# Boldstart Ventures: portfolio, investments and team

> Boldstart Ventures is a vc firm based in United States. 109 investments on record, 7 in the last 12 months, latest Sept 2026.

Source: https://millionrounds.com/fund/boldstart-ventures (Millionrounds; every figure on the page links to its filing or article)

United States · [Investor](https://millionrounds.com/investors)

# Boldstart Ventures

Last cheque observed Sep 2026; 109 cheques on record.

Email

Deploying now New fund $250M, Sept 2024 VC firm

Seed Series A Cybersecurity AI Infrastructure Physical AI

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Deploying now

**70%** of best year **7** **cheques in 12 months**, 109 on record

Since the last cheque **60** days **00** hrs **00** min **00** sec

Median round **$10M** Cheque size, as they say **$500K – $15M** Rounds led **0 of 109** Sole investor **12 rounds** Exits **9 from the portfolio** Mostly in **United States, 77%**

Pitch Boldstart Ventures

## Boldstart Ventures highlights

- 01 7 cheques in the last 12 months
- 02 Mostly Seed and Series A: 87% of its rounds
- 03 Sole investor in 12 rounds, median $2.4M
- 04 9 exits from the portfolio

## What they do

> First checks for technical founders since 2010. From their own website

- **Type:** VC firm (from a list, unverified)
- **Cheque size:** $500K – $15M as they say
- **Stages:** Seed Series A
- **Sectors:** Cybersecurity AI Infrastructure Physical AI
- **Based in:** New York, United States
- **Cold pitches:** Not stated

## The record

Every round we can evidence, newest first **109 appearances**

- **2026** 6 rounds
- **Sept** **[RECO](https://millionrounds.com/company/reco)** Series B · KR **$55M** With 3 others
- **Jul** **[Spectro Cloud](https://millionrounds.com/company/spectro-cloud)** Series D · US **$100M** With 2 others
- **Jun** **[Generalist AI](https://millionrounds.com/company/generalist-ai)** Series B · US · Ventureburn **$400M** With 13 others
- **Mar** **[Surf](https://millionrounds.com/company/surf)** Series A · US · Ventureburn **$57M** With 1 other
- **Feb** **[Humanix](https://millionrounds.com/company/humanix)** Seed · US **$5.0M** With 2 others
- **Jan** **[ANEMNESS](https://millionrounds.com/company/anemness)** Seed · US **$2.5M** Sole investor
- **2025** 8 rounds
- **Nov** **[Uare.ai](https://millionrounds.com/company/uare-ai)** Seed · SV **$10M** With 1 other
- **Oct** **[Waldo](https://millionrounds.com/company/waldo)** Series A · US **$10M** With 3 others
- **Oct** **[Keycard](https://millionrounds.com/company/keycard)** Series A · US **$30M** With 3 others
- **Oct** **[Velcar.IO](https://millionrounds.com/company/velcar-io)** Seed · US **$2.7M** Sole investor
- **Aug** **[Quotient](https://millionrounds.com/company/quotient)** Seed · US **$5.0M** Sole investor
- **Jun** **[Clay](https://millionrounds.com/company/clay)** Series C · US · Crunchbase News **$100M** With 7 others
- **Jun** **[Cloudquery](https://millionrounds.com/company/cloudquery)** Venture · US **$16M** With 5 others
- **Jan** **[Agentuity](https://millionrounds.com/company/agentuity)** Seed · US **$4.0M** With 1 other
- **2024** 7 rounds
- **Nov** **[Tessl](https://millionrounds.com/company/tessl)** Series A · GB · TechCrunch **$125M** With 3 others
- **Oct** **[CrewAI](https://millionrounds.com/company/crewai)** Series A · US **$12M** With 3 others
- **Sept** **[Wallaroo](https://millionrounds.com/company/wallaroo)** Venture · US **$47K** With 5 others
- **Aug** **[Kyoso](https://millionrounds.com/company/kyoso)** Pre-seed · US **$6.5M** With 1 other
- **Jul** **[Noded Ai](https://millionrounds.com/company/noded-ai)** Seed · US **$4.0M** With 1 other
- **Jun** **[NALEJ](https://millionrounds.com/company/nalej)** Venture · US **Undisclosed** With 3 others
- **Mar** **[Steadybit](https://millionrounds.com/company/steadybit)** Series A · DE **$6.0M** With 1 other
- **2023** 14 rounds
- **Dec** **Tres** Series A · IL **$11M** With 2 others
- **Nov** **[Zuplo](https://millionrounds.com/company/zuplo)** Seed · US **$9.0M** With 1 other
- **Sept** **[Easop](https://millionrounds.com/company/easop)** Venture · US **Undisclosed** With 2 others
- **Jul** **[Olympix](https://millionrounds.com/company/olympix)** Seed · US **$4.3M** With 2 others
- **Jul** **[Roadie](https://millionrounds.com/company/roadie)** Seed · IE **$3.7M** With 1 other
- **Jun** **Superstream** Seed · IL **$5.5M** Sole investor
- **May** **[UtilizeCore](https://millionrounds.com/company/utilizecore)** Series A · US **$17M** With 3 others
- **Apr** **[Common Paper](https://millionrounds.com/company/common-paper)** Venture · US **$500K** With 2 others
- **Mar** **[Dylibso](https://millionrounds.com/company/dylibso)** Seed · US **$5.0M** With 1 other
- **Mar** **[dope.security](https://millionrounds.com/company/dope-security)** Series A · US **$16M** With 2 others
- **Mar** **[env0](https://millionrounds.com/company/env0)** Series A · US **$18M** With 1 other
- **Feb** **[Crew](https://millionrounds.com/company/crew)** Seed · CA **$2.3M** With 4 others
- **Jan** **[AtomicJar](https://millionrounds.com/company/atomicjar)** Series A · US **$25M** With 3 others
- **Jan** **[Ethos](https://millionrounds.com/company/ethos)** Seed · GB **$4.2M** With 1 other
- **2022** 11 rounds
- **Sept** **[Jeli.io](https://millionrounds.com/company/jeli-io)** Series A · US **$15M** With 3 others
- **Aug** **[Kumospace](https://millionrounds.com/company/kumospace)** Series A · US **$22M** With 3 others
- **Jun** **[Stellate](https://millionrounds.com/company/stellate)** Series A · US **$25M** With 2 others
- **Jun** **[Jit](https://millionrounds.com/company/jit)** Seed **$39M** With 2 others
- **Apr** **[Stake](https://millionrounds.com/company/stake)** Series A · US **$36M** With 3 others

An announcement gives the size of the round, not the size of this investor's cheque: the only rounds that imply a cheque are those where they were the sole named investor.

## The team

Named by the firm itself, on a filing, its Form ADV or its company registration **2 named**

ES **Ed Sim** Managing Member of the General Partner i Filing they signed

ED **Eliot Durbin** Managing Member of the General Partner i Filing they signed

We also hold **8** people at this firm from the lists this database was built from: a weaker source than the filings, since a list does not say when a title ended. Login to see them.

## What the register says

From the firm's own filings with the SEC, which it must file accurately by law

**$1.7B** gross assets of its funds Oct 2026

**Exempt** reporting adviser venture or small private funds

- **Legal name:** Boldstart Ventures Management LLC
- **SEC number:** CRD 281533

## What they claim to have backed

From their own portfolio page (on their website)

**12** of 27 we have independently watched raise

[BigID Data security](https://millionrounds.com/company/bigid)[CrewAI Multi-agent platform](https://millionrounds.com/company/crewai)[Generalist AI General-purpose](https://millionrounds.com/company/generalist)[Humanix AI defense](https://millionrounds.com/company/humanix)[Keycard Identity &](https://millionrounds.com/company/keycard)[Protect AI AI security](https://millionrounds.com/company/protect-ai)[Reco AI AI](https://millionrounds.com/company/reco)[SecurityScorecard Security ratings](https://millionrounds.com/company/securityscorecard)[Snyk Developer-first security](https://millionrounds.com/company/snyk)[Spectro Cloud Infrastructure](https://millionrounds.com/company/spectro-cloud)[Superhuman AI email](https://millionrounds.com/company/superhuman)[Tessl AI-native development](https://millionrounds.com/company/tessl) Baz AI code Clay GTM engineering For agents ↗ Gain Security AI-native Grepr Operational reliability Joon Autonomous security Lava Data center Netpreme AI-native memory Octavia AI-native mineral Superpilot Surf AI Autonomous Systalyze AI performance Topos Bio AI Uare X5 Labs Digital

Weaker than a round we watched, stronger than a list somebody sold us. A firm is far less willing to put a company on its own site that it never funded.

## Exits from the portfolio

Companies it backed that were later bought or listed **9 in all**

**[Kanvas Labs](https://millionrounds.com/company/kanvas-labs)** Bought by [AOL](https://millionrounds.com/fund/aol) **Undisclosed** Aug 2015

**[PlayHaven](https://millionrounds.com/company/playhaven)** Bought by RockYou **Undisclosed** May 2015

**[PlayHaven](https://millionrounds.com/company/playhaven)** Bought by [Science](https://millionrounds.com/fund/science) **Undisclosed** Sept 2014

**[Divide](https://millionrounds.com/company/divide)** Bought by [Google](https://millionrounds.com/fund/google-assistant-investments) **$120M** May 2014

**[Thinknear](https://millionrounds.com/company/thinknear)** Bought by [Telenav](https://millionrounds.com/fund/telenav) **Undisclosed** Oct 2012

**[GoInstant](https://millionrounds.com/company/goinstant)** Bought by Salesforce **$70M** Jul 2012

**[Blaze.io](https://millionrounds.com/company/blaze-io)** Bought by [Akamai Technologies](https://millionrounds.com/fund/akamai-technologies) **Undisclosed** Feb 2012

**[Rapportive](https://millionrounds.com/company/rapportive)** Bought by [LinkedIn](https://millionrounds.com/fund/linkedin) **$15M** Feb 2012

**[DoodleDeals Inc.](https://millionrounds.com/company/doodledeals-inc)** Bought by Plum District **Undisclosed** Dec 2011

An exit counts when it came after the firm's first round in the company. From historical deal records.

New fund on file

**$250M**

raised in Sept 2024

From its SEC filing, not a journalist: a firm that has just raised has money to deploy.

## The cheque

Seed Series A

Median round joined **$10M** the round, not its cheque Alone, median **$2.4M**

Led 0 of 109 rounds **0%**

- **Said size:** $500K – $15M
- **Sole investor:** 12 rounds
- **Last cheque:** Sept 2026
- **Exits:** 9 from the portfolio

Rounds by stage said on their site

- Seed said *58*
- Series A said *29*
- Venture *9*
- Series B *3*
- Pre-seed *1*

Cheques by month Led Joined

Nov 2023 Oct 2026

Often in the room with

- [BoxGroup](https://millionrounds.com/fund/boxgroup) 9
- [Atlas Venture](https://millionrounds.com/fund/atlas-venture) 7
- [Eniac Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/eniac-ventures) 7
- [Google Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/gv) 6
- [Insight Partners](https://millionrounds.com/fund/insight-venture-partners) 5
- [Kima Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/kima-ventures) 5

**Pitching Boldstart Ventures?** Put them on your fundraising board with this record on the card, and follow them to hear when they write a new cheque.

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## Who they invest alongside

The investors most often in the same rounds as Boldstart Ventures. A count of rooms they were both in, not a relationship either has claimed.

[**BoxGroup** VC firm **9** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/boxgroup)[**Atlas Venture** VC firm **7** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/atlas-venture)[**Eniac Ventures** VC firm **7** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/eniac-ventures)[**Google Ventures** Corporate VC **6** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/gv)[**Insight Partners** VC firm **5** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/insight-venture-partners)[**Kima Ventures** VC firm **5** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/kima-ventures)[**RRE Ventures** VC firm **5** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/rre-ventures)[**Sequoia Capital** VC firm **5** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/sequoia-capital)[**Tiger Global Management** VC firm **5** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/tiger-global-management)[**Y Combinator** Accelerator **5** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/y-combinator)[**500 Global** Angel **4** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/500-startups)[**David Tisch** VC firm **4** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/david-tisch)

## Recently backed

The latest companies Boldstart Ventures put money into.

[**RECO** $55M · Sept 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/reco)[**Spectro Cloud** $100M · Jul 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/spectro-cloud)[**Surf** $57M · Mar 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/surf)[**Humanix** $5.0M · Feb 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/humanix)[**ANEMNESS** $2.5M · Jan 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/anemness)[**Uare.ai** $10M · Nov 2025](https://millionrounds.com/company/uare-ai)

## On podcasts

2 episodes naming Boldstart Ventures in the title, and 3 more that mention it.

- [StrictlyVC Download](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/strictlyvc-download) 20 Feb 2021 · 33 min Ed Sim of Boldstart Ventures on the Next Wave of Developer First Startups Mentions [Boldstart Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/boldstart-ventures) Apple Podcasts
- [The Official SaaStr Podcast](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/saastr) 27 Aug 2018 · 32 min SaaStr 190: Why SaaS Founders Should Not Sell Their Products in The Early Days, How Founders Can Build Relationships with Enterprise CIOs and The Right Way To Think About Discounting and Pilots with Ed Sim, Founding Partner @ Boldstart Ventures Mentions [Boldstart Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/boldstart-ventures)[Google](https://millionrounds.com/fund/google-assistant-investments) Apple PodcastsShow page

### Mentioned in

- [The Twenty Minute VC](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/20vc) 3 Mar 2023 · 51 min 20VC: Will LPs Pull Out of Existing Managers, How Will Fund Sizes Change Moving Forward, Is Now The Time to be Aggressive on Secondaries, What is the Discount on Secondaries Today, Who Will Win and Lose in the Next Five Years with Hunter Somerville, Partn Apple PodcastsShow page
- [StrictlyVC Download](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/strictlyvc-download) 28 May 2022 · 22 min Assessing the Market Meltdown with VC Ed Sim Apple Podcasts
- [The Twenty Minute VC](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/20vc) 30 Nov 2015 · 26 min 20 VC 092: The Repeatable Playbook of SaaS with Ed Sim, Founding Partner @ BoldStart Ventures Apple PodcastsShow page

## Quick answers about Boldstart Ventures

### What does Boldstart Ventures invest in?

Boldstart Ventures invests most often at Seed and Series A (87% of the rounds on record), in sectors such as Cybersecurity, AI Infrastructure and Physical AI.

### How active is Boldstart Ventures?

109 investments on record, 7 of them in the last 12 months. The most recent was in Sept 2026.

### What has Boldstart Ventures invested in recently?

Its most recent investments on record: RECO (Series B, Sept 2026), Spectro Cloud (Series D, Jul 2026) and Generalist AI (Series B, Jun 2026).

### How big are Boldstart Ventures's cheques?

The median round it joins is $10M. It says it writes cheques of $500K to $15M.

### Does Boldstart Ventures lead rounds?

Rarely, if at all: none of its 109 investments on record names it as the lead.

### Where does Boldstart Ventures invest?

Most of the companies it backs are in the United States (77%), the United Kingdom (5%) and Israel (5%).

### Is Boldstart Ventures investing now?

Yes: it is actively investing, with 7 investments in the last 12 months.

### Who does Boldstart Ventures invest alongside?

Most often BoxGroup (9 rounds together), Atlas Venture (7 rounds together) and Eniac Ventures (7 rounds together).

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