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Brightstone Venture Capital

North America, Minnesota, United States, Minneapolis

Description

Brightstone Venture Capital is a Minneapolis-based venture capital firm with a strong focus on early-stage technology and life science companies. Established in 2000, the firm has built a reputation for partnering with bold entrepreneurs who are developing innovative and disruptive solutions. Their investment philosophy centers on identifying companies with significant growth potential across various high-impact sectors.

The firm typically engages in Seed, Series A, and Series B funding rounds, providing crucial capital during the formative stages of a company's development. Brightstone's initial investments generally range from $500,000 to $3,000,000, indicating a preference for substantial early-stage commitments that can fuel significant progress. While they maintain a primary focus on opportunities within the Midwest, their investment scope extends nationally for exceptionally promising ventures that align with their strategic objectives.

Brightstone's portfolio spans a diverse array of technology and life science sub-sectors, including but not limited to Software, SaaS, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Digital Health, Biotechnology, Medtech, and Diagnostics. This broad yet specialized approach allows them to capitalize on emerging trends and support a wide spectrum of innovation. Beyond initial funding, Brightstone also strategically reserves capital for follow-on investments, demonstrating a long-term commitment to their portfolio companies' growth and success. Their two decades of experience since their founding in 2000 underscore a seasoned approach to venture capital, aiming to foster the development of market-leading enterprises.

Investor Profile

Brightstone Venture Capital has backed more than 35 startups, with 0 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 4 rounds, about 11% of its total and boasts 8 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Series A, Series B rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Canada, Brazil.
  • Strong thematic focus on Health Care, Software, Biotechnology.
  • Typical check size: $500K – $3M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (43%)
  • Series A (23%)
  • Series B (14%)
  • Series Unknown (9%)
  • Series C (6%)
  • Series E (3%)
  • Series D (3%)

Country Focus

  • United States (94%)
  • Canada (3%)
  • Brazil (3%)

Industry Focus

  • Health Care
  • Software
  • Biotechnology
  • Medical
  • Health Diagnostics
  • Medical Device
  • Therapeutics
  • Information Technology
  • Virtual Reality
  • Real Estate
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Brightstone Venture Capital frequently co-invest with?

Seed San Diego
North America, California, United States, San Diego
Co-Investments: 2
Blue Ivy Ventures
North America, Massachusetts, United States, Boston
Co-Investments: 2
Service Provider Capital
North America, Colorado, United States, Golden
Co-Investments: 2
CloudScale Capital Partners
North America, California, United States, Sunnyvale
Co-Investments: 2
UpHonest Capital
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Co-Investments: 2
Rothenberg Ventures
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 2
Y Combinator
North America, California, United States, Mountain View
Co-Investments: 2
HTC
Asia, T'ai-wan, Taiwan, Taoyüan
Co-Investments: 3
Alumni Ventures
North America, New Hampshire, United States, Manchester
Co-Investments: 5
GV
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 2

Which angels does Brightstone Venture Capital often collaborate with?

Daren Cotter
North America, Minnesota, United States, Saint Paul
Shared Deals: 3
Shared Deals: 2
BB
North America, Utah, United States, Salt Lake City
Shared Deals: 1
HM
North America, California, United States, Los Angeles
Shared Deals: 1
MS
North America, California, United States, Oakland
Shared Deals: 1
FR
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
DT
North America, Colorado, United States, Denver
Shared Deals: 1
RS
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Shared Deals: 1
AV
North America, California, United States
Shared Deals: 1
HC
North America, Massachusetts, United States, Boston
Shared Deals: 2

What are some of recent deals done by Brightstone Venture Capital?

resistanceBio

Menlo Park, California, United States

Solving cancer resistance.

BiotechnologyHealth Care
SeedJul 4, 2022
Amount Raised: $12,000,000
Xplore

Redmond, Washington, United States

Xplore is an agile space company dedicated to deep space exploration.

AerospaceCommercialRobotics
Series UnknownFeb 24, 2022
Amount Raised: $7,200,000
Mosaic

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Mosaic is a a tech-enabled general contractor for the residential development industry.

ArchitectureConstructionSoftware
Series BNov 1, 2021
Amount Raised: $44,000,000
Afriex

Oakland, California, United States

Afriex is a pioneering platform that allows its users to send and receive money to anybody around the globe.

FinanceFinancial ExchangesFinancial ServicesInformation Technology
SeedMar 22, 2021
Amount Raised: $1,200,000
Eternal

Brooklyn, New York, United States

Eternal develops an avatar social network to offer a new social networking experience

InternetSocial MediaSocial NetworkSoftware
SeedOct 1, 2020
Cryosa

Minnesota City, Minnesota, United States

CryOSA is a medical device company developing novel treatments for obstructive sleep apnea.

BiotechnologyClinical TrialsHealth CareMedical Device
Series AMay 5, 2020
Aria CV

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States

Aria CV is developing a medical device designed to improve the lives of patients living with the disease of pulmonary hypertension.

Health CareMedical DeviceWellness
Series BFeb 25, 2020
Amount Raised: $31,000,000
VRChat

San Francisco, California, United States

VRchat creates virtual reality content on its platform and helps users in creating virtual reality.

MessagingSocialVirtual Reality
Series CSep 5, 2019
Amount Raised: $10,000,000
Intact Therapeutics

Belmont, California, United States

Intact Therapeutics is a makers of smart gels for local drug delivery for gastrointestinal diseases.

DeliveryHealth CareTherapeutics
SeedJun 1, 2019
Viosera Therapeutics

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States

Viosera Therapeutics is a predict and block drug resistance in cancer and bacteria.

MedicalPharmaceuticalTherapeuticsWellness
SeedJun 1, 2019