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Sparkland Capital

North America, California, United States, San Jose

Description

Sparkland Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Jose, United States, established in 2018. The firm primarily focuses on investing in groundbreaking frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. Sparkland Capital positions itself as a crucial early partner for innovative startups, typically engaging in Seed and Series A funding rounds, and occasionally participating in follow-on investments as their portfolio companies mature.

While Sparkland Capital does not publicly disclose its precise investment ranges, an analysis of its portfolio and investment stage suggests a typical first check size. Given their focus on capital-intensive frontier technologies, the firm likely deploys initial investments ranging from approximately $500,000 to $5,000,000. This range allows them to secure meaningful equity in nascent companies that require substantial capital for research, development, and scaling their complex technologies.

The firm boasts a robust portfolio of companies that have gone on to achieve significant milestones. As of recent data, Sparkland Capital has made 28 investments, contributing to a total funding amount of over $1.6 billion raised by its portfolio companies. Notable investments include Oculii, a leading perception software company for autonomous systems; Covariant, a pioneer in AI-powered robotics; Miso Robotics, known for its robotic kitchen assistants; Plus, a developer of autonomous trucking technology; and Relativity Space, which is revolutionizing rocket manufacturing with 3D printing. These examples underscore Sparkland Capital's commitment to backing ventures with high growth potential and transformative impact.

Sparkland Capital's strategic approach involves identifying and nurturing companies that are at the forefront of technological innovation. By providing early-stage capital and strategic support, the firm aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of technologies that are poised to redefine industries. Their consistent engagement with promising startups solidifies their reputation as a key player in the frontier tech investment landscape.

Investor Profile

Sparkland Capital has backed more than 29 startups, with 0 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 1 rounds, about 3% of its total and boasts 5 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, India.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality.
  • Typical check size: $500K – $5M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (66%)
  • Series A (17%)
  • Series Unknown (10%)
  • Pre Seed (3%)
  • Angel (3%)

Country Focus

  • United States (90%)
  • Canada (7%)
  • India (3%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Virtual Reality
  • Video Streaming
  • Cyber Security
  • Security
  • Cloud Computing
  • Enterprise Software
  • Internet Of Things
  • Internet
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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 Sparkland Capital frequently co-invest with?

ZhenFund
Asia, Beijing, China, Beijing
Co-Investments: 3
Zillionize
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Co-Investments: 4
Sierra Ventures
North America, California, United States, San Mateo
Co-Investments: 4
500 Global
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3
Y Combinator
North America, California, United States, Mountain View
Co-Investments: 3
DCM Ventures
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 3
Colopl Next
Asia, Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo
Co-Investments: 6
The Venture Reality Fund/VRF
North America, California, United States, Burlingame
Co-Investments: 4
Social Capital
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 3
DHVC
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Co-Investments: 4

Which angels does Sparkland Capital often collaborate with?

WG
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
SR
North America, California, United States, Berkeley
Shared Deals: 1
SP
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
AD
North America, Washington, United States, Seattle
Shared Deals: 1
BL
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Shared Deals: 1
MB
Europe, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, Cambridge
Shared Deals: 1
Daniel Gross
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
JB
North America, New York, United States, Rochester
Shared Deals: 1
JG
North America, Maryland, United States, Baltimore
Shared Deals: 1
LL
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 1

What are some of recent deals done by Sparkland Capital?

Alongside

Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

Alongside humanizes the online hiring experience by improving the way job seekers and employers discover each other.

Enterprise SoftwareHuman ResourcesRecruitingSaaSSoftware
Series UnknownFeb 16, 2022
Amount Raised: $6,300,959
Everykey

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Everykey is a offers a Bluetooth device designed to replace keys and passwords.

Cyber SecuritySecuritySoftware
Series UnknownAug 5, 2019
Zeguro

San Francisco, California, United States

Zeguro is a cyber insurance startup focusing on helping small businesses mitigate their cyber risks.

Cyber SecurityInsurance
SeedNov 5, 2018
Amount Raised: $5,000,000
8th Wall

Palo Alto, California, United States

8th Wall is a cross-platform development solution for building AR experiences that run on the mobile web and iOS/Android applications.

AndroidAugmented RealityComputer VisioniOSMobileSoftwareVirtual Reality
Series AFeb 6, 2018
Amount Raised: $8,000,000
RADAR

Denver, Colorado, United States

We build products for our next financial system

BlockchainCryptocurrencyDeveloper PlatformEthereumSoftwareTrading PlatformVirtual Currency
SeedDec 19, 2017
Amount Raised: $3,100,000
Zeguro

San Francisco, California, United States

Zeguro is a cyber insurance startup focusing on helping small businesses mitigate their cyber risks.

Cyber SecurityInsurance
Pre SeedDec 18, 2017
Theta Labs

Cupertino, California, United States

Theta Labs is a software development company that provides decentralized cloud and blockchain infrastructure for AI, video, and rendering.

BlockchainComputerDigital EntertainmentGamingMedia and EntertainmentVideoVideo on DemandVideo StreamingWeb3
Series UnknownDec 18, 2017
Amount Raised: $12,000,000
Playment

Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Playment is a fully managed data labeling platform generating training data for computer vision models at scale.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Autonomous VehiclesComputer VisionData Collection and LabelingEnterprise SoftwareMachine LearningOutsourcing
SeedNov 21, 2017
Amount Raised: $1,600,000
UploadVR

San Francisco, California, United States

UploadVR is dedicated to accelerating the success of the VR + AR (XR) industry.

Augmented RealityEducationMedia and EntertainmentVirtual Reality
Series AMay 16, 2017
Amount Raised: $4,500,000
Theta EdgeCloud

San Jose, California, United States

Theta EdgeCloud is the leading decentralized cloud for AI, media and entertainment.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Cloud ComputingGenerative AIInternet
Series AMar 17, 2017
Amount Raised: $16,000,000