VCs for AI Startups: 25 Venture Capital Firms Backing AI Founders, by Stage, and How to Pitch Them
Almost every venture firm now says it invests in AI, so a list of "top AI investors" ranked by fund size does not help much. What an AI founder needs to know is which firms back companies at your stage, whether AI is their whole thesis or one sector among many, how much they put in, and whether you can apply without an introduction. We checked 25 venture capital firms on their own websites in October 2026: their AI focus, the stage they state, the cheque size or fund where they publish one, and the way in. Firms from the 2025 version of this list that closed, changed or could not be verified are listed in a separate section.
Quick answer: for a first cheque from an AI-only fund, look at AIX Ventures (pre-seed to Series A, $1M to $5M), Conviction ($1M to $25M, often the first investor), Air Street Capital (leads early rounds with $500K to $15M) and Radical Ventures. If you have no investor network, apply to an open programme: Y Combinator ($500K), a16z speedrun (up to $1M), Sequoia Arc, Greylock Edge, Techstars ($220K), Antler or Menlo's Anthology Fund (from $100,000). Corporate funds M12 (Microsoft) and GV (Alphabet) and multi-stage firms such as Lightspeed, Index and Kleiner Perkins usually need a warm introduction.
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VCs for AI Startups Compared
Sources: each firm's own website, checked 27 October 2026. "Not published" means the firm's site does not state it; figures can change, so read the firm's page before you pitch.
The 25 VCs for AI Startups in 2027
The firms are grouped by type: AI-only funds first, then open programmes you can apply to, corporate venture funds, and multi-stage firms that invest in AI among other sectors. Each entry links the firm's own site.
AI-only venture funds
1. AIX Ventures
AIX Ventures calls itself a seed-stage venture firm led by AI practitioners. It invests only in companies where AI is a core component of the main product today, across consumer, developer tools and data, healthcare and life sciences, manufacturing and warehousing, and SaaS. Its FAQ states that it invests from pre-seed to Series A, targets cheques of $1 million to $5 million, leads rounds and keeps reserves for follow-ons. Its homepage features the founders of Hugging Face, Perplexity and Weights & Biases. How to pitch: an intro call with its HQ team, then meetings with investment partners and an investment committee vote; start through the contact page.
2. Conviction
Conviction describes itself as a venture firm purpose-built to serve AI-native, "Software 3.0" companies. It writes cheques of $1 million to $25 million, says it likes to invest early and is often the first investor, and lists Sarah Guo and Mike Vernal among its partners; its portfolio includes Baseten and Cartesia. How to pitch: we found no application form on its site, so reach a partner through a founder or angel they know.
3. Air Street Capital (Europe and the US)
Air Street Capital invests in AI-first technology and life science companies in Europe and the US and says it invests as early as possible. On March 23, 2026 founder Nathan Benaich announced Fund III of $232 million to back AI-first companies from the earliest stages in North America and Europe: Air Street leads early-stage rounds with cheques of $500K to $15M and makes select growth investments of up to $25M. With Fund III it calls itself the largest solo GP venture firm in Europe, so one person makes the decision. It also publishes the yearly State of AI Report. How to pitch: no form on its site; use an introduction.
4. Radical Ventures
Radical Ventures calls AI the most consequential technology in human history and backs AI founders from day-zero incubations to growth and pre-IPO scaling. It has offices in Toronto, San Francisco and London, and its homepage features Cohere, World Labs (founded by Fei-Fei Li), Waabi and Latent Labs. How to pitch: its contact page invites founders building at the frontier of AI to write to its general inquiries address.
5. Zetta Venture Partners
Zetta says it focuses on AI and nothing else. Its site now presents it as an investor in frontier science: founders pushing AI in science and building tools for discovery, with day-zero capital and hands-on support for scientific founders. It is based in San Francisco, with partners in San Francisco and New York. How to pitch: no form on its site; use an introduction.
6. Menlo Ventures (Anthology Fund)
Menlo Ventures has offices in San Francisco and Menlo Park. On June 23, 2026 it announced $3 billion in new capital to go all in on AI: Menlo Ventures XVII, which invests from seed to Series A, and Menlo Inflection IV for Series B and later. AI founders also have an open door: the Menlo Anthology Fund, a $100 million fund created with Anthropic, invests from seed to expansion stage starting at $100,000 and gives backed startups $25,000 in Anthropic credits. How to pitch: apply on the Anthology Fund page.
Open programmes you can apply to
7. Y Combinator
Y Combinator invests in every sector, and its homepage names AI companies such as Scale AI and Replit among its alumni. Its standard deal is $500,000 per company: $125,000 for a fixed 7% and $375,000 on an uncapped MFN SAFE. How to pitch: apply online. The on-time deadline for the Winter 2027 batch (January to March, in San Francisco) is November 2 at 8pm PT, with decisions by December 11; later applications are still considered.
8. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z speedrun)
Andreessen Horowitz lists AI as a focus area, and on January 9, 2026, announcing that it had raised over $15B, it named AI and crypto as the key architectures of the future. Its route for first-time founders is a16z speedrun, a 12-week residency in San Francisco that invests up to $1M: $500K for 10% upfront via a SAFE, plus another $500K into your next round within 18 months. How to pitch: applications for SR008 are open until November 1, 2026; SR008 runs from February 1 to April 16, 2027.
9. Sequoia Capital (Arc)
Sequoia Capital runs Arc, which it describes as its twice-yearly open call for pre-seed and seed founders, followed by a four-day Arc Intensive for selected teams. On October 27, 2025 it launched its sixth dedicated seed fund; the partners' notes in that post name AI commerce and voice AI among their interests. Sequoia does not publish an Arc cheque size. How to pitch: apply to the next Arc call.
10. Greylock (Greylock Edge)
Greylock runs Edge, a three-month company-building programme for pre-idea, pre-seed and seed founders, with flexible financing on the founder's choice of terms and more than $1M in infrastructure and AI credits. On July 14, 2026 it announced Greylock 18, a $1.5 billion early-stage fund focused on AI-era companies. How to pitch: apply on the Edge page.
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11. Techstars
Techstars is an accelerator and investor for early-stage startups. Its site states that every company gets $220K in capital and three months of hands-on mentorship. Its programmes are mostly organised by city and sector, and the current list includes Techstars AI Health Baltimore. How to pitch: apply online to the programme that fits your city or sector.
12. Antler
Antler calls itself a global early-stage VC that invests from first check to IPO, and its homepage features AI companies such as Lovable and Fluidstack. Founders join a residency; amounts vary by location, and in Singapore, for example, Antler backs founders with up to $400k at inception. How to pitch: apply online and choose your city.
13. AI Fund
AI Fund, founded by Andrew Ng, is a venture studio rather than a traditional fund. It says it is backed by over $370 million, with support from Sequoia Capital and NEA among others, and co-founds AI companies with entrepreneurs, aiming to go from idea to funded startup in three months. How to pitch: it does not take unsolicited pitches; experienced AI engineers can apply to its Engineer in Residence programme.
Corporate venture funds
14. M12 (Microsoft's venture fund)
M12 started in 2016 as Microsoft Ventures and was renamed M12 in 2018. It invests in seed through Series B companies, and its focus areas are AI apps, security for AI, AI cloud infrastructure, AI data ops and models, and deep tech and systems. It says its strategy is tightly aligned with Microsoft, which can mean customers and partnerships for its startups; it also runs the GitHub Fund. How to pitch: reach the partner on its team page who covers your area.
15. GV (Google Ventures)
GV was launched as Google Ventures in 2009, has Alphabet as its only limited partner and invests from seed to growth across technology and life sciences, with over $13 billion under management. Its homepage says it has backed 50+ AI-native application companies, such as Harvey, Hebbia and Synthesia, and 20 AI healthcare companies, including insitro and Isomorphic Labs. How to pitch: we found no open form; use a warm introduction.
Multi-stage firms with big AI portfolios
16. Lightspeed Venture Partners
Lightspeed says it has been AI founders' first call for over a decade and backs companies from seed to Series F and beyond; its homepage features Anthropic, and recent posts cover investments in ElevenLabs and other AI companies. Its own healthtech newsletter of January 29, 2026 says it closed 2025 with $9 billion in new funds. How to pitch: warm introduction to a partner.
17. Index Ventures
Index Ventures has offices in San Francisco, New York and London and invests from seed to growth. On July 31, 2026 it announced new funds that bring its investing capital to $3.5 billion, including a new $400 million seed fund. Its homepage features AI founders from Scale AI and Fireworks. How to pitch: warm introduction to a partner who covers your sector.
18. Accel
Accel announced on August 11, 2026 a $3.5 billion fundraise for its early-stage strategies in the US, Europe, Israel and India; the post names AI companies such as Lovable and Decagon among its investments. How to pitch: Indian and Indian-origin founders can apply to Accel Atoms, its pre-seed programme; elsewhere, use an introduction.
19. Khosla Ventures
Khosla Ventures is on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park and says it invests earliest, from pre-seed and seed to Series A. Its homepage lists OpenAI as an early investment. How to pitch: it asks founders to read its thesis and portfolio, then reach out through its contact page.
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20. Kleiner Perkins
Kleiner Perkins says it partners with founders from inception to IPO and beyond. Its homepage lists AI companies such as Anthropic, Harvey, Glean and OpenEvidence among its partnerships, and its recent perspectives cover AI inference companies Etched and Sail. How to pitch: warm introduction.
21. Lux Capital
Lux Capital is based in New York City and Silicon Valley, says it manages $7 billion and invests in emerging science and technology companies. Its homepage features AI companies Cognition and Physical Intelligence alongside Anduril and Databricks. It does not publish a stage. How to pitch: its contact page gives a general email address for other inquiries.
22. DCVC (Data Collective)
DCVC, Data Collective Venture Capital, calls itself deep tech venture capital and has backed founders since 2010. It says its six flagship funds back companies that use AI to tackle giant real-world problems, in areas from climate and robotics to space and defence, and that it has been with many companies from their very start; it runs 13 funds to date, plus DCVC Bio. How to pitch: warm introduction.
23. NEA (New Enterprise Associates)
NEA says it partners with founders at every stage, from idea and seed through Series D and IPO, in technology and healthcare. Its insights include posts on vertical AI (February 2025) and consumer AI (January 2025), and NEA is one of the backers of AI Fund. How to pitch: warm introduction.
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24. Insight Partners
Insight Partners brands itself around scale-ups ("Scale Up, Take Off") and "scaling the future of AI". The earliest rounds it showcases are Series A, for example the AI writing platform Writer and the multi-agent platform CrewAI, and it runs the ScaleUp:AI programme. It fits later rounds, not pre-seed. How to pitch: warm introduction.
25. Global Brain (Japan)
Global Brain is an independent Japanese venture capital firm that says it invests in more than 100 startups a year, from seed to later stage, with hands-on support and open innovation with large corporations. It reports $2.7B+ under management, and its portfolio tags include AI companies such as AuthenX and FAST ACCOUNTING. How to pitch: its website has a contact page.
Firms From the 2025 List That Changed or Left
The 2025 version of this article listed 25 firms. 21 are still active and still invest in AI, so they stay, some with a new name or focus. Four left the list and four new AI investors replaced them:
- Alpha Intelligence Capital: its website shows only a "Coming Soon" page, so we could not verify its current stage or activity and left it out.
- Kinetic Investments: its domain now redirects to a parked page, so we could not verify the firm and left it out.
- Tiger Global: its website describes a research-driven investment firm across stages but states no AI focus, stage or way for founders to pitch, so it is not a useful target for an AI founder looking for a lead.
- Alumni Ventures: it now presents itself as a venture platform for accredited individual investors that invests alongside lead VCs, so it is not a firm you pitch for a lead cheque.
- Renamed or changed: Data Collective is DCVC; Microsoft Ventures became M12 in 2018; Zetta now focuses on AI in frontier science; AI Fund is a venture studio that does not take unsolicited pitches.
- Added: Conviction, Air Street Capital, Radical Ventures and Menlo Ventures' Anthology Fund, all with a clear AI thesis on their own sites.
- Removed figures: fund sizes, portfolio counts and ticket ranges quoted from third-party blogs that the firms' own sites do not confirm, such as a16z's "$2.25 billion for AI", Index's "$5.6 billion portfolio", Insight's "$3M to $500M tickets" and Techstars' "$120k to $4M" (its site now says $220K).
How to Pitch an AI Investor in 5 Steps
- Pick by stage. A firm that invests "seed to growth" may still write few seed cheques. AIX, Conviction, Air Street and the open programmes are built for early rounds; Insight Partners is not.
- Decide: AI-only or generalist. AI-only funds such as AIX, Radical and Zetta are run by people who build AI and will test your model, data and research edge. Generalists judge the market and the business.
- Use the open doors first. YC, a16z speedrun, Sequoia Arc, Greylock Edge, Techstars, Antler and Menlo's Anthology Fund all take applications. Watch the deadlines: a16z SR008 by November 1, YC Winter 2027 by November 2.
- Get a warm introduction for the rest. Portfolio founders and angels are the best route; our guides to finding a lead investor and to angel investor groups in North America help.
- Show the moat. Investors ask what stops a bigger company copying you: proprietary data, distribution, usage and retention. Build a fundraising pitch deck that tells a story and read up on term sheet negotiation before you sign.
Which AI Investor Should You Choose?
- You have an idea or a prototype and no network: Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, Sequoia Arc, Greylock Edge, Techstars or Antler.
- You build on frontier models and need a small first cheque: Menlo's Anthology Fund, from $100,000.
- You want a specialist AI lead for a seed round: AIX Ventures, Conviction, Air Street Capital or Radical Ventures.
- You use AI in science, biology or materials: Zetta, Radical, DCVC or Lux Capital.
- You sell AI to enterprises and want a strategic partner: M12 (Microsoft) or GV (Alphabet).
- You are in Europe: Air Street Capital, plus Index and Accel from London; see the best countries for startups in Europe and our guide to artificial intelligence grants in Europe.
- You are in Asia: see our lists of early-stage VCs in Asia and VCs for AI startups in Asia; in Japan, Global Brain.
- You already have revenue and need a larger round: Lightspeed, Index, Accel, Kleiner Perkins, NEA or Insight Partners, through a warm introduction.
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How AI Founders Get Ready to Raise
AI investors see hundreds of demos, so bring proof that customers use and pay for your product. Run our 30-day validation sprint or validate your startup idea with our content-driven service, and avoid the classic pre-seed fundraising mistakes. For a wider list of seed investors beyond AI, see our guide to early-stage VC firms; if an accelerator suits you better than a fund, compare programmes in our guide to the top startup accelerators. Pitch competitions are another way to meet investors: see our list of startup competitions in North America, the top startup events on AI and fundraising and investor events. Not every AI startup should raise venture capital: compare venture capital vs grants, and check where the money goes in our Europe VC report for Q3 2026. Women founders can find more in our guides to venture capital for female entrepreneurs and pitching to investors as a woman.
FAQ About VCs for AI Startups
Which VC firms invest only in AI startups?
AIX Ventures, Conviction, Air Street Capital, Radical Ventures and Zetta Venture Partners all state on their own sites that AI is their whole focus. AI Fund is an AI-only venture studio that co-founds companies rather than taking pitches.
Which AI investors write the first cheque?
Conviction says it is often the first investor, Air Street Capital invests as early as possible and leads early rounds, AIX Ventures invests from pre-seed, and Radical Ventures backs companies from day-zero incubation.
How much do AI-focused VCs invest?
Only some publish it: AIX Ventures targets $1M to $5M, Conviction $1M to $25M, Air Street $500K to $15M for early rounds, Menlo's Anthology Fund from $100,000, Y Combinator $500K, a16z speedrun up to $1M and Techstars $220K.
Can I apply to an AI investor without an introduction?
Yes. Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, Sequoia Arc, Greylock Edge, Techstars, Antler, Menlo's Anthology Fund and Accel Atoms all take applications on their websites. Radical Ventures and Khosla Ventures publish contact details for founders.
What is the Menlo Anthology Fund?
A $100 million fund that Menlo Ventures created with Anthropic. It invests from seed to expansion stage, starting at $100,000, and gives backed startups $25,000 in Anthropic credits.
Which AI investors focus on Europe?
Air Street Capital invests in AI-first companies in Europe and the US and calls itself the largest solo GP venture firm in Europe. Index Ventures and Accel also invest from London, and Radical Ventures has a London office.
Do corporate venture funds invest in AI startups?
Yes. M12, Microsoft's venture fund, invests from seed to Series B with AI apps, security for AI and AI infrastructure among its focus areas. GV, with Alphabet as its only limited partner, says it has backed 50+ AI-native application companies.
What happened to Data Collective and Microsoft Ventures?
Data Collective now operates as DCVC, a deep tech venture firm. Microsoft Ventures was renamed M12 in 2018.
What do AI investors look for in a pitch?
AIX Ventures, for example, looks for a strong founding team, an insight into how to disrupt an industry, and signs of product-market fit, including revenue traction. Most AI investors also ask what makes your product hard to copy.
How can I get my AI startup in front of more investors?
Get covered where investors and AI assistants look: you can publish a guest post in the Fe/male Switch startup blogs. Get featured and earn a backlink.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
