Brightstone Venture Capital logo

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
circle-line
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

Find More Investors Like Brightstone Venture Capital

Discover similar investors in our database and build your perfect investor list.

Need help with your fundraising strategy?Read our fundraising guides

Brightstone Venture Capital | Pipeseed