San Francisco · Pre-Seed–Series A · 4 people tracked
Also known as YES VC MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLC
Find your way into Yes VC
886 people in our graph share verified history with the Yes VC team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
Yes VC backs category-defining companies at the earliest stages, focusing on pre-seed and seed investments. The firm's philosophy centers on pursuing conviction — when the world says no but a founder hears a yes, going hard toward that yes. Its portfolio spans ambitious, wide-ranging bets including AI research labs, next-generation aviation, and consumer products.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 1, 2026.
Team · 4 people
from the firm's website & curated & public directories
Founder mafia
3 people who came through Yes VC went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 41 of 48 portfolio companiesConsumer ×9SaaS ×8AI & Machine Learning ×7Cleantech ×7Deep Tech ×7Enterprise Software ×6Hardware ×6E-commerce ×5
HQs:United States×27United Kingdom×3India×2Finland×1France×1Mexico×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 34 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×152 founders×93 founders×64+ founders×4
Where their founders studiedfrom 38 founders with education data
Harvard University ×3Carnegie Mellon University ×2Eton College ×2Princeton University ×2University of California, Berkeley ×2University of Cambridge ×2University of Oxford ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 46 founders with career history
Dapper Labs ×3McKinsey & Company ×3firstminute capital ×2IBM ×2LinkedIn ×2Stanford University ×2University of Pennsylvania ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
7 founders hold a PhD · 3 hold an MBA (of 42 with degree data)
Investments · 48 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2023 · 12022 · 22021 · 12020 · 12019 · 22018 · 22015 · 110 dated
Novato, US
Ulf Schwekendiek(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardStephanie Palmeri(Director)
Board seatJyri Engestrom· per SEC Form D · $3.1M raise · filed Mar 2021
Co-investorsNextView Ventures
Brooklyn, US
Rick Desai(Director)Morgan Lackman(Executive Officer, Director)Michael Ferchak(Director)
Board seatCaterina Fake· per SEC Form D · $17.8M raise · filed Jul 2020
Sudden Coffee produces premium, single-serve coffee packets made from sustainably sourced beans, designed for convenient consumption anywhere.
ConsumerFoodTechSan Francisco, US
Josh Zloof(Founder/CEO)inKalle Freese(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatCaterina Fake· per SEC Form D · $500K raise · filed Nov 2015
Co-investorsLifeline VenturesY CombinatorCRV (Charles River Ventures)Founder Collective
An ML research and product lab building general intelligence to enable humans and computers to work together.
An ML research and product lab building general intelligence by enabling people and computers to work together creatively
Enterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US
David Luan(Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer)inAshish Vaswani(Co-founder & Chief Scientist)Niki Parmar(Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer)Augustus Odena(Co-founder)Maxwell Nye(Co-founder)inErich Elsen(Co-founder)
Co-investorsA.Capital VenturesAdditionAir Street CapitalAtlassian VenturesGeneral CatalystGreylock Partners+8 more
Andrena is a wireless Internet service provider that delivers high-speed connectivity to multi-tenant buildings and households using wireless technology beamed to building roofs, then distributed wirelessly to units.
CleantechCloud ComputingNew Jersey, US
Neil Chatterjee(Founder)inJames Smits(Founder)in
Co-investors645 VenturesAfore CapitalBollinger Investment GroupCalm VenturesCastle Island VenturesChaos Ventures+7 more
Assembly OSM develops modular construction technology and methods to make urban development scalable and sustainable, enabling rapid high-rise building assembly.
CleantechConstruction TechPropTechNew York, US
Bill Sharples(Founder)Chris Sharples(Founder)Andrew Staniforth(CEO)
BoardRobert Stavis(Director)inKieran Mara(Director)
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzAtento CapitalFJ LabsManta Ray VenturesBessemer Venture PartnersFifth Wall+3 more
Boom Supersonic develops supersonic aircraft and engines, including the Overture commercial airliner and the Symphony turbofan engine, targeting commercial aviation and advanced infrastructure applications.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechHardwareSpace TechCentennial, US
Blake Scholl(Founder/CEO)in
Co-investorsActivant CapitalAltra VentureAngel Collective Opportunity FundBessemer Venture PartnersCaruso VenturesCelesta Capital+24 more
Boom develops supersonic aviation technology, including Overture, a supersonic airliner with orders from United, American, and Japan Airlines, and Symphony, a turbofan engine built for supersonic flight.
Deep TechHardwareMobility & TransportationCentennial, US
Blake Scholl(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsBessemer Venture PartnersCaruso VenturesDenver VenturesDraper AssociatesE15Industrious Ventures+9 more
Clinikally develops and sells dermatology-backed skin and hair care products for Indian consumers, complemented by online consultations with dermatologists.
Digital HealthE-commerceHealthtechMedical DevicesWellness & FitnessGurugram, IN
Arjun Soin(Founder)in
Co-investorsAmino CapitalEntrepreneur VenturesTRAC (Third Round Analytics Capital)WorldQuant VenturesY CombinatorGoodwater Capital+4 more
Dapper Labs is a venture studio building products and communities at the intersection of culture and emerging technology, focused on digital ownership, data control, and decentralized platforms for creators and collectors.
ConsumerCreator EconomyCrypto & Web3Sector AgnosticVancouver
Roham Gharegozlou(Founder)inDieter Shirley(Founder)inMikhael Naayem(Executive Officer)inJody Rebak(Executive Officer)in
BoardDavid Pakman(Director)inAlex Shih(Director)
Co-investorsA.Capital Venturesa16z cryptoAndreessen HorowitzAppWorks VenturesChaos VenturesChapter One+37 more
Digitt offers online personal loans that consolidate and pay off consumers' credit card debt at lower interest rates, with customizable repayment terms and digital applications.
ConsumerFintech
David García Aceves(Founder)in
Co-investorsCapria VenturesClocktower VenturesHypothesisIGNIALatitud VenturesNew Stack Ventures+2 more
Elroy Air develops autonomous hybrid-electric aircraft for heavy-payload cargo delivery, serving commercial logistics, defense, and humanitarian customers.
Deep TechHardwareLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsCalifornia, US
Dave Merrill(Executive Officer, Director)Clint Cope(Director)Andrew Clare(CEO)in
BoardDarren Liccardo(Director)in
Co-investorsShield CapitalSnowpointAster CapitalCatapult VenturesCity LightHCVC+11 more
FlexNode provides modular AI infrastructure solutions designed for rapid deployment at the edge.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeep Tech
Andrew C. Lindsey(Founder)in
Co-investorsActivant CapitalAvilaColle Capital PartnersMaryland TEDCOTEDCOVolvo Group Venture Capital AB+1 more
For Them is a queer and trans-owned company that produces apparel, media, and experiences for the queer community, using sustainable materials and production methods.
Circular EconomyConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceDover, US
Kylo Freeman(Founder)inChloe Freeman(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardNICHOLAS THORNE(Director)
Co-investorsResolute VenturesBenchstrength Partners
Accumulator is a platform that helps founders diversify their wealth by pooling investments in a curated network of private tech companies led by trusted peers, reducing single-company concentration risk while enabling participation in a founder-led investment community.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechFuture of WorkSaaSSector AgnosticLondon, GB
Brent Hoberman(Co-Founder & Executive Chair)inHenry Lane Fox(Co-Founder & Board Member)inOskar Hartmann(Co-founder)
Co-investorsfirstminute capital
Gameto develops cell therapy and reproductive technologies to treat infertility and improve women's health outcomes.
BiotechFemTechHealthtechMedical DevicesAustin, US
Dina Turner(Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer)inMartin Varsavsky(Co-founder & Chairman)inDina Radenkovic(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardDusan Perovic(Director)inDylan Morris(Director)Maryanna Saenko(Director)in
Co-investorsBold Capital PartnersFuture VenturesIngeborg InvestmentsJazzya InvestmentsKorify CapitalLux Capital+11 more
GigSafe provides a platform that manages the work-readiness and compliance workflows for independent contractor networks in delivery and logistics operations.
Future of WorkHR TechLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS
David Pickerell(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsInformed Ventures Advisors, LlcRally Ventures Management, LlcRareBreed VenturesBrand Foundry Ventures
Gradual provides a white-labeled community and virtual event platform that consolidates content, courses, discussions, and networking in one environment.
SaaS
California Catalysts (Calicat) develops non-Iridium catalysts and stack components for hydrogen electrolyzers, using an AI model and a high-throughput discovery engine to identify catalyst materials that lower the levelized cost of hydrogen.
AI & Machine LearningCleantechNew MaterialsLos Angeles, US
Co-investorsFREEFLOW
Heirloom operates Direct Air Capture (DAC) facilities that use limestone and carbon mineralization technology to permanently remove CO2 from the atmosphere at scale.
CleantechClimate TechDeep TechCalifornia, US
Shashank Samala(Founder & CEO)
Co-investorsAhren Innovation CapitalAutodesk FoundationBreakthrough Energy VenturesBreyer CapitalCarbon Removal PartnersFloating Point+6 more
Helix Nanotechnologies develops mRNA-based therapeutics for disease treatment and environmental applications, currently advancing a COVID-19 vaccine candidate for immunocompromised patients and testing interventions targeting climate challenges.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtechBoston, US
Nikolai Eroshenko(Founder/CSO)in
Co-investorsBascom VenturesBeast VenturesChampion Hill VenturesDCVC (Data Collective)Fifty YearsHAWKTAIL+8 more
Hipcamp is a platform to discover and book camping experiences including tent sites, RV resorts, glamping, and private land stays across the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
ConsumerMarketplacesTravel & HospitalitySan Francisco, US
Alyssa Ravasio(Founder and CEO)inEric Bach(Co-founder)
BoardTripp Jones(Director)Sarah Tavel(Benchmark partner / investor)inAndrew Chen(Andreessen Horowitz partner and board member)
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzAugust CapitalDreamers VCSlow VenturesUpslope VenturesBenchmark+2 more
Hubble Network has created the first Bluetooth connection to space as part of building a global, battery-efficient, and cost-effective satellite network.
Data & InfrastructureIoTSpace Tech
Co-investorsNew North VenturesPi CampusSeraphim SpaceTranspose Platform ManagementType One VenturesCarthona Capital+3 more
Jar is an Indian fintech app that helps users save money by investing in digital gold, positioning itself as a simplified savings tool for everyday consumers.
ConsumerFintechSaaS
Misbah Ashraf(Founder)in
Co-investorsAdvantedge FoundersArkam VenturesCapria VenturesEmphasis VenturesEximius VenturesKalaari Capital+15 more
Jow is a meal-planning app that recommends personalized menus from a catalog of over 5,000 recipes and automatically converts them into a grocery cart with the right quantities, ordered from the user's usual supermarket.
ConsumerE-commerceFoodTechSaint Denis, FR
Antoine Mallard(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Antoine Zins(Director)Franck Maurin(Director)inJacques-Edouard Sabatier(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)in
BoardChristian Leybold(Director)in
Co-investorsAglae VenturesHeadlineHeadline Growth Management, LLCKima VenturesNorthzoneEurazeo+1 more
Laka offers collective bicycle insurance for cyclists, distributing monthly claim costs across a shared pool of members with zero excess on bike claims and no depreciation.
FintechInsurTechSports Tech
Ben AllenJens HartwigTobias TaupitzinJens H.(Founder)in
BoardAriel ArrietaFrancisco Coronel
Co-investors1818 Venture Capital500 GlobalEmbryo VenturesMS&AD VenturesShift4Good
Lovevery designs play products for babies and young children based on child development research and neuroscience.
ConsumerEdTechWellness & FitnessBoise, US
Rod(Co-founder)Jessica Rolph(Executive Officer, Director)inRoderick Morris(Founder)in
Co-investorsCollaborative FundEastward Capital PartnersFounder CollectiveMaveronThe Chernin Group (TCG Crypto)GV (Google Ventures)+2 more
Matchday builds mobile, officially licensed casual football games with collectible digital player cards and live competitions.
Co-investorsAbstract VenturesClaritas CapitalCourtside VenturesFermionGraph VenturesHorizons Ventures+4 more
OneSignal provides customer engagement and messaging infrastructure that enables businesses to send personalized, omnichannel communications to their customers at scale.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
George Deglin(Co-Founder and CEO)inLong Vo(Co-Founder and COO)in
Co-investorsCoelius CapitalHemisphere Ventures LLCHubSpot VenturesNewView CapitalNimble PartnersSignalFire+2 more
Orchid builds decentralized Web 3.0 technology to enable digital privacy and peer-to-peer marketplaces on Ethereum.
Crypto & Web3CybersecurityData & InfrastructureSector AgnosticSan Francisco, US
Brian J. Fox(Director)Gustav Simonsson(Director)Stephen Francis Bell(Executive Officer, Director)Steven Richard Waterhouse(Executive Officer, Director)Jay Freeman(Director)
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzBorderless VentureCrunchFundMerkle Tree CapitalStruck CapitalTransmedia Capital+3 more
Public Goods sells household, personal care, and everyday consumer products made with natural ingredients and sustainable materials, offered through a membership model.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceHealthtech
Morgan Hirsh(Founder)in
Co-investors500 GlobalChapter OneKnockout CapitalListen Ventures
Reconnect provides software and hardware that connect specialty courts, pretrial, and community supervision programs with their participants.
GovTechHardwareSaaSCumberland, US
Pete Andrews(CEO)inSamuel Hotchkiss(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Jennifer Jacobs(Executive Officer)Ed Larson(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardEric Chapman(Director)
Co-investorsBantam GroupMichigan Capital Network
Regroup Nation is a personal-development resource offering a book, podcast and guidance on overcoming setbacks and staying motivated.
Co-investorsAvant Global LLCCollaborative FundMercuri.vcMoth FundUnion Square Ventures (USV)Betaworks+2 more
Rewind provides backup, restore, and copy functionality for critical data across SaaS and cloud applications, serving over 25,000 organizations globally across eCommerce, accounting, productivity, and development use cases.
Cloud ComputingData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Mike Potter(Co-founder & CEO)inJamesin
Co-investorsAtlassian VenturesBessemer Venture PartnersH.I.G. CapitalInovia CapitalInsight PartnersMistral Venture Partners+3 more
Rewind develops carbon removal projects leveraging natural processes like biomass and geological storage to capture and sequester carbon at scale for climate mitigation.
Circular EconomyCleantechClimate Tech
Co-investorsMensch Capital PartnersZORAH.I.G. Growth PartnersInsight PartnersPropeller VC
Sandhillmarkets runs a crowdfunding platform where early-stage companies raise capital from individual investors.
Fintech
Ali MoizJohn Hancockin
Co-investors500 Globalalphabet angels
Snappr produces and delivers photography, videography, and AI-generated images for clients with high-volume or individual project needs.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyEnterprise SoftwareMarketplacesSan Francisco, US
Matt Schiller(Founder/CEO)in
Co-investorsAltaIR CapitalBasis Set VenturesFoundryShrug CapitalXilium CapitalY Combinator+3 more
Steady Energy develops the LDR-50, a low-temperature heat reactor based on technology from the Technical Research Centre of Finland.
CleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnergy
Tommi NymaninHannes HaapalahtiinPetteri Tenhunenin
Co-investors92 CapitalLifeline VenturesMove EnergyValo Ventures
Superhuman provides an AI-native platform for marketing teams that integrates AI agents, email management, and collaborative documentation within existing workflows.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkMarketing TechSaaS
Conrad Irwin(Founder)inRahul VohrainVivek Sodera
Co-investors1809 Capital500 Global7BC Venture CapitalAndreessen HorowitzArcher Capital GroupArcher Venture Capital+24 more
Returnmates operates a tech-enabled delivery and returns network for retail brands, offering premium same-day and next-day deliveries, box-less at-home return pickups, and doorstep exchanges.
E-commerceLogistics & Supply ChainRetail TechVenice, US
Eric Wimer(Founder)inKristian Zak(Director)
Co-investors7GC & CoBlackhorn VenturesFirebrand VenturesLightShed VenturesThe Fund
Tau Motors develops a software-defined power conversion platform spanning motors, inverters and controls for electrified systems.
EnergyHardwareMobility & TransportationSan Francisco, US
Jonathan Ellman(Director)Walter Wesley Pennington III(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsDns Capital
Treeswift develops physical AI using robotics and machine learning to assist field crews with grid inspection, vegetation management, and asset documentation.
AI & Machine LearningEnergyRoboticsPhiladelphia, US
Elizabeth Hunter(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inSteven Chen(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inMichael Shomin(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)in
Co-investorsContour Venture PartnersConvective CapitalCrosslink CapitalDorm RoomHumba VenturesInspired Capital+8 more
UNDO removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using enhanced rock weathering, a process of spreading mineralised rock on farmland to increase soil carbon capture.
AgTechCircular EconomyClimate Tech
Jim
Co-investorsLOWERCARBONLowercarbon CapitalUpscale
X Fuel develops alternative transport fuels using patented technologies that compete with fossil fuels on environmental and economic metrics.
Circular EconomyCleantechEnergyMobility & Transportation
Nicholas Ball, Ph.D.(Founder)in
Co-investorsFuture Planet CapitalLight RayUnion Square Ventures (USV)AENUOverlap HoldingsSOSV
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
Jar · m.dailyhunt.in · Aug 18, 2026
Hubble Network · in.investing.com · Aug 18, 2026
Rewind · finsmes.com · Jul 30, 2026
Boom · bfsi.economictimes.indiatimes.com · Jul 17, 2026
Gameto · smartcompany.com.au · Jul 17, 2026
OneSignal · ycombinator.com · Jul 14, 2026
Dapper Labs · startupworld.com · Jul 13, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Yes VC made?
- Yes VC has 44 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited via acquisition or IPO.
- What stage does Yes VC invest at?
- Yes VC invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Yes VC's typical check size?
- Yes VC typically writes checks of $30K – $1.5M.
- What sectors does Yes VC focus on?
- Yes VC focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Yes VC located?
- Yes VC is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
- Does Yes VC lead rounds?
- Yes VC typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does Yes VC co-invest with?
- Yes VC most often shares deals with Y Combinator, 500 Global, Andreessen Horowitz, among 253 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamE906 Yes VC & Flickr's Caterina Fake explores tech's unintended consequences in "Should This Exist?"
This Week in Startups · Caterina Fake
Why Founders Should Also Be Investors with Jyri Engeström from Yes VC
Understanding VC · Jyri Engeström
Beyond Innovation S2: Caterina Fake, Yes VC, Flickr
Beyond Innovation TV · Caterina Fake
Jyri Engeström, Investor at Yes VC | Understanding the Rules of the Venture Capital Game #3
Soaked by Slush · Jyri Engeström
#184: Jyri Engeström, Co-Founder and General Partner at Yes VC, an Early-Stage Venture Capital Firm
Justin Gordon · Jyri Engeström
Lessons learned from Flickr, Etsy & Yes VC 💎 Caterina Fake
Startupfood · Caterina Fake
Images
Co-investors · 57
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.
SV Angel is a firm that has backed startup founders since the 1990s, leveraging a large network of founders, industry leaders, and regulators to support portfolio companies.
Union Square Ventures is a venture capital firm based in New York City that invests at the edge of large markets undergoing transformation from technological and societal pressures.
Lifeline Ventures is a sector-agnostic early-stage investor that partners with founders from the very beginning and supports them as they grow. Its team brings global experience building and scaling companies as founders and in executive roles.
GV (Google Ventures) is a venture capital firm that has invested in artificial intelligence and machine learning since its early days, building a global portfolio of more than 100 AI companies across infrastructure, life sciences, and applications.
Greylock Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that partners with founders building companies from inception. Its partners make only one or two new investments per year to focus deeply on each partnership.
Founder Collective is a seed and pre-seed stage venture capital firm that invests across sectors, describing itself as sector agnostic and anti-thematic.
Collaborative Fund is a venture capital firm that backs entrepreneurs building category- and culture-defining brands, products, and services across consumer, health, energy, and access-to-capital themes.
Graph Ventures is a venture capital firm founded and run by investors who have backed and built dozens of VC-backed companies over more than a decade, offering founders fundraising connections, scaling advice, and network access.
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General Catalyst is a venture capital firm operating as a partnership focused on company building and accelerating the growth of the businesses it backs.
Craft Ventures is a venture capital firm run by a team of former founders, operators, and investors who partner closely with founders to help build and scale technology companies.
▶45 more co-investors
SOSVElectric CapitalLowercase CapitalSaga VenturesMoxxie VenturesBrand Foundry VenturesListen VenturesCompoundFuture Planet CapitalAccelKhosla VenturesTechstarsUncork CapitalUnknown VenturesEverywhere VenturesTrue VenturesSound VenturesFreestyle CapitalForerunner VenturesAccel-KKRCaffeinated CapitalKapor CapitalObvious VenturesSoftBank Vision FundCota CapitalFloodgateUlu VenturesRed Swan VenturesBuckley Ventures Management Company LlcParadigmBetaworks Ventures Management, LlcNext Play VenturesWorklife VenturesFormation GroupHouseAI FundCoalition OperatorsVista Venture PartnersPitbull VenturesInventureFabric VenturesUnshackled VenturesBullishVoima VenturesMGV
Firms observed investing alongside Yes VC, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Yes VC's recorded portfolio.
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