8VC
8VC is an Austin-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Joe Lonsdale that manages over $6 billion and builds and invests in technology companies across life sciences, healthcare, manufacturing, enterprise, logistics, and defense, with a distinctive Build program that incubates new companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What 8VC does
8VC is a venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Joe Lonsdale that builds and invests in technology companies across Life Sciences, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Enterprise, Logistics, and Defense. The firm manages over $6 billion in capital and operates a differentiated Build program that incubates companies from scratch when attractive investment targets do not yet exist; 8VC reports 42 companies founded since 2016 through this mechanism. Beyond traditional fund management, 8VC runs structured talent programs - the Bio-IT Fellowship for life-sciences PhD students and the Engineering Fellowship - plus the Chat8VC monthly community series in San Francisco, all of which function as deal-flow and brand-building infrastructure.
The portfolio spans high-profile venture and growth-stage positions including Palantir Technologies, Addepar, OpenGov, Anduril, Ramp, Vercel, Flexport, Wish, Guardant Health, and Cognition, with recent activity concentrated in AI-native applications (Cognition, Saris AI, PointOne, Vals, Sable, Generalist, Edra), defense technology (Terra Industries, Spartan Radar, Saronic, Epirus), and life sciences (Cellares, Cellino, Mammoth Biosciences, Unlearn). 8VC frequently takes lead-investor positions, including the Saris AI $28.8 million Series A, the Fieldguide $17 million Series A, and the Spartan Radar Series B, and has participated in rounds up to Series E (Quince at a $10 billion valuation).
8VC's revenue is generated through venture fund management fees and carried interest on managed capital. The firm is privately held, legally organized as Eight Partners VC, LLC, headquartered at 907 South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas with a San Francisco office, and operates a lean team - with 17 open positions listed at time of analysis - spanning investment, portfolio support, fund operations, and administration. Distribution to founders runs through direct investment relationships and the Build program; limited-partner access is gated through a credentialed investor portal.
8VC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 8VC
- Legal name
- Eight Partners VC, LLC
- Website
- https://8vc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- 8VC is an Austin-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Joe Lonsdale that manages over $6 billion and builds and invests in technology companies across life sciences, healthcare, manufacturing, enterprise, logistics, and defense, with a distinctive Build program that incubates new companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
8VC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where 8VC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
8VC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Management: 8VC generates revenue through management fees and carried interest from managing venture capital funds. They manage over $6 billion in capital.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
8VC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
8VC is a venture capital firm that builds and invests in ambitious technology companies across Life Sciences, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Enterprise, Logistics, and Defense sectors. The firm manages more than $6 billion in capital and supplements direct investing with a Build program for company creation, Fellowship programs for talent development, and the Chat8VC Community series. Revenue is generated through management fees and carried interest on managed venture funds.
Product overview
8VC is a technology investment firm (venture capital), not a product company. Its offerings consist of investment-related programs rather than commercial products: the Bio-IT Fellowship (three-month program for PhD students in life sciences), Engineering Fellowship, 8VC Build Program (company creation/incubation), Chat8VC Community (monthly technical events series), and 8VC Angel (angel investment strategy). These programs support the firm's core venture capital investment activities across sectors including Life Sciences, Healthcare, IT Infrastructure, Financial Services, Government & Defense, and Logistics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bio-IT Fellowship: A three-month program for top PhD students in the life sciences where fellows work with the 8VC investment team to learn about biotech and venture investment.
- 8VC Angel
Products and services
- 8VC Build Program Company creation and incubation program for founding technology companies when the firms 8VC wants to back do not yet exist; targets operators and founders willing to co-build businesses.
- Bio-IT Fellowship Three-month program for top PhD students in life sciences; fellows work with the 8VC investment team on biotech, a thesis project, and company creation opportunities, committing 8-10 hours per week.
- Engineering Fellowship Fellowship program providing engineering talent exposure to venture capital, the 8VC portfolio, and the broader startup ecosystem.
- Chat8VC Community Monthly event series in San Francisco bringing together forward-thinking technologists to showcase work on foundation models and the AI wave, featuring fireside chats, lightning demos, and technical discussions.
- 8VC Angel Angel investment strategy active since 2015 that invests in exceptional teams targeting high-growth markets, providing early visibility into novel technologies and generating Series A and follow-on opportunities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 42 companies founded since 2016
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use 8VC
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
8VC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
8VC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
8VC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Khosla Ventures: Founder-led tech VC with a high-conviction, sector-spanning mandate that mirrors 8VC's willingness to back hard-tech and Bio-IT, with comparable founder-owned concentration and willingness to build companies.
- Founders Fund: Founded by Peter Thiel, Founders Fund shares 8VC's deep-tech and defense tilt (SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril) and operates as a conviction-led, founder-anchored venture firm with a similarly concentrated investment style.
- Index Ventures: US/European tech VC with a comparable horizontal platform thesis across enterprise, AI, and frontier tech, often investing in similar stage and founder profile as 8VC.
- Insight Partners: Large US tech investor with both early- and growth-stage capacity, comparable to 8VC's $6B+ AUM and ability to write meaningful checks and follow-on rounds across enterprise software.
- General Catalyst: Multi-stage US technology investor with a breadth of sectors and a strong platform model, comparable in scale and ambition to 8VC, including recent emphasis on defense, healthcare, and AI.
- Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): A leading US venture firm with similar scale and a broad sector thesis spanning AI, bio, defense, and enterprise. Operates a comparable operating-platform model with strong founder-brand identity.
- Lightspeed Venture Partners: Multi-stage global tech investor with a comparable footprint in AI, enterprise, and consumer tech; competes with 8VC for similar founders and follow-on capacity.
- Greylock Partners: Enterprise-focused venture firm with a strong track record of partnering with technical founders, directly comparable to 8VC's enterprise and infrastructure emphasis.
Broad incumbents
- Sequoia Capital: Largest and most established US venture franchise, investing across technology stages and sectors that overlap with 8VC's portfolio; serves as the broad incumbent benchmark for any upper-tier US VC.
- New Enterprise Associates (NEA): One of the oldest and largest US venture firms with a sector-diversified portfolio spanning healthcare, technology, and deep tech, overlapping with 8VC's vertical breadth.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
8VC social profiles
Digital presence8VC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
8VC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
8VC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
8VC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 8VC
What does 8VC do?
8VC is a venture capital firm that builds and invests in ambitious technology companies across Life Sciences, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Enterprise, Logistics, and Defense sectors. The firm manages more than $6 billion in capital and supplements direct investing with a Build program for company creation, Fellowship programs for talent development, and the Chat8VC Community series. Revenue is generated through management fees and carried interest on managed venture funds.
Is 8VC a public or private company?
8VC is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 8VC founded?
8VC was founded in 2015.
Where is 8VC based?
8VC is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does 8VC make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Management.
Who are 8VC's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, Index Ventures, Insight Partners, General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Lightspeed Venture Partners and Greylock Partners. Broad incumbents are Sequoia Capital and New Enterprise Associates (NEA).
Does 8VC have an API?
No public API is recorded for 8VC.
What industry is 8VC in?
8VC's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.