI, providing continuous vulnerability identification and exploit validation on every build.

AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

Varun

Co-investorsAUTHENTIC VENTURESDepth VenturesPear VC

Listeninglistening.ioin

Listening is an app that converts documents — including research papers, PDFs, books, websites, emails, and ebook formats like EPUB and MOBI — into audio using a library of synthetic voices.

AI & Machine LearningConsumerEdTechSaaS

Co-investorsEvolution VenturesExpansion Venture CapitalMana VenturesSoma CapitalTranspose Platform Management

Local Bushelhv-harvest.com

A marketplace connecting consumers with local producers of fresh produce, meat, dairy, grains, and artisanal products from New York state growers and makers.

AgTechConsumerFoodTechLogistics & Supply ChainMarketplacesNew York, US

Co-investorsRadicle Impact

Malloc Incmallocprivacy.comin𝕏Seed

Malloc is a mobile privacy and security app combining AI-driven spyware detection with a no-log VPN to protect users' data and privacy on Android and iOS devices.

AI & Machine LearningConsumerCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareNicosia, CY

Maria Terzi(Founder)inLiza Charalambous(Founder)inArtemis Kontou(Not Active )

Co-investorsEmmeline VenturesY CombinatorDragon CapitalHarvard Management Company

Mason AIwithmason.aiin

Mason develops AI tools to help draft code-compliant building blueprints, targeting architects and construction professionals.

AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechDeveloper ToolsGovTech

Salim Damerdji(CEO)in

McMullenshopmcmullen.com

A luxury fashion boutique that curates designer collections from established labels and emerging global designers for individual shoppers.

ConsumerE-commerceRetail TechSan Francisco, US

Sherri McMullen(Founder and CEO)

Co-investorsCake VenturesSand Hill Angels

Milk Storkmilkstork.comin

Palo Alto, US

Kate Torgersen(Executive Officer, Director)inMike Torgersen(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsBackstage CapitalWhite Road Investments

Mogulusemogul.com𝕏

Mogul is a platform for music rights holders that integrates with distributors, labels, PROs, and other royalty systems to consolidate catalog and financial data.

AI & Machine LearningMedia & EntertainmentSaaSWest Hollywood, US

Jeff Ponchick(Founder)in

Co-investorsAmplify.LAWonder Ventures

Monterra AImonterra.ai

San Francisco, US

Kelson Reiss(Founder)

Co-investorsR/GA VenturesVery Serious Ventures

Moritzmoritzlegal.comin𝕏Seed

Moritz is an AI-native law firm that combines senior lawyers with custom software to deliver legal work for technology companies across the EU, US, and Australia, using fixed fees and rapid turnaround rather than hourly billing.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLegalTechSaaSSan Francisco, US

Pamir Ehsas(CEO)inStefan Mandaric(CTO)inDaniel Dalla Vedova(Founding Head of Legal & COO)inVegard Økland(Founding Engineer)Pravith Raj(Founding Designer)Antonina Kruhlikova(Recruiter)

Co-investorsY Combinator20VCInception FundPioneerTranspose Platform ManagementBlast.Club+13 more

Numennumen.cominSeed

Numen develops at-home cancer diagnostics and health data collection infrastructure using machine learning models to enable earlier intervention and improve patient outcomes.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesSan Francisco, US

Luca Springer(Founder)inThomas Carroll(Founder)inDominique Piché(Head of Assay Development)Taylor Walmsley-Eyre(CTO)Alisa Emag(Scientist III)Micaela Everitt(Senior Scientist)

Co-investorsAnkur CapitalAxilor VenturesTq Ventures LlcY Combinator

Ohmohm.aiinSeed

Ohm provides an AI platform that helps hardware engineering teams accelerate product development, testing, and validation for complex physical products including electric vehicles, batteries, and wearables.

Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareSan Francisco, US

Penelope Jones(Founder)inAlex Trimm(Founder)Hunter Scott(Founder)Jin PanAlpha LeeinColin Chung(Software Engineer)

Co-investorsCollaborative FundGiant Ventures Global LlpY CombinatorAidenlair CapitalClimate CapitalGoodFin Ventures+1 more

Optiwattgetoptiwatt.com𝕏

Optiwatt provides a load management platform for utilities and grid operators to run virtual power plant and demand response programs by dispatching EVs, smart thermostats, and Level 2 chargers.

CleantechEnergySaaSSan Francisco, US

Casey Donahue(Executive Officer, Director)in

BoardLouis Schotsky(Director)inPeter Franklin(Director)

Co-investorsGV (Google Ventures)Active Impact InvestmentsNavitas CapitalSkyview VenturesThin Line Capital

Oscar AIoscar.aiinSep 2025

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 CapitalTechstarsThe CouncilBread And Butter Ventures, Llc

Pennantgetpennant.aiin𝕏Seed

Pennant offers a proxy voting and corporate governance platform that lets institutional investors, corporate advisors, and public companies analyze meetings, filings, and proposals, apply custom voting policies, and record decisions with defensible rationale.

AI & Machine LearningFintechSaaSNew York City, US

Ryan Nowicki Stewart(CEO)inTomas Taylor(CTO)in

Co-investorsLyra Capital Pty LtdY CombinatorBlast.ClubGROOVE CAPITALTeam IgniteVenture Investment Associates

Plennasoyplenna.com

Plenna is a women's health clinic offering virtual and in-person gynecological, pregnancy, psychological, nutritional, and specialized medical services through an integrated healthcare platform.

Digital HealthFemTechHealthtechMexico City, MX

Lorena Ostos(Founder & CEO)inGiovanna Abramo(Cofounder)in

Co-investors500 GlobalAmador HoldingsBridge LatamCollaborative FundIntegra GroupeNazca+5 more

Poplpopl.coin𝕏Seed

Popl is an event lead capture and contact-sharing SaaS platform that uses AI to capture, contextualize, and manage connections made at conferences, trade shows, and networking events for enterprise teams.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSNew York City, US

Jason Alco(CEO)inNick EischensJeremy W. GreenfieldJorgen Phillips(Head of Rev Ops)Bryce Alsten(Vice President of Operations)Holly Park(Director of Customer Success)

Co-investorsY CombinatorCathexis VenturesAgrolimen VenturesCoyote VenturesGoat Capital

Public Gridonepublicgrid.comin

Public Grid simplifies access to household energy efficiency actions and connects individuals with their neighbors to collectively reduce emissions and save money.

CleantechClimate TechConsumerEnergyFintech

Joe R.(Founder)inRyan Freed(Founder)in

Co-investorsAlpaca VCCorigin VenturesGroundBreak VenturesHamilton VenturesModerne VenturesShadow Ventures+2 more

Safari AIgetsafari.aiin

Safari AI provides an AI-powered platform that analyzes video feeds from physical operations to automatically detect objects, behaviors, and spatial-temporal patterns, converting video data into real-time metrics and alerts.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSMiami, US

Ali Vahabzadeh(Co-Founder & CEO)inKaiwen Yuan(Co-Founder & Head of Engineering)in

Co-investorsGeneral CatalystInitialized Capital

Sentsent.dmin𝕏

Sent provides a single API integration layer for sending SMS, WhatsApp, and RCS messages, handling provider routing, carrier compliance, and per-channel content transformation.

Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSNew York, US

Daniel Vataj(Founder)inBetim Drenica(Founder)in

BoardAndrew Berg(Director)in

Co-investorsARA NEA Ventures (Brand: Dmz.Xyz)Companyon VenturesPlug and Play VenturesBessemer Venture PartnersFlybridge Capital Partners

Solarcyclesolarcycle.usin𝕏Seed · Feb 2023 · $7M

SOLARCYCLE provides recycling services for solar farm components including solar panels, inverters, transformers, cables, and other power electronics, diverting waste from landfills and recovering metals such as silver, copper, gold, and lead.

Circular EconomyCleantechEnergyMesa, US

Suvi Sharma(Founder)inJesse Simons(Founder)inPablo Ribeiro Dias(Co-founder)Theodore Herhold(Executive Officer)inPablo Diaz(Executive Officer, Director)Pablo Dias(Founder)

Co-investorsATEL VenturesHG VenturesVery Serious VenturesClosed Loop PartnersFifth WallPrologis Ventures

Stellstell-engineering.comin

Stell builds cloud-based software for managing requirements, traceability, and compliance on aerospace and defense programs.

Deep TechDefense TechEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSpace TechSan Francisco, US

Malory McLemore(Founder)in

Co-investorsFulcrum VenturePicks and Shovels (Picks & Shovels)Rolling Fun GPThird PrimeLong Journey VenturesWischoff Ventures

Stop, Breathe & Thinkmeredith.comin
Sunsethellosunset.comin𝕏Seed

Sunset helps families locate and manage investment accounts, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, and other financial assets held by deceased individuals across US brokers and custodians.

FintechLegalTechSaaSSalt Lake City, US

Stephen Walter(Co-founder, Attorney and CEO)inKaela Worthen(Co-founder)inBrendan Mahony(Founder)Grant Rheingold(Founder)

Co-investorsLobster CapitalY Combinator0 ADBDMIConvoi VenturesFloodgate+7 more

Sunset HQsunsethq.comin𝕏

Sunset provides end-to-end wind-down services for startups, managing legal filings, tax compliance, asset liquidation, and investor distributions through a team of attorneys and CPAs.

Enterprise SoftwareFintechLegalTechSaaSNew York City, US

Brendan Mahony(Founder & CEO)inGrant Rheingold(Founder)in

Co-investorsFloodgate

Synthetic Userssyntheticusers.comin𝕏

Synthetic Users provides AI-powered "synthetic" research participants that simulate user interviews, letting teams run problem exploration, concept testing, and messaging validation before conducting organic research.

AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaS

Tekton Dynamicstekton-dynamics.comin𝕏Seed

Tekton Dynamics develops AI and robotics software to automate manufacturing tasks that are hazardous, repetitive, or undesirable for human workers.

Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningRoboticsLondon, GB

Max Ahrens(CEO)inEduardo Candela(CTO)

Co-investorsPioneerSciFi VCY Combinator2100 VenturesAccelAndreessen Horowitz+8 more

Teserac, Inc.teserac.ai

Teserac builds Neuron, an AI-native observability and reasoning layer for owners and operators of mission-critical physical infrastructure such as AI data centers.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS

Co-investorsGlobal BrainKDDI Open Innovation FundMayfield Fund

TestPartytestparty.aiin𝕏

TestParty builds software that automates digital accessibility compliance end-to-end, giving businesses and their employees tools to test products and meet ADA accessibility standards.

AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsSaaS

Jason Tan(Co-founder)in

Co-investorsGaingelsThe MBA FundHarlem CapitalHarlem Capital PartnersSoma Capital

Valor Mineralonevalor.comin𝕏Feb 2026

Valor is an independent mineral management company that audits royalty payments and administers mineral interests for owners, families, and institutions.

AI & Machine LearningEnergyEnterprise SoftwareSaaSFort Worth, US

Joseph DeWoody(President & CEO, Co-Founder)Clifton DuBose(Co-Founder)Clifton DuBose, Jr.(Director, Promoter)Joseph P. DeWoody(Founder)in

Co-investorsTechstars

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

DINYA DNA, Inc.Hiven Inc.McMullen BrandPairTree, Inc.Town Kitchen PBCChemix, Inc.Civic IQDropCountrKoshyLambda SurgicalValor

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.

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Urban Innovation made?
Urban Innovation has 77 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 3 dated in the last 24 months.
What stage does Urban Innovation invest at?
Urban Innovation invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
What is Urban Innovation's typical check size?
Urban Innovation typically writes checks of $500K – $3.5M.
What sectors does Urban Innovation focus on?
Urban Innovation focuses on Climate Tech, EdTech, Energy, Fintech, GovTech, Healthtech, LegalTech, Mobility & Transportation, PropTech.
Where is Urban Innovation located?
Urban Innovation is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
Does Urban Innovation lead rounds?
Urban Innovation typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Who does Urban Innovation co-invest with?
Urban Innovation most often shares deals with Y Combinator, Techstars, Gaingels, among 173 tracked co-investors.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

E810: Clara Brenner Urban Innovation Fund-Forming a Board; Domingo Guerra Appthority-Founder Lessons

This Week in Startups · Clara Brenner

Urban Innovation Fund's Clara Brenner on 50 investments, tenacity, culture to scale | Angel S2 E7

This Week in Startups · Clara Brenner

566th 1Mby1M Roundtable with Julie Lein, Urban Innovation Fund

1Mby1M Roundtables · Julie Lein

466 - Clara Brenner, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Urban Innovation Fund

Seedscout · Clara Brenner

Clara Brenner of Urban Innovation Fund at Startup Funding 2.0 - 12 mins

Foundersuite & Fundingstack: How To Raise Capital · Clara Brenner

E17: Clara Brenner, Urban Innovation Fund shares insights from ~50 investments focused on solving our biggest challenges, importance of tenacity, momentum, culture to scale & positive communication with investors - Angel - hosted by Jason Calacanis | Acast

Clara Brenner · shows.acast.com

Co-investors · 18

Andreessen Horowitz

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, known for pioneering the platform model with a large team of operators supporting founders across stages.

$500K – $50M
Kleiner Perkins

Kleiner Perkins is a venture capital firm that backs founders across technology and life sciences, from early stage through growth.

Both backed · 2
$500K – $15M
500 Global

500 Global (formerly 500 Startups) is a venture capital firm whose flagship Silicon Valley strategy backs promising technology companies from pre-seed onward across a range of sectors and geographies.

Both backed · 2
$150K
Khosla Ventures

Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs bold, early-stage, technology-driven companies across deep tech and other sectors, providing hands-on 'venture assistance' to help founders build category-defining businesses.

Both backed · 1
$100K – $20M
Fifth Wall

Fifth Wall is an investment firm focused on technology for the built environment (PropTech), backing startups that make the spaces where people live, work, and play smarter, safer, and more energy efficient.

Both backed · 1
$250K – $100M
Kindred Ventures

Kindred Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco that backs visionary founders building the future through technology and science.

Both backed · 1
$250K – $2M
Better Tomorrow Ventures

Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV) is an early-stage venture firm run by experienced operators that invests in and helps build fintech startups.

Both backed · 1
$500K – $4M
Nyca Partners

Nyca Partners is a thesis-driven fintech venture capital firm that partners with founders modernizing the financial system.

Both backed · 1
$1M – $10M
Okta Ventures

Okta Ventures is the corporate venture arm of Okta, investing in and supporting startups building technologies enabled by identity, security, and privacy.

Both backed · 1
$200K – $1M
Wireframe Ventures

Wireframe Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders addressing significant global challenges, investing as a first-check partner.

Both backed · 1
$500K – $2M
Closed Loop Partners

A firm focused on building the circular economy through innovation, investment, and operational engagement.

Both backed · 1
$100K – $1M
Headwater Ventures

Headwater Ventures is an early-stage investor backing preseed and seed founders building software for the modernization of healthcare and care delivery.

Both backed · 1
▶6 more co-investors

Proeza VenturesFounder CollectiveStandard CapitalChapter One VenturesCalm/Storm VCCantos Ventures

Firms observed investing alongside Urban Innovation, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Urban Innovation's recorded portfolio.

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