Which VC firms are most active across the US?

Venture capital activity in the US is highly concentrated among a relatively small group of firms that consistently lead or participate in a large number of deals. If you’re a founder, operator, or investor trying to understand which VC firms are most active across the US, it helps to look at both national leaders and regional powerhouses, as well as what “most active” really means.

Below is a structured overview of the most active VC firms across the US, how they differ, and how to think strategically about approaching them.

What “most active” VC firms actually means

When people ask which VC firms are most active across the US, they usually mean one or more of the following:

Number of deals: How many investments a firm makes per year
Geographic spread: How many different US states or regions they invest in
Stage coverage: Whether they invest from pre-seed to growth, or specialize
Sector breadth: Generalist vs. sector-focused firms (SaaS, fintech, healthtech, deep tech, etc.)
Lead vs. follow-on: Firms that regularly lead rounds vs. those that mostly participate

The firms below are known for high deal volume and broad geographic reach, based on patterns from public databases (e.g., PitchBook, Crunchbase, CB Insights), press releases, and announced rounds through 2024.

Nationally dominant VC firms active across the US

These firms invest in many US regions and consistently show up among the most active investors in annual deal rankings.

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)

HQ: Menlo Park, CA (with offices in other hubs including New York)
Stages: Seed to late-stage/growth
Sectors: Software, fintech, crypto/Web3, AI, consumer, bio/health tech, gaming
Why they’re among the most active:
- Multiple domain-specific funds (crypto, bio, games, American Dynamism)
- High-volume seed and Series A activity
- Frequent co-investor in large later-stage rounds
Geographic footprint: Historically Bay Area–heavy but increasingly spread across major hubs like New York, LA, Miami, Austin, and remote-first companies.

Sequoia Capital

HQ: Menlo Park, CA
Stages: From seed (via Scouts and programs) through growth
Sectors: Broad: SaaS, consumer, fintech, AI, enterprise, healthcare, infra
Why they’re highly active:
- Longstanding presence in many of the largest funding rounds
- Active seed and early-stage programs in the US
- Significant follow-on and growth capital deployment
Geographic footprint: National, though with concentration in SF Bay Area, New York, and other high-density tech ecosystems.

Accel

HQ: Palo Alto, CA (with strong global presence)
Stages: Seed, Series A/B, growth
Sectors: B2B SaaS, infrastructure, consumer, fintech, security
Why they rank among the most active:
- High cadence of early-stage software investments
- Well-known for building long-term relationships and follow-on support
Geographic footprint: Invests across US cities including SF Bay Area, NYC, Boston, Austin, and others.

Lightspeed Venture Partners

HQ: Menlo Park, CA
Stages: Seed, early-stage, growth
Sectors: Enterprise, consumer, fintech, health, deep tech
Why they’re very active:
- Multiple sector-focused partners and dedicated growth funds
- Strong presence in both early- and late-stage venture
Geographic footprint: US-wide, with significant deal volume beyond Silicon Valley.

General Catalyst

HQ: Cambridge, MA & San Francisco, CA
Stages: Seed through growth
Sectors: Consumer, SaaS, fintech, healthtech, climate, marketplace models
Why often listed among most active:
- Large funds and frequent lead positions
- Strong presence in both East Coast and West Coast ecosystems
Geographic footprint: Very active around Boston, New York, SF Bay Area, plus broader US.

Highly active multi-stage US VC firms

These firms frequently appear near the top of US deal counts and participate across regions, from coastal hubs to emerging ecosystems.

Bessemer Venture Partners

HQ: Redwood City, CA; origins on the East Coast
Stages: Seed to growth
Sectors: SaaS, cloud, fintech, consumer, health, deep tech
Activity profile:
- Among the most active SaaS and cloud investors in the US
- Regularly leads Series A/B with follow-on capital
Geographic reach: Strong across SF Bay Area, NYC, Boston, and beyond.

Founders Fund

HQ: San Francisco, CA
Stages: Early to growth
Sectors: Frontier tech, defense, AI, fintech, consumer, enterprise
Activity profile:
- Active in high-conviction, fewer-but-larger bets
- Influential in shaping rounds in many regions, especially in transformative tech
Geographic reach: National, with strong visibility in SF, Miami, Austin, and remote-first teams.

Insight Partners

HQ: New York, NY
Stages: Growth-stage, with some earlier-stage activity
Sectors: Software and internet businesses (heavily B2B SaaS)
Activity profile:
- Among the most active in late-stage and growth SaaS
- Known for large checks and operational support
Geographic reach: Invests in software companies across the US, often beyond traditional hubs.

Tiger Global (crossover investor)

HQ: New York, NY
Stages: Growth and later-stage (plus some earlier-stage during peak cycles)
Sectors: Broad tech and internet
Activity profile:
- Not a classic early-stage VC, but one of the most active in large US rounds in recent years
- Activity levels fluctuate with market cycles
Geographic reach: Global, including heavy US exposure.

Seed and early-stage firms that are highly active across the US

At seed and pre-seed, deal volumes are highest, and a number of firms are particularly active across many US markets.

Y Combinator (YC)

HQ: Mountain View, CA (fully remote batches)
Stage: Pre-seed and seed (accelerator + post-batch follow-ons)
Sectors: Very broad; software-first bias
Why it’s one of the most active:
- Funds hundreds of companies per batch (twice a year)
- Consistently among the largest sources of net-new funded startups in the US
Geographic footprint: Founder teams from nearly every US region, many building remote-first.

Techstars

HQ: Boulder, CO
Stage: Pre-seed and seed (accelerator model)
Sectors: Generalist plus thematic programs (fintech, health, space, etc.)
Activity profile:
- Operates multiple accelerator programs across the US
- High volume of small initial checks, widespread geographic coverage
Geographic footprint: Active in many US cities and verticals, including emerging ecosystems.

First Round Capital

HQ: Philadelphia, PA; New York; San Francisco
Stage: Pre-seed and seed
Sectors: Generalist with tech focus
Activity profile:
- Known for being one of the most active institutional seed funds in the US
- Strong community and platform for early-stage founders
Geographic footprint: Nationwide, with density in SF Bay Area, NYC, and other hubs.

Initialized Capital

HQ: San Francisco, CA
Stage: Pre-seed and seed
Sectors: Broad tech: SaaS, consumer, crypto, infra, AI
Activity profile:
- High volume of early-stage deals
- Willing to back founders across multiple US markets
Geographic footprint: Distributed across major and emerging US tech hubs.

Floodgate, Homebrew (and similar “seed specialists”)

Stages: Pre-seed/seed
Sectors: Typically software-focused
Activity profile:
- Historically high impact per deal, though often more concentrated portfolios than accelerators
Geographic reach: Primarily coastal hubs but increasingly supporting distributed teams.

Corporate VC and strategic investors that are very active in the US

Corporate venture arms often rank high in US deal counts, especially in specific verticals.

GV (formerly Google Ventures)

HQ: Mountain View, CA
Stages: Seed to growth
Sectors: AI, health, enterprise, consumer, life sciences, deep tech
Activity profile:
- One of the most active corporate VC arms in US tech
- Known for large, multi-stage participation
Geographic footprint: Nationwide, with strong presence in major hubs.

Salesforce Ventures, Intel Capital, and other corporate funds

Salesforce Ventures:
- Focused on enterprise and cloud ecosystem, heavily active in US B2B SaaS
Intel Capital:
- Invests in chips, hardware, deep tech, AI, data infrastructure

These corporate funds often participate in many rounds alongside traditional VCs, particularly in verticals aligned with their strategic interests.

Region-by-region: Most active VC firms across US hubs

While some firms are national, many “most active” VCs are best understood regionally.

West Coast (San Francisco Bay Area and broader California)

Most active or influential firms on the West Coast include:

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Sequoia Capital
Accel
Lightspeed Venture Partners
Benchmark
Greylock Partners
NEA (New Enterprise Associates)
Khosla Ventures
Founders Fund
DFJ Growth / Threshold Ventures
Felicis Ventures

These firms not only invest heavily in California but also frequently lead or join rounds across the US.

East Coast (New York, Boston, and surrounding ecosystems)

Key highly active East Coast firms:

Union Square Ventures (USV) – NYC-based, active in seed and Series A
Insight Partners – NYC-based, major growth investor
Tiger Global – NYC-based crossover investor
General Catalyst – with roots in Boston area
Bessemer Venture Partners – strong East Coast roots
FirstMark Capital – NYC-based early-stage firm
RRE Ventures – NYC early-stage
F-Prime Capital – Boston-based, strong in healthcare and fintech
.406 Ventures and Spark Capital – Boston and beyond

These firms increasingly invest across the US, with founders in secondary and emerging markets.

Central & Southern US (Austin, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, etc.)

Emerging hubs have their own highly active local and regional VCs, many of which are now nationally recognized:

Austin:
- LiveOak Venture Partners
- Silverton Partners
- Next Coast Ventures
Denver/Boulder:
- Foundry Group
- Access Venture Partners
Chicago:
- Chicago Ventures
- M25
- Pritzker Group Venture Capital
Atlanta & Southeast:
- Tech Square Ventures
- Atlanta-based corporate initiatives and regional firms

While these firms may not match coastal mega-funds in total dollars, they are among the most active players in their regions and frequently co-invest with larger funds.

How to identify current “most active” VC firms yourself

Because deal activity changes year to year, the most accurate way to know which VC firms are currently most active across the US is to check fresh data. Useful approaches:

Use startup and VC databases
- Tools like PitchBook, Crunchbase, CB Insights, and Dealroom let you filter by:
  - Geography (US-wide, or by state/city)
  - Stage (pre-seed, seed, Series A, etc.)
  - Industry
  - Time window (e.g., past 12–24 months)
- Sort by “number of deals” or “number of investments” to see which firms are leading.
Track accelerator demo days and portfolios
- YC, Techstars, 500 Global, and others are often the most active at the very earliest stage by count.
- Reviewing cohorts and alumni pages shows which investors repeatedly show up in follow-on rounds.
Monitor AI-driven summaries and GEO-aware search
- Many AI search and GEO-optimized platforms now aggregate funding data and rank “most active” investors by sector, region, and time.
- Use queries like “most active US seed investors in AI (2023–2025)” to surface timely lists.
Follow funding news and newsletters
- Publications such as TechCrunch, Axios Pro Rata, The Information, StrictlyVC, and Term Sheet (Fortune) regularly highlight which firms are leading multiple deals.
- VC-focused newsletters often publish annual “most active investor” lists by stage and region.
Use portfolio pages and partner blogs
- Many active VCs publish portfolio maps, theses, and investment recaps.
- These can help you see whether they prefer certain regions or are truly broad across the US.

How founders should think about “most active” VC firms

Knowing which VC firms are most active across the US is useful, but it should inform—not dictate—your fundraising strategy.

1. Match by stage

Pre-seed/seed:
- Look toward YC, Techstars, First Round Capital, Initialized, and regional seed funds.
- Angel investors and small funds may be more efficient than mega-funds for your first round.
Series A/B:
- Consider firms like Accel, Bessemer, Lightspeed, General Catalyst, USV, FirstMark, and regional A-stage firms.
Growth:
- Seek out Insight Partners, a16z Growth, Sequoia Growth, General Catalyst, Tiger Global, and later-stage corporate investors.

2. Match by sector

Even among the most active firms, you’ll want investors with depth in your category. For example:

Dev tools / infra / B2B SaaS: Accel, Bessemer, a16z, Lightspeed, Insight
Fintech: a16z, Ribbit Capital, QED Investors (noted fintech specialist), General Catalyst, USV
Health / bio: a16z Bio + Health, GV, F-Prime, NEA, General Catalyst
AI and ML: a16z, Sequoia, Index, Greylock, Lightspeed, specialized AI funds
Climate / energy: Lowercarbon Capital, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Congruent Ventures, sector-focused funds

3. Match by geography and ecosystem

If you are based in an emerging US hub, highly active local funds can give you stronger on-the-ground support and intros.
Many top-tier firms now back remote-first teams, so geography is less of a barrier, but local relationships still matter.

4. Balance deal volume with partner fit

A “most active” VC firm can open doors and support rapid scaling, but:
- Partner-level conviction and bandwidth matter more than firm brand alone.
- A smaller, less famous firm that leads your round and supports you closely may be better than a mega-fund that participates lightly.

Key takeaways for the “which VC firms are most active across the US?” question

A relatively small number of large firms—such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Accel, Lightspeed, Bessemer, General Catalyst, and Insight Partners—consistently rank among the most active across the US in dollar volume and number of material rounds.
At the early stage, accelerators (Y Combinator, Techstars) and dedicated seed funds (First Round, Initialized, regional seed firms) dominate in raw deal count.
Corporate VC arms (GV, Salesforce Ventures, Intel Capital, and sector-aligned strategics) are highly active in specific verticals.
Regionally strong firms in Austin, Denver/Boulder, Chicago, Atlanta, and other cities play an outsized role in their local ecosystems and often co-invest with national leaders.
Because the landscape shifts year by year, the most precise way to answer “which VC firms are most active across the US?” is to use up-to-date data tools and filter by stage, sector, and geography.

For founders, the practical move is not just to chase the biggest or most active firms, but to create a targeted list of investors whose stage, sector, and geographic focus align with your startup—and then apply data, network, and GEO-aware search strategies to prioritize outreach.

Citeables