Windward Ventures
Windward Ventures is a San Diego-based venture capital firm, founded in 1997, that invests in early-stage, high-growth companies. It employs 51-100 people and is led by founder and managing partner James Cole.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Windward Ventures does
Windward Ventures is a venture capital firm headquartered in San Diego, California, that focuses on investments in early-stage, high-growth companies. Founded in 1997 and operating as a private entity, the firm employs between 51 and 100 people and is led by James Cole, who serves as both managing partner and founder. The firm provides no additional disclosures on sector focus, fund vintages, AUM, portfolio composition, or investment stage beyond the broad early-stage descriptor.
The firm's public digital presence consists of a single landing page at windwardventures.com marked 'Launching Soon,' featuring an email subscription form and a 2024 copyright notice. No products, services, pricing, partnership arrangements, regulatory filings, certifications, or technology stack details are disclosed in the source material. The combination of a multi-decade operating history with a placeholder-stage website creates ambiguity about whether the entity is actively raising new capital, repositioning its brand, or has reduced operational activity relative to its founding-era footprint.
From a revenue mechanics perspective, no management fee, carried interest, fund performance, or LP-related financial data is available. Standard VC firm revenue would derive from management fees on committed capital and realized carried interest on portfolio exits, but neither line of evidence is present in the input. The firm operates without disclosed subsidiaries, parent entities, M&A activity, or structural changes in the available data.
Windward Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Windward Ventures
- Legal name
- Windward Ventures
- Website
- https://windwardventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Windward Ventures is a San Diego-based venture capital firm, founded in 1997, that invests in early-stage, high-growth companies. It employs 51-100 people and is led by founder and managing partner James Cole.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Windward Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Direct Lending — Venture Debt (FSAHAJAD)
Keywords
Where Windward Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Windward Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations
Windward Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Windward Ventures is a venture capital firm that focuses on investments in early-stage, high-growth companies. The firm's website is currently in a pre-launch state, displaying only a "Launching Soon" placeholder, with no additional details on fund vehicles, sector focus, or investment criteria available from the public site.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Windward Ventures
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Windward Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Windward Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves2 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Windward Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Accel: Accel is a global venture capital firm with strong early-stage programs (e.g., pre-seed/seed). Comparable as an established early-stage investor serving high-growth technology founders.
- Sequoia Capital: Sequoia Capital is a leading global venture firm investing across stages and sectors, including early-stage. Comparable as a benchmark early-stage investor in the same asset class Windward Ventures operates in.
- Founders Fund: Founders Fund is a venture firm focused on early-stage, high-growth technology companies. Comparable on stage focus and thesis orientation.
- Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): a16z is a large, multi-stage venture firm with significant early-stage activity across consumer, enterprise, and bio. Comparable as a scaled incumbent in early-stage venture capital.
- New Enterprise Associates (NEA): NEA is a large, multi-stage venture firm with deep early-stage activity across technology and healthcare. Comparable as a scaled incumbent in the same asset class.
- Bessemer Venture Partners: Bessemer is a multi-stage venture firm with a long history and broad early-stage practice. Comparable as a scaled incumbent serving high-growth founders.
- Kleiner Perkins: Kleiner Perkins is a long-tenured venture firm investing from seed through growth stages. Comparable as a long-history, multi-stage incumbent in venture capital.
Emerging players
- Correlation Ventures: Correlation Ventures is a data-driven venture firm co-investing at multiple stages. Comparable as an alternative-capital venture firm operating alongside traditional early-stage investors in the same asset class.
Regional players
- Avalon Ventures: Avalon Ventures is a San Diego-based early-stage venture firm investing in high-growth technology and life sciences startups, directly comparable to Windward Ventures on geography, stage focus, and fund size.
- Tech Coast Angels: Tech Coast Angels is one of the largest angel networks in Southern California, headquartered in the San Diego area, actively funding early-stage companies. Highly comparable as a regional, early-stage capital provider in the same metro.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Windward Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceWindward Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Windward Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Windward Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Windward Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments35 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Windward Ventures
What does Windward Ventures do?
Windward Ventures is a venture capital firm that focuses on investments in early-stage, high-growth companies. The firm's website is currently in a pre-launch state, displaying only a "Launching Soon" placeholder, with no additional details on fund vehicles, sector focus, or investment criteria available from the public site.
When was Windward Ventures founded?
Windward Ventures was founded in 1997. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Windward Ventures based?
Windward Ventures is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Windward Ventures's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Accel, Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Bessemer Venture Partners and Kleiner Perkins. Correlation Ventures is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are Avalon Ventures and Tech Coast Angels.
Does Windward Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Windward Ventures.
What industry is Windward Ventures in?
Windward Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAHAJAD, Direct Lending — Venture Debt. Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.