Surface Ventures
Surface Ventures is a New York-based seed and pre-seed venture capital firm founded in 2020 that leads and co-leads early-stage investments in B2B software and AI startups, partnering with founders on capital deployment, R&D expansion, and international scaling.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Surface Ventures does
Surface Ventures is a New York-based, seed and pre-seed venture capital firm founded in 2020 that partners with early-stage B2B software and AI startups. The firm operates with a small team of 1–10 employees and is led by co-founder and managing partner Dimitri Boguslavsky alongside co-managing partner Gyan Kapur. Its investment activity is concentrated in the AI and applied AI sectors, as evidenced by two disclosed 2026 seed rounds: a $2 million lead investment in BotGauge AI (an autonomous software testing startup scaling R&D in India and the US) and a $45.8 million co-led investment in Poetiq (an AI meta-systems company founded by former Google DeepMind scientists building recursive self-improvement infrastructure for large language models).
Surface Ventures typically leads seed rounds and assembles syndicates with recognized co-investors including Y Combinator, FYRFLY Venture Partners, 468 Capital, Operator Collective, Hico Ventures, Neuron Venture Partners, and regional partners such as IA Seed Ventures and Saka Ventures. As a venture capital firm, its core product is capital plus support for portfolio company market expansion, R&D growth, and international scaling; it does not sell software, charge product fees, or operate a traditional GTM motion.
The firm's revenue model is implicit in standard VC mechanics — management fees on committed capital plus potential carried interest on realized gains — though fund size, AUM, and LP composition are not disclosed in available sources. Operating geographies, portfolio beyond the two named investments, prior deal history, and ownership structure are likewise not characterized in the input data, representing material data gaps for any due diligence effort.
Surface Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Surface Ventures
- Legal name
- Surface Ventures
- Website
- https://surface.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Surface Ventures is a New York-based seed and pre-seed venture capital firm founded in 2020 that leads and co-leads early-stage investments in B2B software and AI startups, partnering with founders on capital deployment, R&D expansion, and international scaling.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Surface Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Surface Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Surface Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Surface Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Surface Ventures is a seed and pre-seed venture capital firm that invests in B2B software companies, with a focus on AI startups. The firm leads and co-leads early-stage funding rounds and partners with other investors to support portfolio companies with capital for R&D, engineering expansion, and international market scaling.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Seed and Pre-Seed Venture Capital Funding
Companies that use Surface Ventures
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Surface Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Surface Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Surface Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- 468 Capital: 468 Capital is an early-stage VC that participated in the Poetiq seed round alongside Surface Ventures and co-invests in AI/deep-tech companies at the seed stage, making it a directly comparable peer.
- AIX Ventures: AIX Ventures is an AI-focused seed-stage venture firm that invests at the same stage and category as Surface Ventures. While data does not show a shared deal, both firms target pre-seed and seed AI startups with technical founders, making them directly comparable.
- Saka Ventures: Saka Ventures co-invested in the BotGauge AI seed round led by Surface Ventures. As an early-stage venture investor writing checks of similar size, it is a directly comparable peer in the seed-stage AI/B2B software category.
- Lerer Hippeau: Lerer Hippeau is a New York-based seed-stage VC focused on B2B software and consumer brands. Geographic and category overlap with Surface Ventures make it a directly comparable early-stage peer.
- Hico Ventures: Hico Ventures participated in the Poetiq seed round led by Surface Ventures. As an early-stage AI-focused investor, it is a directly comparable peer in the seed-stage AI category.
- Neuron Venture Partners: Neuron Venture Partners participated in the Poetiq seed alongside Surface Ventures, indicating it invests at similar check sizes in AI-focused early-stage deals, making it a directly comparable peer.
- Operator Collective: Operator Collective participated in the Poetiq seed alongside Surface Ventures. It invests in early-stage B2B software companies, making it a directly comparable peer operating in the same stage and category.
- FYRFLY Venture Partners: FYRFLY Venture Partners co-led the $45.8M Poetiq seed round with Surface Ventures, making it a directly comparable early-stage AI-focused VC operating in the same deal category and partnering on the same flagship deal.
Broad incumbents
- Y Combinator: Y Combinator is a global accelerator and seed investor that participated in Poetiq alongside Surface Ventures. While far larger and broader than Surface Ventures, it represents the dominant incumbent in the early-stage B2B software/AI deal flow that Surface Ventures targets.
Regional players
- IA Seed Ventures: IA Seed Ventures participated in the BotGauge AI seed round led by Surface Ventures. It operates as an early-stage regional seed fund with comparable deal size and stage, making it a directly comparable peer in similar seed transactions.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Surface Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceSurface Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Surface Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Surface Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Surface Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments73 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Surface Ventures
What does Surface Ventures do?
Surface Ventures is a seed and pre-seed venture capital firm that invests in B2B software companies, with a focus on AI startups. The firm leads and co-leads early-stage funding rounds and partners with other investors to support portfolio companies with capital for R&D, engineering expansion, and international market scaling.
Is Surface Ventures a public or private company?
Surface Ventures is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Surface Ventures founded?
Surface Ventures was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Surface Ventures based?
Surface Ventures is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Surface Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are 468 Capital, AIX Ventures, Saka Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, Hico Ventures, Neuron Venture Partners, Operator Collective and FYRFLY Venture Partners. Y Combinator is listed as a broad incumbent. IA Seed Ventures is listed as a regional player.
Does Surface Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Surface Ventures.
What industry is Surface Ventures in?
Surface Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 52399 and its SIC code is 6282.