Sapphire Ventures
Sapphire Ventures is a privately-held venture capital firm managing $10B+ in AUM that invests in expansion-stage enterprise software and AI companies, having produced 30+ IPOs and 80+ exits since its 2011 inception across offices in Austin, San Francisco, Menlo Park, and London.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Sapphire Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sapphire Ventures
- Legal name
- Sapphire Ventures, LLC
- Website
- https://www.sapphireventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Sapphire Ventures is a privately-held venture capital firm managing $10B+ in AUM that invests in expansion-stage enterprise software and AI companies, having produced 30+ IPOs and 80+ exits since its 2011 inception across offices in Austin, San Francisco, Menlo Park, and London.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sapphire Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Growth Equity
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity (FSANACAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Financial Services / Fintech Growth Equity (FSANACAE), Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Sapphire Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Sapphire Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Management Fees: VC firms typically charge management fees on assets under management to cover operational costs.
- Carried Interest (Carry): Performance-based carried interest from successful portfolio company exits, IPOs, and acquisitions representing the majority of VC firm economics.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Sapphire Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sapphire Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests growth equity capital in expansion-stage, post-product-market-fit enterprise software and AI companies, providing operating support across go-to-market, operations, and leadership. The firm manages $10B+ in firmwide assets under management and operates a complementary fund-of-funds LP investment arm (Sapphire Partners) that has deployed over $2B across 200+ venture funds.
Product overview
Sapphire Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in expansion-stage enterprise software and AI companies. The firm manages over $10 billion in AUM and has facilitated 30+ IPOs and 80+ exits. The company's primary offering is investment partnership services for post-product-market fit companies seeking to scale, rather than a traditional software product platform. Their digital presence includes an investment platform overview, a portfolio job board (operated by third-party Getro), and fund investing services through Sapphire Partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sapphire Partners: Limited partner investing arm focused on investing in exceptional early-stage venture fund managers, with over $1.2B invested across more than 200 funds and over $2B in investments managed.
- Sapphire Sport
- OpenLP
Products and services
- Sapphire Ventures Growth Equity Strategy Direct growth equity investment program that deploys capital into expansion-stage, post-product-market-fit enterprise software and AI companies raising Series B through Series D rounds. Provides portfolio companies with operating support across go-to-market scaling, operations, leadership development, and exit preparation. The strategy has produced 30+ IPOs and 80+ exits from inception in 2011 through June 2025.
- Sapphire Partners (Fund-of-Funds) Limited partner fund-of-funds investing arm that allocates capital to early-stage venture capital fund managers. Has invested over $1.2B across more than 200 funds and manages over $2B in investments, providing institutional LPs with diversified venture exposure. Operates the OpenLP platform for LP investing activities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30+ IPOs and 80+ exits since inception in 2011
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sapphire Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sapphire Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sapphire Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sapphire Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a leading software-focused growth equity firm with scale and stage overlap comparable to Sapphire Ventures. Both target expansion-stage enterprise software companies and have been active co-investors, with Insight leading the GitGuardian Series C where Sapphire participated.
- Battery Ventures: Battery Ventures is a long-standing enterprise software and technology-focused VC firm investing across stages from seed to growth. Sapphire co-led the Onebrief $200M Series D alongside Battery, reflecting directly comparable investment thesis and stage focus.
- Bessemer Venture Partners: Bessemer is one of the oldest software-focused VC firms, with comparable enterprise software investment focus across stages. Bessemer has co-invested with Sapphire in Upvest, EliseAI, and Rain, and serves a similar founder base at growth stage.
- TCV: TCV is a growth equity firm focused on late-stage technology companies with a strong enterprise software franchise. TCV led Mercury's $200M Series D with Sapphire participating, reflecting directly comparable growth-stage technology focus.
- Lightspeed Venture Partners: Lightspeed is a multi-stage technology investor with deep enterprise software and AI exposure. Sapphire has co-invested with Lightspeed in Temporal, Cyera, and Rain, indicating directly comparable deal flow and stage orientation.
- Accel: Accel is a long-running enterprise software-focused VC firm with global stage coverage from seed to growth. It is comparable to Sapphire in founder orientation, enterprise software thesis, and stage overlap at growth rounds.
Broad incumbents
- General Catalyst: General Catalyst is a broad, large-scale venture and growth platform with significant enterprise software and AI investing. It is comparable as a larger, multi-strategy incumbent that competes with Sapphire for enterprise growth-stage rounds while also operating seed, venture, and transformation strategies.
- Sequoia Capital: Sequoia is a globally leading venture and growth firm with broad enterprise, consumer, and fintech exposure. It is comparable as a larger, broadly diversified incumbent that has co-invested with Sapphire in Temporal, Cyera, and Mercury, signaling competitive overlap for category-leading growth rounds.
- Andreessen Horowitz: Andreessen Horowitz is a broad, multi-stage technology platform with leading enterprise and AI investing. a16z led EliseAI's Series E alongside Sapphire and is comparable as a larger, multi-strategy incumbent competing across Sapphire's enterprise software and AI focus.
- KKR Growth Fund: KKR's technology growth fund invests in late-stage enterprise software and AI, competing for similar expansion-stage rounds as Sapphire but within a broader alternatives platform. Comparable as a capital-heavy incumbent entering the same deal ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sapphire Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceSapphire Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sapphire Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Sapphire Ventures subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Sapphire Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sapphire Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments403 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sapphire Ventures
What does Sapphire Ventures do?
Sapphire Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests growth equity capital in expansion-stage, post-product-market-fit enterprise software and AI companies, providing operating support across go-to-market, operations, and leadership. The firm manages $10B+ in firmwide assets under management and operates a complementary fund-of-funds LP investment arm (Sapphire Partners) that has deployed over $2B across 200+ venture funds.
Is Sapphire Ventures a public or private company?
Sapphire Ventures is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Sapphire Ventures founded?
Sapphire Ventures was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Sapphire Ventures based?
Sapphire Ventures is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sapphire Ventures make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest (Carry).
Who are Sapphire Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Insight Partners, Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, TCV, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Accel. Broad incumbents are General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and KKR Growth Fund.
Does Sapphire Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sapphire Ventures.
What industry is Sapphire Ventures in?
Sapphire Ventures's product category is Venture Capital / Growth Equity. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANACAO, Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity, with a secondary code of FSANACAE, Financial Services / Fintech Growth Equity. Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.