Altos Ventures

What they do

Altos Ventures was founded in 1996 to invest in early-stage technology companies. After starting with $30 million in committed capital, they currently manage more than $8 billion in regulatory assets under management, supporting the full lifecycle of companies from inception to global growth and profitability. They have been the first and lead institutional investor in 100+ companies around the world. They invest in both consumer and enterprise tech companies, with a particular interest in enterprise SaaS, FinTech, e-commerce, and consumer brands and services. They look to invest in high-growth, capital-efficient, founder-led companies. Initial investments can start as small as $500,000 while our follow-on investments can exceed $100 million in a single round, purchasing both primary and secondary shares.

What they look for

Altos Ventures operates on a philosophy of "patient and pragmatic investing" to build "durable and compounding businesses over decades". Their core thesis is famously inspired by Archilochus and Jim Collins' concept of "The Fox and the Hedgehog." Altos explicitly seeks to back "Hedgehogs"-founders who obsessively focus on one big thing, acquire deep domain expertise, and never give up-rather than "Foxes," who are nimble, serial entrepreneurs chasing the latest trends. They look for founder-led companies with an "ownership mentality," strong operating fundamentals, and attractive unit economics, preferring entrepreneurs who can grow in a capital-efficient manner and who take idiosyncratic approaches to solving big problems.

Stage

Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+

Sectors

SaaS, Fintech, Consumer, Healthcare, AI

Based

Burlingame, US