Scale-Up

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.

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

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

• Venture capital fund
• Late-stage investments
• Growth equity
• Unicorn investments
• Private equity

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Management Fees: VC fund management fees typically charged as a percentage of assets under management
2. Carried Interest: Performance fees from successful portfolio company exits and returns

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered strategic.

• SweetgreenstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerSweetgreen announced as a partner for Zipline's new Platform 2 drone delivery service.
• Michigan MedicinestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichigan Medicine partnered with Zipline for healthcare drone delivery services.
• WalmartstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerWalmart partnered with Zipline for commercial drone deliveries, piloting deliveries in Arkansas.
• OraclestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeople.ai partnered with Oracle for sales and revenue intelligence integration.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments40 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scale-Up