Garuda Ventures
Garuda Ventures is a Bay Area-based, first-check venture capital fund that invests $500K to $1.5M in early-stage B2B software and physical AI companies, most often as the lead of a founder's initial institutional round, supported by a content-and-community platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Garuda Ventures does
Garuda Ventures is a Bay Area-based, first-check venture capital fund that invests $500K to $1.5M in early-stage B2B software companies, most often as the lead or co-lead of a founder's initial institutional round. The firm was co-founded by Rishi Taparia and Arpan Punyani (both General Partners), with James Richards as co-founder and Venture Partner, and closed a $31M debut fund in October 2023. Garuda's stated focus spans vertical and horizontal software, cybersecurity, infrastructure, fintech, and (more recently) physical AI/hardware, with portfolio companies concentrated in the US and Canada and select investments in London, Sydney, and Israel.
Garuda's business model is standard venture fund economics — management fees on committed/invested capital and carried interest on exits — augmented by a content and community engine that the firm uses to source deals and support founders. The community platform consists of a monthly newsletter, the Brick by Brick podcast (launched May 2024 on YouTube), founder toolkits and long-form essays, and a curated bookshelf; together these generate inbound deal flow and reinforce the "Garuda community" of A+ operators and portfolio founders. Garuda's 50+ portfolio companies include nine named acquired/Exited names (Airbase, AllStripes, Dashworks, Iconic Air, Laminar, MonkeyLearn, OpsHelm, Subcity, Atero) and recent investments such as Mind Robotics (part of a $400M Kleiner Perkins-led round), Foundry Robotics, Mirai, Adora, Arkero, Mytra, Rocksalt, Yrikka, Arcade.dev, and Moonshot AI. Rishi Taparia's prior sourcing of Matrix Partners' seed investment in Canva (now ~$40B) is repeatedly cited in the firm's positioning.
Operationally, Garuda is a small, partner-led firm with no disclosed non-partner paid headcount, no public APIs or technology products of its own, and a content-and-community GTM motion layered on top of traditional first-check investing. The firm emphasizes long-term engagement with founders through Series B and beyond, with support spanning operations, sales acceleration, follow-on fundraising, and senior hiring introductions.
Garuda Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Garuda Ventures
- Legal name
- Garuda Ventures
- Website
- https://garuda.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Garuda Ventures is a Bay Area-based, first-check venture capital fund that invests $500K to $1.5M in early-stage B2B software and physical AI companies, most often as the lead of a founder's initial institutional round, supported by a content-and-community platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Garuda Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital Fund Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Garuda Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Garuda Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Garuda Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Garuda Ventures is a first-check venture capital fund that invests $500K to $1.5M behind founders at the pre-seed and seed stages, with a focus on B2B companies in business software, fintech, cybersecurity/infrastructure, and physical AI. Capital deployment is paired with operator support across operations, sales acceleration, and follow-on fundraising, and is supported by a content-and-community layer (newsletter, podcast, curated books shelf) that extends the firm's relationship with portfolio founders.
Product overview
Garuda Ventures is a first-check venture capital firm, not a software product company. Its core offering is the Garuda Ventures Fund I, a debut $31M fund that invests $500K to $1.5M in early-stage B2B companies across business software, fintech, cybersecurity/infrastructure, and physical AI. Layered on top of the fund is a content-and-community platform consisting of the Garuda News newsletter (firm and portfolio updates), The Brick by Brick Pod podcast (founder education on YouTube), and the Garuda Books shelf (curated reading recommendations); together these three community products extend Garuda's relationship with portfolio founders beyond the capital check, while the Garuda Ventures Fund I remains the firm's central product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Garuda Ventures Fund I (Debut Fund) Garuda Ventures' flagship $31M debut venture capital fund, operating as a first-check fund that invests $500K to $1.5M in early-stage B2B companies spanning business software, fintech, cybersecurity/infrastructure, and physical AI, primarily in the US and Canada. The fund is the firm's central revenue-generating product, deployed via direct founder engagement and co-investor syndicates.
Quantifiable outcome
- 9+ named portfolio exits including Airbase (Paylocity), AllStripes (PicnicHealth), Dashworks (HubSpot), Iconic Air (Asuene), Laminar (APMC), MonkeyLearn (Medallia), OpsHelm (Cribl), Subcity (Engineered Tax Services), and Atero (Crusoe)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Garuda Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Garuda Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Garuda Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Garuda Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Contrary: Early-stage venture firm and research platform that invests in pre-seed and seed B2B software startups with an emphasis on founder support and content. Comparable stage, sector focus, and community/content-driven GTM motion to Garuda's newsletter and podcast approach.
- Liquid 2 Ventures: Pre-seed and seed-stage venture firm founded by Joe Montana and Mike Miller, writing first checks into B2B and consumer software startups. Comparable first-check stage, small-team operator model, and US-wide geographic reach.
- Blackbird: Australia/NZ-origin early-stage VC that has expanded into US pre-seed/seed deals, including leading Adora's $7M seed round where Garuda co-invested. Comparable first-check thesis, similar check sizes, and overlapping founder pool in B2B software.
- Founder Collective: Seed-stage venture firm that has historically led and co-led pre-seed and seed rounds in B2B software, with a small-partner team and operator-heavy model. Comparable stage, sector focus, and value-add (hands-on founder support through Series A).
- 776 (Alexis Ohanian): Pre-seed/seed-stage venture firm founded by Alexis Ohanian that co-invested alongside Garuda in Arkero's pre-seed. Comparable first-check approach, founder-direct sourcing, and early-stage B2B and consumer software focus.
- Honeystone Ventures: B2B SaaS-focused pre-seed and seed fund run by a small operator-investor team. Directly comparable to Garuda in thesis (B2B SaaS only), check size ($500K-$1.5M range), and value-add (operator support, community).
- BoxGroup: NYC-based pre-seed/seed VC led by David Tisch that co-invested alongside Garuda in Arkero's $6M pre-seed round. Both funds operate as conviction-led, first-check investors with small teams and B2B software/consumer crossover theses.
- Game Changers Ventures: Early-stage VC focused on sports, media, and consumer-tech adjacencies that led Arkero's $6M pre-seed round with Garuda participating. Comparable first-check stage, small-team structure, and thematic specialization.
- Worklife Ventures: Pre-seed and seed fund investing in B2B software at the earliest stages, led by operator-investors. Directly comparable to Garuda in stage, sector focus, and community-driven support model for founders.
- Mighty Capital: Early-stage VC that led Moonshot AI's $10M seed round with Garuda as a participating investor. Both funds target B2B software and AI-driven startups at seed, with similar check sizes and operator-support models.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Garuda Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceGaruda Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Garuda Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Garuda Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Garuda Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments44 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Garuda Ventures
What does Garuda Ventures do?
Garuda Ventures is a first-check venture capital fund that invests $500K to $1.5M behind founders at the pre-seed and seed stages, with a focus on B2B companies in business software, fintech, cybersecurity/infrastructure, and physical AI. Capital deployment is paired with operator support across operations, sales acceleration, and follow-on fundraising, and is supported by a content-and-community layer (newsletter, podcast, curated books shelf) that extends the firm's relationship with portfolio founders.
Is Garuda Ventures a public or private company?
Garuda Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Garuda Ventures founded?
Garuda Ventures was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Garuda Ventures based?
Garuda Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Garuda Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Contrary, Liquid 2 Ventures, Blackbird, Founder Collective, 776 (Alexis Ohanian), Honeystone Ventures, BoxGroup, Game Changers Ventures, Worklife Ventures and Mighty Capital.
Does Garuda Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Garuda Ventures.
What industry is Garuda Ventures in?
Garuda Ventures's product category is Venture Capital Fund Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAI, Micro-VC & Angel Funds, with a secondary code of FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.