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Upside Partnership

North America, California, United States, Mill Valley

Description

Upside Partnership is a venture capital firm founded by renowned investors Chris and Crystal Sacca, based in Mill Valley, California. Launched with a distinct focus on seed-stage investments, the firm aims to partner with exceptional founders who are building companies poised for significant impact and high profile. Leveraging the Saccas' extensive experience and network from Chris's highly successful Lowercase Capital, Upside Partnership adopts a more curated and deeply engaged approach to early-stage funding. Their strategy is rooted in identifying visionary entrepreneurs and providing not just capital, but also strategic guidance and hands-on support to help scale nascent ventures.

The firm's investment philosophy is highly selective, often prioritizing founders with whom they have a pre-existing relationship or a strong, personal conviction. Upside Partnership seeks to be a true partner, emphasizing long-term relationships and providing comprehensive support beyond the initial capital injection. They are known for their founder-friendly terms and a commitment to helping portfolio companies navigate the challenges of early growth. This hands-on approach reflects their belief that the right support at the seed stage can significantly accelerate a company's trajectory towards becoming a market leader.

Upside Partnership typically deploys initial capital in the range of $250,000 to $500,000, focusing on the earliest stages of company development. While these initial checks are designed to provide crucial runway for product development and initial market validation, the firm also maintains the capacity to participate in follow-on rounds for their most promising portfolio companies. Their investment decisions are driven by the potential for disruptive innovation and the strength of the founding team, rather than strict sector limitations, though they have a history of backing transformative companies in consumer technology and enterprise software.

In essence, Upside Partnership represents a strategic evolution for the Saccas, allowing them to apply their proven investment acumen to a more concentrated portfolio of high-potential seed-stage ventures. Their reputation for identifying and nurturing groundbreaking companies, combined with their commitment to deep founder partnerships, positions Upside Partnership as a highly sought-after early-stage investor in the competitive venture capital landscape.

Investor Profile

Upside Partnership has backed more than 97 startups, with 2 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 2 rounds, about 2% of its total and boasts 18 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Series A, Pre Seed rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Canada, Israel.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, Enterprise Software, Information Technology.
  • Typical check size: $250K – $500K.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (59%)
  • Series A (26%)
  • Pre Seed (7%)
  • Series B (6%)
  • Series Unknown (1%)
  • Series C (1%)

Country Focus

  • United States (97%)
  • Canada (2%)
  • Israel (1%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Enterprise Software
  • Information Technology
  • Internet
  • Machine Learning
  • Saas
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Fintech
  • Human Resources
  • Financial Services
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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 Upside Partnership frequently co-invest with?

First Round Capital
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 8
Fuel Capital
North America, California, United States, Burlingame
Co-Investments: 7
Baseline Ventures
North America, Wyoming, United States, Jackson
Co-Investments: 10
Y Combinator
North America, California, United States, Mountain View
Co-Investments: 7
SV Angel
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 8
Bloomberg Beta
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 7
Freestyle Capital
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 7
Resolute Ventures
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 7
Slow Ventures
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 6
Harrison Metal
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 7

Which angels does Upside Partnership often collaborate with?

TF
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Shared Deals: 2
AU
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 3
GR
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
QY
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
KM
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 5
AL
North America, California, United States
Shared Deals: 3
JG
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
KG
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
GB
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
JA
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2

What are some of recent deals done by Upside Partnership?

Stackpack

San Francisco, California, United States

Stackpack is AI platform help companies to manage the accelerating costs, risks, and complexity of third-party vendors.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Information TechnologySaaS
SeedMay 13, 2025
Amount Raised: $6,300,000
Actuate

New York, New York, United States

Actuate enhances existing surveillance systems through AI camera software that improves efficiency without the need for new hardware.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Information TechnologyMachine LearningSecuritySoftware
Series BAug 14, 2024
Amount Raised: $11,500,000
Haus

Mountain View, California, United States

Haus is a marketing science platform that helps brands understand the true business impact of their marketing spend.

AnalyticsEnterprise SoftwareMarketingTest and Measurement
Series AAug 3, 2023
Amount Raised: $17,000,000
The Easy Company

San Francisco, California, United States

The Easy Company is working to improve Web3's usability and security.

BlockchainSoftwareWeb3
SeedJan 10, 2023
Amount Raised: $14,200,000
Privacy Dynamics

Seattle, Washington, United States

Privacy Dynamics allows engineering teams to create and manage PII-free replicas of their Production data environments.

Data StorageDeveloper ToolsPrivacy
SeedDec 1, 2022
Amount Raised: $5,600,000
Metrist

San Francisco, California, United States

Performance & availability monitoring for the cloud apps your SaaS depends on

Application Performance ManagementCloud Data ServicesCloud InfrastructureDeveloper APIsDeveloper ToolsSaaSSoftware
SeedNov 1, 2022
Amount Raised: $4,000,000
Fursure

San Francisco, California, United States

Fursure is the first financial platform for pet parents, spanning debit cards, insurance, and more. Made by pet parents for pet parents.

BankingInsurancePet
SeedOct 31, 2022
Amount Raised: $3,000,000
Stable

San Francisco, California, United States

Mission Control for High-Performing EV Charging Stations

Charging InfrastructureElectric VehicleSoftwareTransportation
Series ASep 14, 2022
Amount Raised: $14,000,000
Smallstep

San Francisco, California, United States

Smallstep is an open-source toolkit to automate certificate administration and secure infrastructures.

Identity ManagementNetwork SecurityOpen SourceSoftware
Series AApr 28, 2022
Amount Raised: $19,000,000
Forma

Fremont, California, United States

Forma is a modern-day benefits platform that gives employees the freedom to choose health and wellness options that are right for them.

Employee BenefitsEnterprise SoftwareHealth CareWellness
Series BMar 1, 2022
Amount Raised: $40,000,000