Creative Ventures logo

Creative Ventures

North America, California, United States, Oakland

Description

Creative Ventures is an Oakland, California-based deep tech venture capital firm dedicated to investing in early-stage companies that address humanity's most pressing challenges. Founded in 2016, the firm focuses on three critical areas: the Future of Industry, the Future of Health, and the Future of Climate. Their investment strategy targets innovative technologies and solutions that have the potential for significant societal impact and market disruption.

The firm primarily invests in companies ranging from pre-seed to Series A stages, providing crucial capital during the foundational phases of a startup's development. Creative Ventures is known for its hands-on approach, working closely with founders to navigate the complexities of deep tech commercialization. Their initial check size typically falls within the range of $1 million to $5 million, allowing them to support a diverse portfolio of promising ventures.

Creative Ventures has demonstrated a consistent ability to raise substantial capital to fuel its investment activities. In 2020, the firm successfully closed its second fund, Creative Ventures Fund II, with $100 million in commitments. Building on this momentum, they announced the close of their third fund, Creative Ventures Fund III, in June 2022, securing $150 million. This brings their total assets under management to approximately $300 million, underscoring their significant presence in the deep tech investment landscape. To date, Creative Ventures has invested in over 50 companies, contributing to the growth of numerous innovative startups across its core focus areas.

Investor Profile

Creative Ventures has backed more than 60 startups, with 1 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 11 rounds, about 18% of its total and boasts 4 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Series A, Series Unknown rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Canada, United Kingdom.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, Health Care, Artificial Intelligence (AI).
  • Typical check size: $1M – $5M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (53%)
  • Series A (23%)
  • Series Unknown (10%)
  • Series B (7%)
  • Convertible Note (2%)
  • Debt Financing (2%)
  • Angel (2%)
  • Undisclosed (2%)

Country Focus

  • United States (80%)
  • Canada (7%)
  • United Kingdom (5%)
  • Australia (3%)
  • Singapore (2%)
  • France (2%)
  • South Korea (2%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Health Care
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Biotechnology
  • Robotics
  • Industrial Automation
  • Information Technology
  • Manufacturing
  • Medical
  • Medical Device
circle-line
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Who does Creative Ventures frequently co-invest with?

Vulcan Capital
North America, Washington, United States, Seattle
Co-Investments: 3
Foothill Ventures
North America, California, United States, Los Altos
Co-Investments: 4
Toyota Ventures
North America, California, United States, Los Altos
Co-Investments: 4
FundersClub
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3
Lemnos VC
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 2
Compound
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 2
Blackhorn Ventures
North America, Colorado, United States, Denver
Co-Investments: 3
Flying Fish Partners
North America, Washington, United States, Seattle
Co-Investments: 5
Doral Energy-Tech Ventures
Asia, Tel Aviv, Israel, Ramat Gan
Co-Investments: 3
Alumni Ventures
North America, New Hampshire, United States, Manchester
Co-Investments: 3

Which angels does Creative Ventures often collaborate with?

T. Chen Fong
North America, Alberta, Canada, Calgary
Shared Deals: 1
Mark Silverman
North America, United States
Shared Deals: 1
MA
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
KM
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 1
FG
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
John Clifford
Oceania, Victoria, Australia, Melbourne
Shared Deals: 2
DM
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
MC
North America, Texas, United States, Dallas
Shared Deals: 1
FK
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
JB
North America, North Dakota, United States, Fargo
Shared Deals: 1

What are some of recent deals done by Creative Ventures?

Picnic

Seattle, Washington, United States

Picnic is a developer of robotic food system designed to automate the pizza-making process.

Food ProcessingIndustrial AutomationRoboticsSoftware
Series UnknownOct 29, 2024
Amount Raised: $5,000,000
Relectrify

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Relectrify develops advanced battery control solutions, which increase the lifetime and reduce the cost of battery storage systems.

BatteryElectronicsEmbedded SoftwareEnergyEnergy StorageSolar
Series BMay 29, 2024
Amount Raised: $17,000,000
Tierra Biosciences

San Leandro, California, United States

Tierra Biosciences is a synthetic biology company that offers an AI-driven platform with a vast range of custom proteins for research.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)BiopharmaBiotechnologyLife Science
Series AMar 12, 2024
Amount Raised: $11,400,000
AM Batteries

Chelmsford, Massachusetts, United States

AM Batteries manufactures Li-ion batteries using solvent-free electrode manufacturing technology.

ElectronicsManufacturingRenewable Energy
Series BNov 9, 2023
Amount Raised: $30,000,000
Cytonus Therapeutics

Carlsbad, California, United States

Cytonus is a biotech company combining AI-driven drug discovery together with a class defining drug-delivery platform called the Cargocyte

BiotechnologyHealth CareMedical
Series ANov 3, 2023
Amount Raised: $11,703,095
Factagora

Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea

AI experts with factual data.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)ConsultingMachine Learning
Series UnknownOct 30, 2023
Tierra Biosciences

San Leandro, California, United States

Tierra Biosciences is a synthetic biology company that offers an AI-driven platform with a vast range of custom proteins for research.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)BiopharmaBiotechnologyLife Science
Series ASep 22, 2023
Amount Raised: $17,556,003
VenoStent

Houston, Texas, United States

VenoStent is a tissue engineering medical device company developing bioabsorbable polymer wraps for better outcomes in vascular surgery.

Advanced MaterialsBiotechnologyHealth CareLife ScienceMedical Device
Series AJul 31, 2023
Amount Raised: $16,000,000
3E Nano

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

3E Nano develops and commercializes, Diamond-Like Carbon coating applied to glass and other transparent media.

GreenTechRenewable EnergySolar
SeedMar 28, 2023
Amount Raised: $4,000,000
Picnic

Seattle, Washington, United States

Picnic is a developer of robotic food system designed to automate the pizza-making process.

Food ProcessingIndustrial AutomationRoboticsSoftware
UndisclosedMar 23, 2023