Virta Ventures
San Francisco-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in AI-enabled climate tech startups at the intersection of software and physical industries (energy, mobility, built world, manufacturing). Pre-Seed/Seed checks of $100K–$750K from a $9M fund, with hands-on founder coaching and cross-portfolio collaboration support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Virta Ventures does
Virta Ventures is a San Francisco-based, privately held venture capital firm founded in 2022 by Russell Sprole. The firm backs early-stage companies at the intersection of artificial intelligence and physical industries, specifically targeting the decarbonization of energy, mobility, built environment, and manufacturing. Its investment activity is concentrated at Pre-Seed and Seed stages with typical check sizes of $100,000–$750,000, deployed from a $9 million first fund across 27+ portfolio companies including Plug, Project Omega, Lumina, TYBA, Everstar, CapeZero, and Vor Systems. Virta does not develop proprietary software products; its core intellectual asset is the "Innovation Stack" investment thesis, which evaluates companies on layered combinations of hardware, software, proprietary data, and distribution as reinforcing competitive advantages.
Beyond capital, Virta offers three non-dilutive support services to portfolio founders: subsidized executive coaching via a network of world-class coaches, curated network introductions to investors and industry partners, and facilitation of cross-portfolio collaborations intended to produce compound value across the portfolio. The firm sources deals primarily through warm introductions from founders, investors, and its network, with a website contact form as a secondary channel. It is staffed by a small team of 1–10 including Founder/Managing Partner Russell Sprole, Investor Dipak Kumar, and several Operating Partners and Advisors with senior operating experience at companies including ExactTarget, Salesforce, Monday.com, SunPower, and Stem.
Virta's revenue model follows the standard venture fund structure: management fees (typically ~2% of committed capital on the $9M fund) plus performance carry (~20% above a hurdle rate) on successful exits. The firm markets to founders and co-investors primarily through thought-leadership content (Substack newsletter series such as "Building Moats in the AI Era"), podcast appearances, and event hosting during SF Climate Week. It is registered to operate in the United States and has no disclosed subsidiaries, parent company, or public-market plans.
Virta Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Virta Ventures
- Legal name
- Virta Ventures
- Website
- https://virtaventures.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- San Francisco-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in AI-enabled climate tech startups at the intersection of software and physical industries (energy, mobility, built world, manufacturing). Pre-Seed/Seed checks of $100K–$750K from a $9M fund, with hands-on founder coaching and cross-portfolio collaboration support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Virta Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Virta Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Virta Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Fund Management Fees: As a venture capital fund manager, Virta Ventures generates revenue through management fees charged on assets under management (typically 2% of committed capital) and performance fees (carry) on investment returns typically around 20% of profits above the hurdle rate.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Pre-Seed/Seed investments of $100K-$750K |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Virta Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Virta Ventures is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that makes Pre-Seed and Seed investments of $100,000 to $750,000 in early-stage climate tech companies operating at the intersection of AI and physical industries (energy, mobility, built world, manufacturing). The firm provides portfolio founders with capital, executive coaching, network introductions, and cross-portfolio collaboration support as part of its investment partnership.
Product overview
Virta Ventures is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that operates as a single unified service offering rather than a product platform. The firm provides early-stage investment (Pre-Seed/Seed, $100-750K check sizes) combined with three core support services: Founder Coaching (executive coaching subsidized at earliest stages), Network Introductions (leveraging extended network for valuable connections), and Cross-Portfolio Collaborations (facilitating synergies between portfolio companies). The firm focuses on climate tech investments across energy, mobility, built world, and manufacturing sectors, backing founders who are transforming how the world is moved, powered, and built. Virta has invested in over 60 early-stage companies and emphasizes capital-efficient scaling strategies that minimize founder dilution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Founder Coaching
- Network Introductions
- Cross-Portfolio Collaborations
- Early-Stage Climate Tech Investment
Companies that use Virta Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Virta Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Virta Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Virta Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Climate Capital: Early-stage climate VC focused on equity and debt instruments for climate solutions. Direct peer in stage, sector, and capital-efficient structuring of investments.
- Congruent Ventures: Early-stage climate tech investor targeting software, hardware, and services across energy and sustainability. Direct peer by stage, sector focus, and willingness to lead at pre-seed/seed.
- Clean Energy Ventures: Pure-play seed-stage climate tech VC backing science- and engineering-driven founders. Highly comparable thesis (AI + physical industries, capital-efficient scaling) and check size range.
- Powerhouse Ventures: Climate-focused early-stage VC and documented co-investor with Virta on the CapeZero round. Direct peer by thesis (sector-focused climate VC), stage (Pre-Seed/Seed), and check size discipline.
- Prelude Ventures: Long-running, sector-focused seed-stage climate tech VC. Highly comparable in stage (Seed), sector specialization (energy/mobility/built environment), and operator-friendly value-add model.
- Gigascale Capital: Climate infrastructure VC and co-investor on Vor Systems with Virta. Direct peer targeting AI-enabled energy and infrastructure software at pre-seed stage.
- Third Prime VC: Climate-and-infrastructure-focused early-stage VC and co-investor on Everstar with Virta. Comparable in stage, sector specialization, and willingness to lead pre-seed rounds.
Broad incumbents
- Lowercarbon Capital: Larger, more established climate VC writing checks across stages from seed to growth. Overlap in energy, mobility, and built environment sectors, but with materially bigger fund vehicles and later-stage participation.
- Breakthrough Energy Ventures: Bill Gates-backed climate fund investing across energy, mobility, agriculture, and built environment. Broad incumbent with overlapping thesis but vastly larger capital base and tolerance for patient, capital-intensive bets.
Regional players
- Bee Partners: Seed-stage deep tech VC with climate and marketplace focus; Virta Venture Partner Garrett Goldberg was previously a Partner at Bee Partners. Comparable in stage and founder-first approach, though slightly more marketplace- and SaaS-leaning than Virta's hardware-heavy climate focus.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Virta Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceVirta Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Virta Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Virta Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Virta Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments15 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Virta Ventures
What does Virta Ventures do?
Virta Ventures is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that makes Pre-Seed and Seed investments of $100,000 to $750,000 in early-stage climate tech companies operating at the intersection of AI and physical industries (energy, mobility, built world, manufacturing). The firm provides portfolio founders with capital, executive coaching, network introductions, and cross-portfolio collaboration support as part of its investment partnership.
Is Virta Ventures a public or private company?
Virta Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Virta Ventures founded?
Virta Ventures was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Virta Ventures based?
Virta Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Virta Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: fund Management Fees.
Who are Virta Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Climate Capital, Congruent Ventures, Clean Energy Ventures, Powerhouse Ventures, Prelude Ventures, Gigascale Capital and Third Prime VC. Broad incumbents are Lowercarbon Capital and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Bee Partners is listed as a regional player.
Does Virta Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Virta Ventures.
What industry is Virta Ventures in?
Virta Ventures'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.