We’ve made several VC attributes filterable in our Venture Navigator. These filters are just a small subset of our internal database — we track over 100 variables across all VC funds to fuel custom analyses we conduct for clients. Please contact us to discuss screening VCs by attributes / filters beyond what’s available in this tool.
Right now, the Venture Navigator contains ~370 VCs, most of which are US-based DeepTech investors. Over time, we will add more VCs across many more sectors and geographies to the tool.
How the Filters Work
Query times will vary depending on which and how many filters you select.
Individual filters are ‘inclusive’. For example, if you select multiple ‘sectors’ from the Sector dropdown, you will get results for any VCs that invest in at least one of those sectors.
When pairing multiple filters, results are exclusive. For example, if you select ‘Fund 1’ from the Fund # dropdown and ‘Cybersecurity’ from the Sectors dropdown, you will only see VCs that are Fund 1s that also invest in cybersecurity.
Current Filters
Venture Firm: You may query specific firms you have in mind. Note that right now, the Venture Navigator only lists ~370 VCs (more coming soon). Also note that some firms are known by multiple monikers, which may affect your query results.
Fund #: Filter for emerging VCs (Funds 1, 2, and 3), established VCs (Funds 4 or later), first-time funds (Fund 1s), or other investment vehicles such as accelerators. Note that in DeepTech as well as venture overall, the vast majority of funds are emerging managers. Also note that some firms have multiple capacities (e.g. SOSV operates several accelerators such as Hax or IndieBio, but we have listed them as a ‘fund’ as that’s generally how they raise capital).
Style: This filter is a way to sort by how a fund invests, using five broad categories. Think of it as the firm’s overall mindset — do they consider deals from many sectors and industries? Or do they only consider startups in a particular sector or ‘theme’ (such as ‘sustainability’ or ‘overlooked founders’)? For example: some LPs only want to consider specialist funds that have a narrow investment thesis / field of expertise (Specialists), while others are only interested in VCs with broad, generalist approaches. This filter allows you to sort for that. For more on the definitions of these styles, read our DeepTech Investing Report.
Target Size: The size of the most recent fund (assets under management). This attribute is a composite of both publicly-known closed fund sizes as well as target fundraises. It lists whichever is most recent for each firm. Please use whole numbers in the filter (e.g., if you want to search for funds over $25M, input 25000000). Future versions of the navigator will expand this filter. If you’d like to explore prior funds or understand which funds are currently in market raising capital, please contact us.
This filter can help LPs screen for funds that meet their minimum and maximum allocation ranges. It can help other investors identify potential co-investors or follow-on investors. Note: This filter can also work as a proxy for ‘deal stage;’ because many funds tend to claim a wide range of deal-stages in which they’ll invest, filtering by fund size can help you suss out which firms are investing at specific startup stages. For example, a $30M fund is unlikely to prioritize Series A deals, simply because their AUM is too small to be an active Series A investor.
Target Geo: Where a VC tends to focus or emphasize their investments, by geography. Filters such as ‘Global’ and ‘United States’ will get you the largest set of results, as many firms have a fairly broad geographic lens. More specific filters such as ‘Israel’ or ‘U.S. – Great Lakes’ will give far fewer results, as it filters for emphasis. (E.g. — a ‘Global’ or ‘U.S.’ focused VC may invest in Los Angeles or the Great Lakes, but they likely don’t have a stated preference for either region). ‘North America’ generally means a fund prioritizes deals in the U.S. and Canada.
Remember that currently, the bulk of funds in the Navigator are US-based DeepTech funds. Therefore, fewer of these firms will proactively focus internationally.
Sectors: Which sectors a VC claims to invest in. If you filter for ‘Materials Science’ and “Cybersecurity,” results will list VCs that have expressed interest in either sector. In any set of results, some VCs will be much more focused on a specific sector than others. Note: we have cataloged over 10,000 portfolio companies across all the VCs in the Navigator. If you’d like to discuss portfolio specifics (e.g. demonstrated sector investments, vs. stated sector preferences), please contact us.
DeepTech Score: A proxy for how much of a VC’s portfolio is invested in advanced technology startups. This score was developed in conjunction with our DeepTech Investing Report, and helps us assess which VCs prioritize DeepTech startups. Different has developed a precise score for every VC firm, but has grouped scores into quintiles for the Navigator. Note that VCs with very small portfolios (e.g. a Fund 1 with only 3 deals to date) may have high margins of error. Read more about this score.
The DeepTech Score is just one of several scores Different has developed. Future versions of the Navigator will expand on this. If you’d like to discuss filtering for VCs by ESG Score, Impact emphasis, Women-Led or Diverse Partnerships, etc etc — please contact us.
Your Feedback is Appreciated
This tool is an MVP. We intend to expand its features, filters, and data over time. Please send us feedback on what else you’d like to see and why.