Scale-Up
Scale-Up is a private San Francisco-based venture capital firm that invests in late- and growth-stage technology unicorn companies across fintech, real estate, drone delivery, identity verification, gaming, AI, and other transformative sectors, with brokerage services via GT Securities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Scale-Up does
Scale-Up, operating through Scale-Up GP, Inc. and branded as Scale-Up Unicorn Fund, is a private venture capital firm founded around 2021 and headquartered at One Sansome Street, San Francisco. The firm targets late- and growth-stage technology companies that have already achieved or are approaching unicorn status ($1B+ valuation), positioning itself as a capital provider for established leaders transforming their markets rather than an early-stage investor. Its disclosed portfolio spans at least nine verticals including real estate co-ownership (Pacaso), drone delivery (Zipline), identity verification (Socure), ABM marketing (6sense), mobile gaming (Scopely), 3D printing (Formlabs), AI (Dataminr, People.ai), quantum computing (PsiQuantum), and consumer credit (Upgrade), with portfolio valuations individually ranging from $1B to $4.5B. Notably, the firm is participating in emerging-market fintech through Avenia's $17M Series A in Brazil in February 2026, signaling geographic expansion into Latin America.
Scale-Up's economic model follows standard venture fund mechanics: management fees on assets under management and carried interest from successful portfolio exits. Brokerage and advisory services are delivered through GT Securities, Inc., a FINRA/SIPC member broker-dealer, providing the regulated infrastructure for capital activities. The firm operates with a lean 1-10 employee structure, distributes investment offerings through direct engagement with accredited and institutional investors, and uses its website, newsletter, and portfolio news coverage as primary marketing channels. There are no public product offerings, APIs, or proprietary technology platforms; the "product" is the fund itself and its portfolio construction capabilities. Go-to-market is enterprise field-sales oriented, focused on closing direct placements with growth-stage founders and onboarding LPs, with co-investment syndicates (Sequoia Scout, Accel Scout, Headline, Quona, Big Bets, Fluent Ventures) reinforcing deal flow and credibility.
Scale-Up firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scale-Up
- Legal name
- Scale-Up GP, Inc.
- Website
- https://scale-up.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Scale-Up is a private San Francisco-based venture capital firm that invests in late- and growth-stage technology unicorn companies across fintech, real estate, drone delivery, identity verification, gaming, AI, and other transformative sectors, with brokerage services via GT Securities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scale-Up industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAAAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Growth Equity Fund-of-Funds (FSANAGAE)
Keywords
Where Scale-Up is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Scale-Up business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Management Fees: VC fund management fees typically charged as a percentage of assets under management
- Carried Interest: Performance fees from successful portfolio company exits and returns
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Scale-Up product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Scale-Up Unicorn Fund is a venture capital firm that invests growth capital in late-stage technology companies that have achieved unicorn status ($1B+ valuation) and are scaling to transform their respective markets. The firm manages pooled capital from accredited and institutional investors and deploys it into a diversified portfolio across sectors such as real estate technology, drone delivery, identity verification, gaming, and AI platforms, earning revenue through management fees on assets under management and carried interest on successful exits.
Product overview
Scale-Up Unicorn Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in technology unicorn companies. The firm does not offer products or services in the traditional SaaS/product sense; its offering is investment management in transformative technology companies. Scale-Up's portfolio spans diverse technology sectors including real estate technology, drone delivery, cybersecurity, marketing automation, identity verification, 3D printing, gaming, and AI platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Scale-Up Unicorn Fund Late-stage venture capital fund that invests growth capital in established technology unicorn companies ($1B+ valuation) seeking to scale further and transform their respective markets. Capital is raised from accredited and institutional investors and deployed into portfolio companies across sectors including real estate technology, drone delivery, cybersecurity, identity verification, gaming, and AI platforms.
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple portfolio companies achieved unicorn status and continued growth
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Scale-Up
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Scale-Up technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Scale-Up partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered strategic.
- SweetgreenstrategicSweetgreen announced as a partner for Zipline's new Platform 2 drone delivery service.
- Michigan MedicinestrategicMichigan Medicine partnered with Zipline for healthcare drone delivery services.
- WalmartstrategicWalmart partnered with Zipline for commercial drone deliveries, piloting deliveries in Arkansas.
- OraclestrategicPeople.ai partnered with Oracle for sales and revenue intelligence integration.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Scale-Up competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tiger Global Management: One of the most aggressive late-stage/growth-stage technology investors globally. Directly comparable to Scale-Up in focusing on high-valuation growth rounds in technology unicorns, often co-investing in similar rounds alongside other top-tier firms.
- Coatue Management: Major crossover/late-stage technology investor writing large checks into unicorns across software, consumer, and fintech. Directly comparable to Scale-Up's focus on established growth-stage technology companies.
- Insight Partners: Dedicated growth-stage technology investor managing tens of billions in AUM. Directly comparable to Scale-Up in target stage (growth/late) and sector (technology), though at much larger scale.
- IVP (Institutional Venture Partners): Late-stage technology venture capital firm with a long track record of leading growth rounds in unicorns. Closely comparable to Scale-Up in stage focus and technology orientation.
- General Catalyst: Multi-stage venture capital firm with a strong growth-stage practice and significant late-stage activity. Comparable to Scale-Up through its growth-stage deployment into transformative technology companies.
- Bessemer Venture Partners: Multi-stage venture capital firm with deep growth-stage practice focused on technology companies. Comparable to Scale-Up in stage focus and target company profile (established technology businesses seeking growth capital).
- Lightspeed Venture Partners: Multi-stage venture capital firm with significant late-stage and growth-stage activity in technology. Comparable to Scale-Up in targeting growth-stage transformative technology companies.
- Accel: Premier multi-stage venture capital firm with seed through growth funds. Comparable to Scale-Up in late-stage technology investing, with co-investment overlap (Accel Scout Fund participated alongside Scale-Up in portfolio rounds).
Broad incumbents
- Sequoia Capital: Premier multi-stage technology investor with seed through growth funds. Comparable to Scale-Up via co-investment activity (Sequoia Scout Fund participated alongside Scale-Up in portfolio rounds) and overlapping late-stage deal selection.
- Andreessen Horowitz: Major multi-stage venture capital firm with dedicated growth funds. Comparable to Scale-Up in pursuing growth-stage technology opportunities, though at significantly larger scale and broader platform.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Scale-Up financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scale-Up leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Scale-Up funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scale-Up M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments40 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Scale-Up
What does Scale-Up do?
Scale-Up Unicorn Fund is a venture capital firm that invests growth capital in late-stage technology companies that have achieved unicorn status ($1B+ valuation) and are scaling to transform their respective markets. The firm manages pooled capital from accredited and institutional investors and deploys it into a diversified portfolio across sectors such as real estate technology, drone delivery, identity verification, gaming, and AI platforms, earning revenue through management fees on assets under management and carried interest on successful exits.
Is Scale-Up a public or private company?
Scale-Up is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Scale-Up founded?
Scale-Up was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Scale-Up based?
Scale-Up is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does Scale-Up make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest.
Who are Scale-Up's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tiger Global Management, Coatue Management, Insight Partners, IVP (Institutional Venture Partners), General Catalyst, Bessemer Venture Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Accel. Broad incumbents are Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz.
Does Scale-Up have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scale-Up.
What industry is Scale-Up in?
Scale-Up's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAJ, Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms, with a secondary code of FSANAGAE, Growth Equity Fund-of-Funds. Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.