Upfront V

Upfront Ventures, established in 1996, is a Santa Monica-based venture capital firm focusing on early-stage technology investments. It primarily invests in companies across North America, with a significant portion of its capital allocated to the Southern California ecosystem, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. The firm also considers opportunities in Europe and occasionally in other continents. Upfront Ventures invests in a broad range of technology sectors, including digital content, Ad-Tech, retail innovation, financial services, mobile, big data, software, and consumer goods, among others. It typically invests between $0.5 million and $15 million in seed rounds and between $2 million and $5 million in Series A rounds, reserving follow-on capital for future financing needs. The firm takes a board seat in its portfolio companies and has backed notable startups such as Ring, TrueCar, and Maker Studios.