Presence Capital
Presence Capital is a San Francisco-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in December 2015 that invests exclusively in virtual reality and augmented reality startups, deploying a $10 million inaugural fund led by three partners with deep operating experience in gaming and immersive technology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Presence Capital does
Presence Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in December 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, that invests exclusively in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) startups. The firm was established as the first VC vehicle dedicated solely to early-stage VR and AR companies, deploying capital from a single $10 million inaugural fund into founders building new applications of immersive technology across communications, work, and entertainment. The fund is led by three founding managing partners — Amitt Mahajan, Paul Bragiel, and Phil Chen — whose combined operating experience spans Zynga (FarmVille co-creator), Epic Games (Unreal Engine), HTC (founder of HTC's VR business and broker of the Valve-HTC partnership), and early advisor roles at Uber and Unity.
The firm does not develop proprietary technology products. Its offering to portfolio companies is capital plus operational support, leveraging the partners' networks, prior exits (MyMiniLife/Zynga, Toro/Google), and category-specific relationships with hardware OEMs and platform companies. The disclosed initial portfolio includes Harmonix (Rock Band franchise), Baobab (cinematic VR experiences), and Waygo (Asian-language translation), with additional unannounced investments at first close.
Presence Capital generates returns through traditional venture capital mechanics: equity investments in early-stage startups followed by exits via acquisition or IPO. There is no disclosed pricing or fee structure beyond standard fund economics, and the firm maintains minimal marketing infrastructure (a website and a Twitter account). Marketing channels and outbound distribution are relationship-driven rather than scaled; deal flow originates through partner networks rather than inbound brand demand. As a 1–10 employee micro-firm operating a single $10M fund, Presence Capital's revenue is structurally constrained to fund management economics, and the firm has not publicly disclosed follow-on vehicles, exits, or expanded AUM.
Presence Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Presence Capital
- Legal name
- Presence Capital
- Website
- https://presencecap.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Presence Capital is a San Francisco-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in December 2015 that invests exclusively in virtual reality and augmented reality startups, deploying a $10 million inaugural fund led by three partners with deep operating experience in gaming and immersive technology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Presence Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Presence Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Presence Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: Presence Capital generates returns through equity investments in early-stage VR and AR startups. As an investor, the firm earns returns through exit events such as acquisitions or IPOs of portfolio companies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Presence Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Presence Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in and supports virtual reality and augmented reality startups. The firm deploys equity capital from its inaugural $10 million fund and provides hands-on operational support, industry expertise, and partner networks to entrepreneurs building AR/VR applications for communication, work, and entertainment.
Product overview
Presence Capital operates as a single unified venture capital fund focused on early-stage VR and AR startups. The firm deploys capital from its $10 million inaugural fund to support talented entrepreneurs developing AR and VR technologies that transform how people communicate, work, and play.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Presence Capital VR/AR Fund (Inaugural $10M Fund) Early-stage venture capital fund that provides equity capital and operational support to founders of virtual reality and augmented reality startups building new communication, work, and entertainment experiences.
Quantifiable outcome
- First VC firm focused solely on VR/AR companies
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Presence Capital
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Presence Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Presence Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Presence Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lux Capital: Lux Capital is an early-stage VC with deep exposure to frontier tech including AR, computer vision, and spatial computing, making it a broader incumbent that competes for VR/AR deal flow but with a wider mandate.
- Sequoia Capital: Sequoia Capital is a top-tier generalist VC with material exposure to VR/AR companies across its portfolio, representing a broader incumbent competing for category-defining deals against vertical specialists like Presence Capital.
- Andreessen Horowitz: Andreessen Horowitz is a leading generalist VC that has made landmark VR/AR investments (notably leading Facebook's acquisition of Oculus) and maintains a dedicated games/metaverse practice, serving as a broad incumbent in the same category.
- GGV Capital: GGV Capital is a global venture firm with active investments across VR/AR, gaming, and immersive media, representing a broader incumbent with material presence in the same category as Presence Capital.
Direct peers
- Boost VC: Boost VC is an early-stage accelerator and fund that has historically invested in VR/AR among other emerging tech verticals, sharing Presence Capital's early-stage ticket size and founder-support orientation.
- The Venture Reality Fund: The Venture Reality Fund (formerly The VR Fund) is a venture firm focused exclusively on VR, AR, and mixed reality startups, making it the closest direct peer to Presence Capital in terms of vertical specialization, stage focus, and target founder profile.
- Super Ventures: Super Ventures is an early-stage fund and accelerator exclusively focused on augmented reality, with a similar vertical-specialist profile to Presence Capital but narrowed to the AR subset of the same category.
- LDV Capital: LDV Capital is a thesis-driven early-stage fund investing in people building businesses powered by visual technology, including VR, AR, and computer vision — directly comparable to Presence Capital's visual/immersive tech focus.
- HTC Vive X: HTC's Vive X accelerator and investment program is a corporate-backed VR-focused fund that invests in early-stage VR/AR startups globally, directly overlapping with Presence Capital's mandate and stage.
Regional players
- Colopl VR Fund: Colopl's VR-focused corporate venture fund invests in early-stage VR/AR startups primarily in Japan and Asia, representing a regional peer with the same vertical mandate but different geographic focus than Presence Capital's US-centric portfolio.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Presence Capital social profiles
Digital presencePresence Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Presence Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Presence Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Presence Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments52 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Presence Capital
What does Presence Capital do?
Presence Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in and supports virtual reality and augmented reality startups. The firm deploys equity capital from its inaugural $10 million fund and provides hands-on operational support, industry expertise, and partner networks to entrepreneurs building AR/VR applications for communication, work, and entertainment.
Is Presence Capital a public or private company?
Presence Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Presence Capital founded?
Presence Capital was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Presence Capital based?
Presence Capital is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Presence Capital make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Returns.
Who are Presence Capital's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lux Capital, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and GGV Capital. Direct peers are Boost VC, The Venture Reality Fund, Super Ventures, LDV Capital and HTC Vive X. Colopl VR Fund is listed as a regional player.
Does Presence Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Presence Capital.
What industry is Presence Capital in?
Presence Capital's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.