Base Ventures
Base Ventures is a Berkeley-based venture capital firm investing at seed and pre-seed stages in Modern Consumer and Enterprise & Industrial technology companies, having backed 100+ startups including Zappos and PlanGrid.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Base Ventures does
Base Ventures is a Berkeley, California-based venture capital firm founded in 2010 by Erik Moore and Kirby Harris, operating as a seed and pre-seed investor across two stated theses: Modern Consumer (retail/brand transformation technology) and Enterprise & Industrial (robotics, cloud, and AI for industrial and logistics businesses). The firm manages three successive funds (Fund I, II, III) and has backed more than 100 startups and 136 founders. Notable exits include Zappos ($1.2B sale to Amazon, 2009), PlanGrid ($875M sale to Autodesk, 2018), and Olly, alongside three unicorns valued at $5.2B, $4B, and $1B and six $500M+ companies. Aggregate portfolio metrics disclosed on the firm's website: $1.6B in capital raised by portfolio companies, $531.6M in portfolio revenue, and 1,888 jobs created. Recent 2026 deal activity (Khameleon, Pensive, Index Robotics, PRT/Protein, Ribodis) shows a rotation toward AI and physical-AI/robotics themes and an expansion into Korean deal flow.
The business model is standard emerging-manager venture capital economics: Base Ventures raises capital from institutional limited partners — disclosed LPs include WCAS, Greenspring Associates, and Berkshire Partners, with True Capital Management participating in the most recent fund — and earns 2% management fees on committed capital plus 20% carried interest on fund profits above the hurdle. The firm does not sell products or services and operates with no proprietary technology stack; its offering to founders is capital, network access, and operational support. Distribution is network-driven: deal sourcing flows from founder referrals and high-profile introductions (Tony Hsieh into Space Perspective; Serena Williams into Will Perform; Eric Ryan into Olly/Welly), supplemented by an Airtable-based "Pitch Us" intake funnel.
The three-person team (Erik Moore, Founder & Managing Director; Kirby Harris, Founder & Managing Partner; Ryan Diew, Principal & EIR) has co-invested alongside tier-one venture firms including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, Bain Capital, and Google Ventures, and has raised institutional backing from a mix of fund-of-funds and large institutional LPs. Recent Korean co-investments (Index Robotics with FuturePlay; Khameleon with NAVER D2SF) suggest the firm is broadening its geographic sourcing footprint beyond Silicon Valley while maintaining its generalist seed/pre-seed posture.
Base Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Base Ventures
- Legal name
- Base Ventures
- Website
- https://base.ventures
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Base Ventures is a Berkeley-based venture capital firm investing at seed and pre-seed stages in Modern Consumer and Enterprise & Industrial technology companies, having backed 100+ startups including Zappos and PlanGrid.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Base Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- 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 industries
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Base Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Base Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Fund Management: Base Ventures generates returns through traditional VC fund economics including management fees (typically 2% on committed capital) and carried interest (typically 20% of profits above the hurdle rate). The firm has raised three funds to date.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Base Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Base Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests at the Seed and Pre-Seed stages, deploying capital from its three funds into technology startups. The firm provides portfolio companies with capital, strategic guidance, operational support, and access to its network of founders, celebrities, and political leaders. Investment focus areas are Modern Consumer (retail/brand-customer technology) and Enterprise (robotics, cloud, and AI for industrial, logistics, and manufacturing).
Product overview
Base Ventures operates as a single unified venture capital investment service rather than a platform with multiple modules. The firm provides seed and pre-seed funding, strategic mentorship, and network access to founders. Investment focus areas include Modern Consumer (technology that changes how retailers and brands connect with customers) and Enterprise (robotics, cloud computing, and AI tools for industrial, logistics, and manufacturing businesses). Notable portfolio companies span across Fund I through Fund IV, including Space Perspective, Mansa, Storytell.ai, 6sense, Mos, and numerous other startups in various stages of development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Base Ventures Seed & Pre-Seed Investment Funds
Quantifiable outcome
- 3 unicorn exits ($5.2B, $4B, and $1B valuations)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Base Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Base Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Base Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Base Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Precursor Ventures: Precursor Ventures is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm investing in software startups. Direct peer to Base Ventures in stage focus, check size discipline, and broad sector investing at the earliest stages.
- Notation Capital: Notation Capital is a pre-seed venture capital firm investing in technical founders building transformative software. Highly comparable to Base Ventures in stage focus and preference for first-check conviction investing.
- Kapor Capital: Kapor Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on seed-stage investments in tech startups with a mission to close gaps of access, opportunity, and outcome for underrepresented founders. Direct peer to Base Ventures in diversity-focused early-stage investing; the firms share a Silicon Valley ecosystem and both have ties to the Kapor Center (where Base's Ryan Diew previously worked).
- Initialized Capital: Initialized Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in founders at the earliest stages. Direct peer to Base Ventures in seed-stage orientation, founder-first philosophy, and Silicon Valley roots.
- 500 Global: 500 Global is a venture capital firm that invests in founders building fast-growing technology companies at the seed and Series A stages. Base Ventures has co-invested alongside 500 Global in Index Robotics, making them directly comparable in stage focus and global seed investing.
- Forerunner Ventures: Forerunner Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on consumer commerce, investing at seed through Series B. Direct peer to Base Ventures in the Modern Consumer focus area, with comparable emphasis on brands reimagining consumer experiences.
- Maveron: Maveron is a consumer-only venture capital firm investing in early-stage companies that serve consumers. Comparable to Base Ventures in consumer-tech focus and early-stage orientation, with similar conviction-driven investing style.
- Lerer Hippeau: Lerer Hippeau is a seed-stage venture capital firm investing in early-stage companies across consumer, enterprise, and frontier tech. Direct peer to Base Ventures in seed-stage investing and broad sector coverage.
- Cowboy Ventures: Cowboy Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm backing product-first founders building products and services consumers love. Direct peer to Base Ventures in seed-stage consumer and enterprise investing in Silicon Valley.
Broad incumbents
- Founders Fund: Founders Fund is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm investing across stages from seed to growth. Comparable to Base Ventures as a tier-1 Silicon Valley venture firm, though it operates across broader stages and larger check sizes.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Base Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceBase Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Base Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Base Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Base Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments152 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Base Ventures
What does Base Ventures do?
Base Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests at the Seed and Pre-Seed stages, deploying capital from its three funds into technology startups. The firm provides portfolio companies with capital, strategic guidance, operational support, and access to its network of founders, celebrities, and political leaders. Investment focus areas are Modern Consumer (retail/brand-customer technology) and Enterprise (robotics, cloud, and AI for industrial, logistics, and manufacturing).
Is Base Ventures a public or private company?
Base Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Base Ventures founded?
Base Ventures was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Base Ventures based?
Base Ventures is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Base Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: fund Management.
Who are Base Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Precursor Ventures, Notation Capital, Kapor Capital, Initialized Capital, 500 Global, Forerunner Ventures, Maveron, Lerer Hippeau and Cowboy Ventures. Founders Fund is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Base Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Base Ventures.
What industry is Base Ventures in?
Base 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 FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.