Uncork Capital
Uncork Capital is a San Francisco-based seed-stage venture capital firm investing in founder potential with $3-5M initial checks across B2B, developer tools, consumer, and frontier tech sectors, including an explicit AI-native thesis. The firm manages $425M in active funds.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Uncork Capital does
Uncork Capital is a San Francisco-based seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2004 (originally as SoftTech VC, rebranded in 2016) that invests in founder potential at the earliest stages, typically leading seed rounds with $3-5M initial checks. The firm currently invests out of Uncork VIII, a $225M seed fund, and Uncork Plus III, a $200M opportunity fund, giving it $425M in active capital. Across two decades it has backed 290+ companies and reports 100+ meaningful outcomes (exits, acquisitions, IPOs) and $60B+ in portfolio enterprise value, with $8B+ in follow-on capital raised by portfolio companies.
The firm's core product is a founder-support platform layered on top of seed capital: curated playbooks (Hiring, Compensation, Legal, Treasury Management), a named Key Advisor network, annual portfolio summits, and dedicated platform staff including a Head of Talent (Adriana Roche), Head of Operations & Platform (Ashley Cravens), and Board Partner (Whitney Bouck). The firm generates revenue through management fees (~2% of AUM) and carried interest on its venture funds, with current AUM distributed across eight seed funds and four opportunity funds. Sector coverage spans B2B applications, developer tools, consumer, and frontier tech, with an explicit AI-native investment thesis layered on top.
The firm is led by Managing Partner Andy McLoughlin and Founding Partner Jeff Clavier, with partners Susan Liu, Tripp Jones, and Amy Saper. The team includes approximately 12 members (five investing partners plus seven operator/advisor resources), which is unusually deep for a seed-stage firm at this AUM tier.
Uncork Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Uncork Capital
- Legal name
- Uncork Capital
- Website
- http://www.uncorkcapital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Uncork Capital is a San Francisco-based seed-stage venture capital firm investing in founder potential with $3-5M initial checks across B2B, developer tools, consumer, and frontier tech sectors, including an explicit AI-native thesis. The firm manages $425M in active funds.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Uncork Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Seed-Stage Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Emerging Manager / Seeding Platforms (Multi-Manager) (FSANAGAF)
Keywords
Where Uncork Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Uncork Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Carried Interest on Portfolio Exits: Uncork generates returns through equity stakes in portfolio companies that have produced meaningful outcomes including acquisitions (Groq, Postmates, ClassDojo, Tailscale, Fitbit, Wrapbook, Poshmark, LaunchDarkly, SendGrid, Coder, etc.) and IPOs (SendGrid). 100+ meaningful outcomes and $60B+ in enterprise value created to date.
- Seed Fund Capital Management: Uncork VIII is a $225M seed fund and Uncork Plus III is a $200M opportunity fund, with management fees and carried interest earned across eight flagship seed funds and four opportunity funds raised since founding in 2004. Follow-on capital raised by portfolio companies totals $8B+.
- Opportunity Fund Returns: Uncork Plus III ($200M opportunity fund) invests in later-stage rounds of existing portfolio companies (e.g., Coder Series C $90M led by KKR with Uncork participation; Gamma Series B $68M; Ivo Series B $55M; Numeral Series B $35M).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Uncork Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Uncork Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests initial rounds of typically $3-5M in early-stage technology startups, with a follow-on opportunity fund (Uncork Plus III, $200M) for later-stage participation. Beyond capital, the firm provides portfolio founders with a structured support platform including Key Advisors across engineering, product marketing, GTM, and customer success, curated playbooks (hiring, compensation, legal, cash management), and an annual portfolio summit. The firm operates two flagship vehicles: Uncork VIII ($225M seed fund) and Uncork Plus III ($200M opportunity fund).
Product overview
Uncork Capital is a single, unified seed-stage venture capital firm rather than a multi-product SaaS platform; its offering combines two flagship investment vehicles (the Uncork VIII seed fund and the Uncork Plus III opportunity fund) with the Uncork Platform, a post-investment founder support service that delivers Targeting & Learning sessions, Networking & Community, Key Advisors, and Playbooks & Resources to portfolio companies. Sectors of focus are organized through an Investment Sectors Program spanning B2B Applications, Developer Tooling/Infrastructure & Security, Consumer & Marketplaces, Frontier Tech/Hardware, and AI/ML.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Uncork VIII Seed Fund A $225 million seed-stage venture capital fund used as Uncork Capital's flagship vehicle for leading initial seed rounds, typically with initial investments of $3-5M and simple, transparent terms. Targets pre-seed and seed-stage AI-native founders.
- Uncork Plus III Opportunity Fund A $200 million opportunity fund that supports follow-on participation in Uncork portfolio companies as they grow beyond the seed stage, including participation in Series B and Series C rounds of existing portfolio companies.
- Uncork Platform An ongoing post-investment support offering for Uncork portfolio founders, providing Targeting & Learning sessions (summits, discussions, milestone-setting), Networking & Community connections, Key Advisor credits in sales/marketing/product/engineering/GTM/CS, and a library of Playbooks & Resources covering hiring, compensation, first ops hire, legal representation, seed round announcement, and cash & treasury management.
Quantifiable outcome
- $60B+ in portfolio enterprise value created
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Uncork Capital
Customer profileNamed customers32 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Uncork Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Uncork Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Uncork Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Susa Ventures: Seed-stage firm with founder-led investing approach and operating playbook; comparable in stage focus and 'first check' posture toward AI-native and infrastructure companies.
- Contrary: Seed-stage investor with thesis-driven approach and strong founder community; comparable in stage focus and conviction-led seed investing model with university/operator network.
- Floodgate: Long-standing seed-stage firm focused on early conviction investing with deep founder support; comparable stage and approach to Uncork's 20+ year pure-play seed model.
- Cowboy Ventures: Seed-stage firm founded by Aileen Lee with focus on product-led companies; comparable in early-stage focus and community-driven founder support model.
- First Round Capital: Premier seed-stage venture firm with similar stage focus, 'first check' positioning, and a community-driven operating platform (First Round Review). Comparable in deploying initial checks of $3-5M+ with strong founder-sourcing reputation.
- Lerer Hippeau: Seed and pre-seed focused VC investing in NYC and beyond; comparable in stage focus, check size, and founder-first approach with operating support layer.
- Boldstart Ventures: Pure seed-stage firm focused on enterprise infrastructure and developer tools — overlapping sector exposure (Coder, Tailscale, SendGrid-style infra plays) and similar conviction-led thesis.
- Hustle Fund: Seed-stage VC investing in diverse founders with small initial checks ($1-3M range); comparable stage though positioned slightly earlier than Uncork's $3-5M lead checks.
- K9 Ventures: Solo GP seed-stage firm focused on technical founders and deep tech; comparable in pure seed focus and founder-conviction-driven thesis.
Broad incumbents
- Index Ventures: Multi-stage firm with active seed program alongside growth investing; comparable in that they invest at seed in similar categories but operates at much larger scale with growth-stage capital Uncork Plus III cannot match.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Uncork Capital social profiles
Digital presenceUncork Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Uncork Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Uncork Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Uncork Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments490 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Uncork Capital
What does Uncork Capital do?
Uncork Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests initial rounds of typically $3-5M in early-stage technology startups, with a follow-on opportunity fund (Uncork Plus III, $200M) for later-stage participation. Beyond capital, the firm provides portfolio founders with a structured support platform including Key Advisors across engineering, product marketing, GTM, and customer success, curated playbooks (hiring, compensation, legal, cash management), and an annual portfolio summit. The firm operates two flagship vehicles: Uncork VIII ($225M seed fund) and Uncork Plus III ($200M opportunity fund).
Is Uncork Capital a public or private company?
Uncork Capital is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Uncork Capital founded?
Uncork Capital was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Uncork Capital based?
Uncork Capital is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Uncork Capital make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Carried Interest on Portfolio Exits are the primary driver. The others are seed Fund Capital Management and opportunity Fund Returns.
Who are Uncork Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Susa Ventures, Contrary, Floodgate, Cowboy Ventures, First Round Capital, Lerer Hippeau, Boldstart Ventures, Hustle Fund and K9 Ventures. Index Ventures is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Uncork Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Uncork Capital.
What industry is Uncork Capital in?
Uncork Capital's product category is Seed-Stage Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAGAF, Emerging Manager / Seeding Platforms (Multi-Manager). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.