# Essence VC: portfolio, investments and team

> Essence VC is a vc firm based in United States. 42 investments on record, 8 in the last 12 months, latest Sept 2026. Portfolio, stages, co-investors and team.

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

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

# Essence VC

Last cheque observed Sep 2026; 42 cheques on record.

Email

Deploying now New fund $8.0M, Mar 2026 VC firm

Pre-seed Seed Series A Infra Infrastructure Data

Follow Essence VC and see its new cheques in your feed. [Start following](https://millionrounds.com/login?join=1&why=follow&next=%2Ffund%2Fessence-vc)

Deploying now

**67%** of best year **8** **cheques in 12 months**, 42 on record

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

Median round **$7.1M** Cheque size, as they say **$100K – $250K** Rounds led **0 of 42** Sole investor **2 rounds** Mostly in **United States, 86%**

Pitch Essence VC

## Essence VC highlights

- 01 8 cheques in the last 12 months
- 02 Mostly Seed and Series A: 69% of its rounds
- 03 Sole investor in 2 rounds, median $1.1M

## What they do

- **Type:** VC firm (from a list, unverified)
- **Cheque size:** $100K – $250K as they say
- **Stages:** Pre-seed Seed Series A Series B
- **Sectors:** Infra Infrastructure Data
- **Based in:** Seattle, United States
- **Cold pitches:** Not stated

## The record

Every round we can evidence, newest first **42 appearances**

- **2026** 5 rounds
- **Sept** **[RadiantOps](https://millionrounds.com/company/radiantops)** Seed · US **$7.0M** With 2 others
- **Jun** **[Fearn](https://millionrounds.com/company/fearn)** Seed · US **$5.5M** With 2 others
- **May** **[ComfyUI](https://millionrounds.com/company/comfyui)** Series B · US · TechCrunch **$30M** With 5 others
- **Apr** **[Unkey](https://millionrounds.com/company/unkey)** Seed · US **$4.5M** With 1 other
- **Mar** **[Standard Kernel](https://millionrounds.com/company/standard-kernel)** Seed · US · Ventureburn **$20M** With 9 others
- **2025** 9 rounds
- **Nov** **[Teleskope](https://millionrounds.com/company/teleskope)** Series A · US · AlleyWatch **$25M** With 4 others
- **Nov** **[Magic Patterns](https://millionrounds.com/company/magic-patterns)** Series A · US **$6.0M** With 2 others
- **Nov** **[Mesa](https://millionrounds.com/company/mesa)** Seed · US **$5.0M** With 3 others
- **Sept** **[Kite](https://millionrounds.com/company/kite)** Series A · TechStartups **$18M** With 15 others
- **Aug** **[Elotl](https://millionrounds.com/company/elotl)** Venture · US **Undisclosed** With 5 others
- **Jul** **[Cline](https://millionrounds.com/company/cline)** Series A · US **$27M** With 2 others
- **Jun** **[Clarify](https://millionrounds.com/company/clarify)** Series A · US **$15M** With 4 others
- **May** **[Datafold](https://millionrounds.com/company/datafold)** Venture · US **$4.0M** With 4 others
- **Feb** **[OpenInfer](https://millionrounds.com/company/openinfer)** Seed · US **$8.0M** With 3 others
- **2024** 8 rounds
- **Dec** **[Nuon](https://millionrounds.com/company/nuon)** Series A · TechStartups **$17M** With 10 others
- **Dec** **[Yurts](https://millionrounds.com/company/yurts)** Series B · US · TechCrunch **$40M** With 5 others
- **Dec** **[Legion Intelligence Inc](https://millionrounds.com/company/legion-intelligence-inc)** Series B **$40M** With 5 others
- **Oct** **[Distributional](https://millionrounds.com/company/distributional)** Series A · US · TechCrunch **$19M** With 6 others
- **Sept** **[Letta](https://millionrounds.com/company/letta)** Seed · US **$10M** With 2 others
- **Jun** **[Restate](https://millionrounds.com/company/restate)** Seed · DE **$7.0M** With 2 others
- **Apr** **[Log10](https://millionrounds.com/company/log10)** Seed · US **$7.2M** With 2 others
- **Jan** **[Coana (acquired by Socket)](https://millionrounds.com/company/coana-acquired-by-socket)** Pre-seed · DK **$1.6M** With 2 others
- **2023** 10 rounds
- **Dec** **[Turso](https://millionrounds.com/company/turso)** Venture · CA **Undisclosed** With 5 others
- **Nov** **[Unkey](https://millionrounds.com/company/unkey)** Pre-seed · US **$1.6M** Sole investor
- **Oct** **[Vera](https://millionrounds.com/company/vera)** Pre-seed · US **$2.7M** With 5 others
- **Aug** **[Abbey Labs](https://millionrounds.com/company/abbey-labs)** Seed · US · Point72 Ventures **$5.3M** With 2 others
- **Aug** **[Superframe](https://millionrounds.com/company/superframe)** Seed · US **$5.0M** With 1 other
- **Jul** **[Augmend](https://millionrounds.com/company/augmend)** Pre-seed · US **$2.2M** With 2 others
- **Mar** **[Graft](https://millionrounds.com/company/graft)** Seed · US **$10M** With 4 others
- **Feb** **[Sentio](https://millionrounds.com/company/sentio)** Seed · US **$6.4M** With 3 others
- **Jan** **[Mixpeek](https://millionrounds.com/company/mixpeek)** Pre-seed · US **$650K** Sole investor
- **Jan** **[Sec3](https://millionrounds.com/company/sec3)** Seed · US **$10M** With 1 other
- **2022** 7 rounds
- **Dec** **[Common Fate](https://millionrounds.com/company/common-fate)** Seed · AU **$3.1M** With 1 other
- **Oct** **[Immerok](https://millionrounds.com/company/immerok)** Seed · DE **$17M** With 1 other
- **Jun** **[Continual](https://millionrounds.com/company/continual)** Series A · US **$15M** With 6 others
- **May** **[LaunchNotes](https://millionrounds.com/company/launchnotes)** Series A · US **$15M** With 2 others
- **May** **[HumanSignal](https://millionrounds.com/company/humansignal)** Series A · US **$25M** With 3 others
- **Apr** **[SeeMetrics](https://millionrounds.com/company/seemetrics)** Seed **$6.0M** With 2 others
- **Mar** **[Devron](https://millionrounds.com/company/devron)** Venture · US **$14M** With 3 others
- **2021** 2 rounds
- **Nov** **[Elotl](https://millionrounds.com/company/elotl)** Seed · US **$5.0M** With 4 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 **1 named**

TC **Timothy Chen** Sole Member and Chief Compliance Officer i Form ADV

We also hold **1** person 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

**$56M** gross assets of its funds Oct 2026

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

- **Legal name:** Timothy CHEN Advisors, LLC
- **SEC number:** CRD 305778

New fund on file

**$8.0M**

raised in Mar 2026

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

## The cheque

Pre-seed Seed Series A

Median round joined **$7.1M** the round, not its cheque Alone, median **$1.1M**

Led 0 of 42 rounds **0%**

- **Said size:** $100K – $250K
- **Sole investor:** 2 rounds
- **Last cheque:** Sept 2026

Rounds by stage said on their site

- Seed said *19*
- Series A said *10*
- Pre-seed said *6*
- Venture *4*
- Series B said *3*

Cheques by month Led Joined

Nov 2023 Oct 2026

Often in the room with

- [Alumni Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/us-strategic-tech-fund-an-alumni-ventures-fund) 5
- [XYZ Venture Capital](https://millionrounds.com/fund/xyz-venture-capital) 4
- [Z Venture Capital](https://millionrounds.com/fund/z-venture-capital) 4
- [Bloomberg Beta](https://millionrounds.com/fund/bloomberg-beta) 3
- [Cowboy Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/cowboy-ventures) 3
- [Go Capital](https://millionrounds.com/fund/go-capital) 3

**Pitching Essence VC?** 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 Essence VC. A count of rooms they were both in, not a relationship either has claimed.

[**Alumni Ventures** VC firm **5** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/us-strategic-tech-fund-an-alumni-ventures-fund)[**XYZ Venture Capital** VC firm **4** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/xyz-venture-capital)[**Z Venture Capital** Corporate VC **4** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/z-venture-capital)[**Bloomberg Beta** VC firm **3** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/bloomberg-beta)[**Cowboy Ventures** VC firm **3** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/cowboy-ventures)[**Go Capital** VC firm **3** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/go-capital)[**Mango Capital** VC firm **3** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/mango-capital)[**Redpoint** VC firm **3** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/redpoint)[**Y Combinator** Accelerator **3** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/y-combinator)[**8VC** VC firm **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/8vc)[**Amplify Partners** VC firm **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/amplify-partners)[**Designer Fund** VC firm **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/designer-fund)

## Recently backed

The latest companies Essence VC put money into.

[**RadiantOps** $7.0M · Sept 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/radiantops)[**Fearn** $5.5M · Jun 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/fearn)[**ComfyUI** $30M · May 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/comfyui)[**Unkey** $4.5M · Apr 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/unkey)[**Magic Patterns** $6.0M · Nov 2025](https://millionrounds.com/company/magic-patterns)[**Mesa** $5.0M · Nov 2025](https://millionrounds.com/company/mesa)

## Mentioned on podcasts

Episodes that name Essence VC in their description, not their title.

- [StrictlyVC Download](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/strictlyvc-download) 25 Nov 2025 · 30 min Equity: Startups should rethink how they pursue sales and traction, according to VC Tim Chen Mentions [Tim Chen](https://millionrounds.com/fund/tim-chen)[Essence VC](https://millionrounds.com/fund/essence-vc) Apple Podcasts
- [Equity](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/equity) 29 Oct 2025 · 31 min Startups should rethink how they pursue sales and traction, according to VC Tim Chen Mentions [Tim Chen](https://millionrounds.com/fund/tim-chen)[Essence VC](https://millionrounds.com/fund/essence-vc) Apple Podcasts

## Quick answers about Essence VC

### What does Essence VC invest in?

Essence VC invests most often at Seed and Series A (69% of the rounds on record), in sectors such as Infra, Infrastructure and Data.

### How active is Essence VC?

42 investments on record, 8 of them in the last 12 months. The most recent was in Sept 2026.

### What has Essence VC invested in recently?

Its most recent investments on record: RadiantOps (Seed, Sept 2026), Fearn (Seed, Jun 2026) and ComfyUI (Series B, May 2026).

### How big are Essence VC's cheques?

The median round it joins is $7.1M. It says it writes cheques of $100K to $250K.

### Does Essence VC lead rounds?

Rarely, if at all: none of its 42 investments on record names it as the lead.

### Where does Essence VC invest?

Most of the companies it backs are in the United States (86%) and Germany (6%).

### Is Essence VC investing now?

Yes: it is actively investing, with 8 investments in the last 12 months.

### Who does Essence VC invest alongside?

Most often Alumni Ventures (5 rounds together), XYZ Venture Capital (4 rounds together) and Z Venture Capital (4 rounds together).

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