Apple

Apple Inc. is primarily known as a global technology company, not a traditional venture capital investor. Unlike dedicated VC firms or corporate venture capital (CVC) arms, Apple does not operate a public or private fund specifically designed to make minority equity investments in early-stage startups. Their core business revolves around designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, software, and online services.

Apple's external capital deployment is predominantly focused on strategic acquisitions of companies that complement its product ecosystem, technology roadmap, or talent pool. These acquisitions can range significantly in value, from smaller deals for intellectual property or talent to multi-billion dollar purchases. For instance, Apple acquired Beats Electronics for approximately $3 billion in 2014 and Shazam for around $400 million in 2018. These are outright purchases of entire entities, not "first cheques" in the venture capital sense of taking a minority stake.

Furthermore, Apple has engaged in large-scale strategic investments and initiatives, such as its $1 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund launched in 2017, aimed at fostering innovation and job creation among U.S. manufacturers. Through this fund, Apple has made significant commitments, including an investment of $390 million in Finisar to support their production of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and a $200 million investment in Corning to support its research and development into glass technologies. These are substantial, targeted investments in established businesses within their supply chain rather than typical venture capital rounds for emerging startups.

Given Apple's operational focus and its distinct approach to external capital deployment through strategic acquisitions and large-scale industrial funds, the concept of a "typical first cheque size" for venture capital investments does not apply to their activities. They do not participate in seed, Series A, or later-stage equity rounds as a primary investor in the manner of a traditional VC firm or even most corporate venture capital units.

Consequently, reliable data regarding minimum and maximum typical first cheque sizes for Apple as a venture capital investor is unavailable because such a function does not align with their established investment strategy.