Sound Ventures
Sound Ventures is a Beverly Hills-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, managing over $1 billion in assets with a concentrated focus on artificial intelligence and frontier technology investments from seed through growth stages.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBeverly Hills, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sound Ventures does
Sound Ventures is a Beverly Hills-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 by actor Ashton Kutcher and music industry executive Guy Oseary. The firm manages over $1 billion in assets as of 2026 with a small team (1-10 employees) comprising co-founders Kutcher and Oseary, managing partner Effie Epstein, and principal Maaria Bajwa. It was initially capitalized with a $100 million investment from Liberty Media and operates a single-office model focused on direct venture investment rather than operating businesses or technology product development.
The firm's investment thesis centers on artificial intelligence and frontier technology. In 2023, Sound Ventures closed a dedicated AI fund exceeding $240 million, concentrating capital in foundation model and AI application companies. Its portfolio includes marquee positions in OpenAI (0.15% stake valued at approximately $1.3 billion), Anthropic, Stability AI, and Hugging Face, alongside consumer internet and enterprise software holdings such as Airbnb, Uber, Spotify, and Robinhood. Recent investment activity (2024-2026) shows the firm leading and co-leading Series A and B rounds in AI security (WitnessAI, $58M), legal AI (GC AI, $13M Series A and $60M Series B), AI infrastructure automation (Antimetal, $20M), go-to-market automation (Landbase, $30M; Knit, $16.1M), SMB services (Collective, $20M), and analytics (Anomaly Insights, $17M).
Sound Ventures generates revenue through conventional venture capital economics: management fees on assets under management and carried interest on successful portfolio exits. Deal flow is sourced primarily through Kutcher's celebrity network, Oseary's entertainment industry relationships, and co-investment partnerships with tier-one institutional venture firms including a16z, Sequoia, Benchmark, General Catalyst, Index Ventures, and Union Square Ventures. The firm selectively leads rounds while participating as a co-investor in larger institutional rounds, positioning itself as a brand-distinguished specialist rather than a generalist large-fund operator.
Sound Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sound Ventures
- Legal name
- Sound Ventures
- Website
- https://www.soundventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sound Ventures is a Beverly Hills-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, managing over $1 billion in assets with a concentrated focus on artificial intelligence and frontier technology investments from seed through growth stages.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sound Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD), Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAAAJ)
Keywords
Where Sound Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beverly Hills
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Sound Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Sound Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sound Ventures is a private venture capital firm founded in 2015 that invests in early- and growth-stage technology companies, with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence, consumer internet, and enterprise software. The firm manages over $1 billion in assets and operates a dedicated AI-focused fund of more than $240 million. It deploys capital into high-profile technology startups such as Airbnb, Uber, Spotify, Robinhood, OpenAI, Anthropic, Stability AI, and Hugging Face.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sound Ventures General Fund
- Sound Ventures AI Fund
Quantifiable outcome
- Sound Ventures' OpenAI stake valued at approximately $1.3 billion
Companies that use Sound Ventures
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sound Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sound Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sound Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Greylock Partners: Established Silicon Valley venture firm with strong enterprise and AI portfolio; comparable stage focus and LP base to Sound Ventures.
- Benchmark: Early-stage focused venture partnership investing in tech and consumer; co-invested alongside Sound Ventures in rounds such as Fomo's Series B.
- True Ventures: Early-stage venture firm investing in consumer and enterprise tech; co-investor with Sound Ventures in companies such as Polsia.
- Sequoia Capital: Premier US venture firm investing across stages in technology and AI; co-investor with Sound Ventures and similar LP base of institutional and strategic investors.
- Index Ventures: Global venture firm with strong AI and consumer investing track record; co-investor with Sound Ventures in multiple portfolio companies.
- Founders Fund: US venture firm focused on frontier technology and AI; comparable to Sound Ventures in stage focus and tech-sector concentration.
- Andreessen Horowitz: Tier-1 US venture firm with a large dedicated AI fund and broad consumer/enterprise software mandate; repeatedly co-invests with Sound Ventures in AI companies.
- Khosla Ventures: Early-to-growth venture firm with deep AI and frontier-tech focus; competes for similar AI seed and Series A deals as Sound Ventures.
- General Catalyst: Multi-stage venture firm with broad tech mandate and significant AI exposure; frequent co-investor alongside Sound Ventures in Series A and B rounds.
- Union Square Ventures: Early-stage venture firm investing in technology and crypto/network-effect businesses; co-investor with Sound Ventures in rounds such as Fomo.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Sound Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceSound Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sound Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Sound Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sound Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments245 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sound Ventures
What does Sound Ventures do?
Sound Ventures is a private venture capital firm founded in 2015 that invests in early- and growth-stage technology companies, with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence, consumer internet, and enterprise software. The firm manages over $1 billion in assets and operates a dedicated AI-focused fund of more than $240 million. It deploys capital into high-profile technology startups such as Airbnb, Uber, Spotify, Robinhood, OpenAI, Anthropic, Stability AI, and Hugging Face.
Is Sound Ventures a public or private company?
Sound Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sound Ventures founded?
Sound Ventures was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sound Ventures based?
Sound Ventures is headquartered in Beverly Hills, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Sound Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Greylock Partners, Benchmark, True Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, General Catalyst and Union Square Ventures.
Does Sound Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sound Ventures.
What industry is Sound Ventures in?
Sound Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B), with a secondary code of FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.