If you talk about global startups, Silicon Valley is the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind. It is in the state of California in the United States. 

Numerous world-dominating startups have been created here, and so have angel investors and venture capital funds. There are tons of investors and VCs that are ready to invest in California-based startups. We went through a big list of them and sorted out the top 10 VC funds in California. Here is the list:

1. Accel Partners

Accel Ventures is a popular venture capital firm known for its early-stage investments. Most of their investments are for the tech sector. They have a global reach with a diverse sector focus. They support startups all over the world. They provide valuable guidance in go-to-market strategies and business scaling. Altogether, it makes them a very favorable partner for startups.

Website: Accel Partners

Founding Year: 1983 

Investment Range: $500k - $100M

Stage: Early - Late

Sector: Consumer Technology

Investment Geography: Global

Notable Investments: Flipkart, Bumble, Etsy, Dropbox, Deliveroo, Slack

Submit Pitch/ Contact: info@accel.com

2. Sequoia Capital

Sequoia partners with visionary entrepreneurs, guiding them from concept to IPO and beyond. With a legacy spanning 50 years, Sequoia has fueled the success of industry giants such as Steve Jobs, Larry Page, and Brian Chesky. Investing significantly on behalf of nonprofits and institutions like the Ford Foundation, Mayo Clinic, and MIT, Sequoia's impact extends beyond financial returns, contributing to the greater good. As stalwart believers in future industry leaders, Sequoia shapes tomorrow's most valuable enterprises, with their portfolio representing over a quarter of NASDAQ's total value.

Website: Sequoia Capital

Founding Year: 1972

Investment Range: $100K - $1B

Stage: Early - Late

Sector: Diverse, including technology, healthcare, consumer, and more

Investment Geography: Global, with a focus on the United States, China, India, and other emerging markets

Notable Investments: Apple, Google, Oracle, YouTube, WhatsApp, Airbnb, Dropbox

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

3. Andreessen Horowitz

Andreessen Horowitz is also known as a16z. This is an investment firm created by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz in 2009. They invest in different tech companies at different stages of development. The fund covers important sectors like consumer products, business solutions, healthcare, crypto, finance technology, gaming etc. A16z firm is run by general partners with variety of experiences. Many of the investors were founders or executives in various successful tech ventures. 

Website: Andreessen Horowitz

Founding Year: 2009

Investment Range: $50M - $100M

Stage: Seed - Late

Sector: Technology-focused, including software, cryptocurrency, biotech, and more

Investment Geography: Global

Notable Investments: Airbnb, Coinbase, Facebook, GitHub, Lyft, Slack

Submit Pitch/ Contact: info@a16z.com

4. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Kleiner Perkins is a company that puts money into new and interesting businesses. They've been doing it for 50 years and have helped out big names like Amazon, Genentech, and Google. Right now, they're still investing in cool companies like Desktop Metal, IronNet, Ring, Spotify, Slack, and UiPath.

Website: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Founding Year: 1972

Investment Range: $100M - $1B

Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Late

Sector: Diverse, including technology, healthcare, and more

Investment Geography: Global

Notable Investments: Amazon, Google, Twitter, Uber, Airbnb, Spotify

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

5. Greylock Partners

Greylock Edge, with decades of expertise, guides founders from inception to IPO. Offering a three-month access package, it includes resources, AI Researchers in Residence, and support in hiring and customer services. Edge doesn't mandate capital uptake, providing flexible funding options from a priced seed round to no capital. Moreover, companies benefit from over $500K in credits with AWS, Google, Microsoft, and other partners.

Website: Greylock Partners

Founding Year: 1965

Investment Range: $2M - $20M

Stage:  Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A

Sector: Enterprise software, consumer internet, AI and more

Investment Geography: Global

Notable Investments: Facebook, LinkedIn, Airbnb, Dropbox, Instagram, Palo Alto Networks

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

6. Founders Fund

Founded in 2005, San Francisco's Founders Fund stands as a prominent venture capital firm with approximately $11 billion in assets. The company invested early in Space Exploration Technologies, Palantir Technologies, and supported Facebook from the beginning. It plays a key role in influencing tech innovations. Founders Fund focuses on supporting innovative businesses, playing a crucial role in helping them grow.

Website: Founders Fund

Founding Year: 2005

Investment Range: $1M - $500M

Stage: Early - Growth

Sector: Technology-focused, including biotech, aerospace, artificial intelligence, and more

Investment Geography: Global, with a particular interest in the United States

Notable Investments: SpaceX, Palantir, Airbnb, Spotify, and Stripe

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

7. Lightspeed Venture Partners

Lightspeed Venture Partners is a major investor in the startup community. They invest in new and interesting ideas in business, everyday products, health, and financial technology. Over the last 20 years, Lightspeed has supported more than 500 companies globally, such as Affirm, Epic Games, and Snap. They have a skilled team managing $18 billion, collaborating with creative business leaders to make ventures like Carta, Guardant Health, and Udaan successful.

Website: Lightspeed Venture Partners

Founding Year: 2000

Investment Range: $100M - $1B

Stage: Early, Growth, Late

Sector: Enterprise IT, consumer internet, and more

Investment Geography: Global

Notable Investments: Snap, Affirm, Nest, Grubhub, AppDynamics, Nutanix

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

8. Benchmark

Benchmark invests in new businesses that are just getting started. They focus on different areas like consumer goods, online marketplaces, open-source projects, artificial intelligence, basic technology, and business software. Benchmark is strategic in finding and helping these startups. They play a very important role in shaping the future of cutting-edge technologies.

Website: Benchmark

Founding Year: 1995

Investment Range: $10M - $50M

Stage: Early

Sector: Diverse, including technology, healthcare, and more

Investment Geography: Global

Notable Investments: Uber, Twitter, Dropbox, Instagram, Snapchat, Zendesk

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

9. New Enterprise Associates

NEA is a seasoned investment partner fueling innovation for over four decades, managing around $25 billion in assets. Specializing in technology and healthcare, NEA supports companies from seed stage to IPO, contributing to over 270 IPOs and 450+ mergers and acquisitions. Beyond traditional investors, NEA boasts a diverse team of technologists, inventors, operators, physicians, researchers, and marketers. Their global fund fosters a collaborative culture, uniting diverse disciplines with a shared passion for groundbreaking solutions that shape the future.

Website: New Enterprise Associates

Founding Year: 1977

Investment Range: $1M - $2.5M

Stage: All

Sector: Technology, healthcare, and more

Investment Geography: Global

Notable Investments: Workday, Salesforce, Tableau, Robinhood, Jet

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

10. Thrive Capital

Thrive Capital, a prominent New York City-based venture capital firm, specializes in strategic investments in software and internet ventures. Founded by Joshua Kushner, also known for co-founding Oscar Health and holding a minority ownership stake in the Memphis Grizzlies, the firm has carved its niche in fostering innovation and growth in the tech sector.

Website: Thrive Capital

Founding Year: 2009

Investment Range: $500K - $30M

Stage: Early, Later

Sector: Technology-focused, including consumer internet, software, and more

Investment Geography: Global (Focused on US)

Notable Investments: Instagram, Slack, Stripe, GitHub, Oscar Health

Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link

Best of luck with your amazing ventures. 

Please note that this list is filtered by various metrics, and all the data are collected through various third-party websites, mostly the VC website. Since data such as ticket size or industry may change, you are requested to visit the official website given in the blog for the latest and updated information.