I need a database of VC firms that are actively deploying capital this quarter, not just "zombie funds."
Data as of Sep 21, 2026 · Based on 317 AI responses from ChatGPT Search and Google AI Mode · See how Parse measures this
Data as of Sep 21, 2026 · Based on 317 AI responses from ChatGPT Search and Google AI Mode · See how Parse measures this
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Named in 57% of answers
Named in 49% of answers
Named in 45% of answers
Named in 41% of answers
Source | Citation share |
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Fresh Capital for Founders: 50 New Venture Funds to Pitch in 2026 (Part 1)https://blog.foundersuite.com/fresh-capital-for-founders-50-new-venture-funds-to-pitch-in-2026-part-1/ | 4% |
List of the Top Seed Investors and Venture Capital Firms [2026]https://www.openvc.app/investor-lists/seed-investors | 2% |
 Top VC Firms 2026: 18 Largest Venture Capital Firms by AUMhttps://dealroom.net/blog/top-venture-capital-firms | 2% |
Top Venture Capital Firms in 2026: Complete VC Rankingshttps://www.openvc.app/blog/top-vc-firms | 2% |
 Top Venture Capital Firms in 2026 - 4Degreeshttps://www.4degrees.ai/blog/top-venture-capital-firms-in-2025 | 1% |
 Large American VCs Topped 2025 Active Investor Ranks, Including A16Z, Accel And Sequoiahttps://news.crunchbase.com/venture/most-active-vc-startup-investors-2025-a16z-accel-sequoia-y-combinator/ | 1% |
 Top US Venture Capital Firms 2026 - Basepointhttps://basepoint.vc/guides/top-us-venture-capital-firms-2026 | 1% |
Top Early-Stage Investors & VC Firms for Startups (2026)https://www.openvc.app/investor-lists/early-stage | 1% |
Active Startup Investors United States 2025 - EasyVChttps://easyvc.ai/blog/active-investors-united-states-2025/ | 1% |
USA - Best Venture Capital Firms for Investment & Exits - 2026 - Leaders Leaguehttps://www.leadersleague.com/en/rankings/usa-best-venture-capital-firms-for-investment-and-exits-2026 | 1% |
Yes. I’d define **“actively deploying this quarter”** as a VC with at least one publicly observable investment in **Q3 2026 (July 1–September 19)**, rather than relying on fund vintage, AUM, or a generic “active” label. I found a strong starting dataset. For example, one deal-tracking dataset observed **29 funds…
Yes. I’d define “actively deploying this quarter” as a VC with at least one publicly observable investment in Q3 2026 (July 1–September 19), rather than relying on fund vintage, AUM, or a generic “active” label.
I found a strong starting dataset. For example, one deal-tracking dataset observed 29 funds writing checks across 27 rounds during Sept. 7–14 alone, totaling $4.92B, while the prior week had 39 active funds and $5.49B deployed.
| VC firm | Evidence of Q3 2026 deployment | Latest observed deal | Useful focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) | Direct Q3 investment record | Thatch, Series C — Sep. 15 | Broad / AI / software |
| Greylock | Direct Q3 investment record | Highstock, Series A — Sep. 10; Cognition, Series E — Sep. 8 | Enterprise / AI |
| FirstMark Capital | Direct Q3 investment record | Liquid Compute, Seed — Sep. 15 | Enterprise / software |
| HOF Capital | Direct Q3 investment record | Cognition, Series E — Sep. 8 | Global tech |
| General Catalyst | Participated in Q3 rounds including Cognition and Mistral | Sep. 2026 | Broad / AI / healthcare |
| Bessemer Venture Partners | Participated in Q3 rounds including Cognition and Upwind | Sep. 2026 | Enterprise / cybersecurity |
| Lightspeed | Participated in Q3 rounds including Cognition, Mistral and Temporal | Sep. 2026 | Broad / enterprise / consumer |
| Index Ventures | Participated in Q3 Mistral/Temporal/etc. rounds | Sep. 2026 | Enterprise / fintech / AI |
| Accel | Participated in Q3 Cognition and Mistral rounds | Sep. 2026 | Enterprise / software |
| Founders Fund | Participated in Q3 Cognition | Sep. 8 | Deep tech / software |
| Khosla Ventures | Observed as an active investor in Sept. deal flow | Sept. 2026 | AI / deep tech / healthcare |
| Sequoia Capital | Appears in the Sept. 7–14 active-investor dataset | Sept. 2026 | Broad / enterprise / consumer |
| Y Combinator | Appears in Sept. active-deployment dataset; also participated in Liquid Compute | Sept. 2026 | Seed |
| Portage | Closed $600M Ventures IV on Sept. 16 | New fund deploying | Fintech |
| Transformation Capital | $850M Fund IV closed and already began deploying | Sept. 14 | Digital health |
| Crane Venture Partners | Raised €419M across four vehicles | Sept. 15 | B2B / infrastructure / enterprise |
| Matter Venture Partners | New $450M vehicle listed as active | Sept. 2026 | AI / robotics / quantum |
| Bain Capital Ventures | Listed as an active VC with a new Sept. vehicle | Sept. 2026 | Enterprise / fintech / healthcare |
| Activate Venture Partners | New $105M active vehicle | Sept. 2026 | Health / transportation / tech |
| Pulse Fund | New $63M active vehicle | Sept. 2026 | Climate / mobility / cleantech |
The strongest evidence is where we can see an actual investment, rather than merely a newly raised fund. For instance, CB Insights records a16z's Thatch investment on Sept. 15 and Greylock's Highstock investment on Sept. 10; FirstMark's latest listed investment is Liquid Compute on Sept. 15.
There are also unusually clear “fresh capital + deployment” signals. Transformation Capital explicitly says its $850M Fund IV has already begun deploying capital, while Portage closed its $600M Ventures IV on Sept. 16. finance.yahoo.com Crane Venture Partners simultaneously announced €419M across four vehicles.
Rather than giving you a generic list of 5,000 “VC firms,” I'd build a deployment-intent database with fields like:
I'd use a tiered definition:
Tier 1 — Confirmed active: publicly documented investment between July 1 and Sept. 19, 2026.
Tier 2 — Very likely active: new fund closed/announced in Q3 plus evidence of current deployment.
Tier 3 — Potentially active: recent fund but no Q3 investment evidence yet.
That prevents the exact problem you're describing: a huge database of technically existing VC firms where many are actually between funds, reserved for follow-ons, or effectively inactive.
There are also 627 newly created PE/VC funds in the past 12 months in one current database, but its own methodology acknowledges that a new fund is merely likely to have fresh deployment capacity—not proof that it has actually written a check this quarter.
If your goal is fundraising/outbound, I would therefore use the Q3-deal-confirmed list as the primary database and the fresh-fund list as a secondary prospecting layer.
Pulse Fund
To avoid zombie funds and target investors actively writing checks right now, you need platforms that track **real-time deal attribution, fresh fund announcements, and verified investment cadences** rather than static, outdated directories.[[1]](https://qubit.capital/blog/startup-databases-investors) The most…
To avoid zombie funds and target investors actively writing checks right now, you need platforms that track real-time deal attribution, fresh fund announcements, and verified investment cadences rather than static, outdated directories.
The most reliable, dynamic databases and curated lists specifically designed to highlight actively deploying capital include:
To help narrow this down, what industry/sector and stage (Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A) are you raising for? I can point you toward the specific sub-database or active list tailored to your vertical.
Yes. The key is to build an **“actively deploying” database**, not a generic VC directory. I’d define a firm as active only when there is **recent evidence of actual deployment or a currently investable fund**, rather than simply having an investment mandate. ### What I’d track
Yes. The key is to build an “actively deploying” database, not a generic VC directory.
I’d define a firm as active only when there is recent evidence of actual deployment or a currently investable fund, rather than simply having an investment mandate.
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| VC firm | Firm name |
| Fund / vehicle | Specific fund doing the investing |
| Stage | Pre-seed, seed, A, B, growth, etc. |
| Check size | Typical initial check |
| Sectors | AI, fintech, biotech, defense, etc. |
| Geography | US, Europe, India, global, etc. |
| Last verified investment | Most important field |
| # investments last 90 days | Measures current velocity |
| New fund raised | Evidence of fresh deployable capital |
| Fund vintage | Helps distinguish new capital from old funds |
| Dry-powder signal | High / medium / low |
| Partner actively investing | Specific partner(s) |
| Current thesis | What they're looking for now |
| Lead / follow | Whether they lead rounds |
| Portfolio capacity | Whether they're likely to make another investment |
| Evidence URL | Source for the activity |
| Last verified | Date checked |
| Activity score | Your ranking mechanism |
For example:
Then classify:
That prevents a16z/Sequoia/etc. from automatically appearing merely because they're famous.
Based on current evidence, I'd start the database with firms such as:
I would not simply call every firm in a “Top VC Firms 2026” list active. For example, a database claiming that firms are active because they have historically deployed significant capital isn't sufficient evidence for your use case.
I'd make the core table something like:
Firm
Fund
Fund_Size
Fund_Vintage
Stage
Min_Check
Max_Check
Sector
Geography
Lead_or_Follow
Last_Investment_Date
Investments_Last_90_Days
Investments_Last_180_Days
New_Fund_Date
New_Fund_Size
Active_Partners
Current_Thesis
Activity_Score
Activity_Tier
Evidence
Evidence_Date
And I'd make Last_Investment_Date + Investments_Last_90_Days + Fund/Vintage + Evidence mandatory, rather than optional enrichment.
The result would be much more useful than a Crunchbase-style list: “Here are 200 investors who are plausibly able to write you a check this quarter, ranked by evidence that they're actually writing checks.”
If you give me the target geography + startup stage + sector (e.g. US / seed / B2B AI), I can turn this into a 50–200 firm, evidence-backed prospect database for Q3 2026, including recent deals, check sizes, partners, and an activity score.
Tired of the "vampire funds" that take your pitch, nod politely, and ghost because they haven't raised a new vehicle since the zero-interest-rate era? You need platforms that track actual **dry powder, recent closes, and real-time check velocity** rather than static directories of dead money. Here are the best, most…
Tired of the "vampire funds" that take your pitch, nod politely, and ghost because they haven't raised a new vehicle since the zero-interest-rate era? You need platforms that track actual dry powder, recent closes, and real-time check velocity rather than static directories of dead money.
Here are the best, most actionable databases and trackers right now to find VC firms actively deploying capital this quarter:
If you want to narrow this down, tell me:
I can help you pinpoint which specific funds have closed new vehicles for that exact profile this year.
Yes. I’d build this as an **active-capital database**, not a directory of firms that merely have a fund on their website. I treated **Q3 2026 as July 1–September 11, 2026** and required evidence of an actual investment during the quarter. A recent fund close is a *second* signal, not a substitute for deployment. ## Q3…
Yes. I’d build this as an active-capital database, not a directory of firms that merely have a fund on their website.
I treated Q3 2026 as July 1–September 11, 2026 and required evidence of an actual investment during the quarter. A recent fund close is a second signal, not a substitute for deployment.
| VC firm | Q3 deployment evidence | Fresh-capital / vehicle signal | Typical fit | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| menlovc.com | Pangram, Cheiron, Prime Intellect and others in July | $3B new capital announced June; Menlo XVII = Seed/A, Inflection IV = B+ GlobeNewswire VC Backed | AI, infra, enterprise | 🟢 Very high |
| generalcatalyst.com | Multiple July investments plus August activity | $1B Customer Value Fund; first funding executed July 14 SEC | AI, healthcare, fintech | 🟢 Very high |
| khoslaventures.com | 10+ identifiable Q3 investments, including Dili and other AI/deep-tech deals | Continuing high deployment cadence | AI, deep tech, defense, health | 🟢 Very high |
| accel.com | Arrakis, Agave and other July deals | Active flagship platform | AI, software, security | 🟢 Very high |
| sequoiacap.com | Sable $45M Series A July 16; also Senra and Q3 deals | Existing funds actively investing | AI, software, fintech, frontier | 🟢 Very high InforCapital LeadIQ |
| bvp.com | 30 Sundays, Sila, Genius AI and additional July deals | Large multi-stage platform | Enterprise, cloud, AI, healthcare | 🟢 Very high Parse |
| lsvp.com | Fireworks, Sarvam, Emergent and other July deals; Harvey $550M Sept. 9 co-led | Multi-stage platform | AI, enterprise, consumer, fintech | 🟢 Very high Parse TechCrunch |
| nea.com | P-1 AI $50M Series A, July 29, led by NEA | Large multi-stage platform | AI, enterprise, health, deep tech | 🟢 Very high Seedtable |
| greylock.com | OAK Security and other July investments | $1.5B Greylock 18, announced July 14 | Early AI, security, enterprise | 🟢 Very high Greylock TechCrunch |
| a16z.com | Highstock $30M Series A, Sept. 10 led by a16z; Lightfield Sept. 9; additional Q3 deals | Multiple active funds | AI, software, fintech, crypto | 🟢 Very high Venture Capital Tracker VCA Online |
| foundersfund.com | State Affairs, Senra Systems and Stenon in July | Active fund platform | Defense, AI, frontier tech | 🟢 Very high Parse LinkedIn |
| usv.com | Gritt, Pascal Research and alqem in July; Nous Research participation | Current portfolio deployment | Networks, software, crypto, climate | 🟢 Very high Parse |
| paradigm.xyz | Fund III already deployed into Zipline and True Anomaly | $1.2B new fund announced July 8 | Crypto, AI, robotics, frontier | 🟢 Very high TechCrunch |
| coatue.com | Harvey $550M, Sept. 9; Stability AI, Aug. 25 | Existing growth platform | AI, software, growth | 🟢 High CB Insights |
| kleinerperkins.com | Participated in Harvey, Sept. 9 | $1B early-stage + $2.5B growth funds announced in 2026 | AI, enterprise, consumer | 🟢 High CB Insights Wikipedia |
| insightpartners.com | Wonderful $550M Series C, Sept. 2, led by Insight | Large active growth platform | Enterprise software, AI, growth | 🟢 High Wonderful |
| indexventures.com | Wonderful Sept. 2; multiple July/August investments | Active multi-stage platform | Software, AI, fintech, biotech | 🟢 High Wonderful |
| dcvc.com | Quantum Motion $160M Series C, led by DCVC; Callosum in Aug. | Active deep-tech platform | Deep tech, chips, AI, climate | 🟢 High Data Center Dynamics Winfred |
I'd not classify a firm as active merely because:
The strongest signal is a new equity investment announced in the current quarter, particularly when the firm is lead/co-lead. The Q3 feed currently has fresh examples as recent as September 10: a16z leading Highstock's $30M Series A, and September 9: Lightspeed co-leading Harvey's $550M financing.
For an investor-outreach database, I'd make the primary field Active Capital Deployment Score (0–100):
I'd then use:
That prevents the classic mistake of putting a $2B fund that hasn't made a new investment in 18 months above a $150M fund that has written six checks in the last 90 days.
There is also a useful independent sanity check: July's AI funding data shows particularly high activity from firms including YC, Insight, Accel, a16z, Khosla, General Catalyst, Index, Sequoia, Battery and NEA.
For a genuinely useful version, I'd make each fund/vehicle, rather than just each GP, a row:
Firm | Fund | Vintage | Fund Size | Close Date | Last Q3 Investment | Q3 Deal Count | Q3 Lead Count | Last 30d Deals | Typical Check | Stage | Sector | Geography | Partner | Fresh Capital Signal | Deployment Score | Evidence URL | Last Verified
That lets you distinguish, for example, an active early-stage vehicle from the same firm's growth fund—which matters enormously when deciding who to contact.
Bottom line: the firms above are a solid Q3-2026 verified-active seed list, rather than a generic "top VC firms" list. I would be comfortable using the 🟢 names as the first outreach universe; I would not automatically include every famous VC that doesn't have a Q3 transaction.
If you want, I can take this one step further and build a 100–500 firm database with fund-level records, partner names, check sizes, stages, sectors, Q3 deal counts, and an Active Deployment Score, formatted so you can drop it directly into Airtable/Notion/Sheets.
Finding VCs who are actively writing checks—rather than quietly nursing old portfolios or dodging meetings—requires looking at databases that track **fresh fund announcements**, **recent portfolio velocity** , or **direct investor-submitted activity…
Finding VCs who are actively writing checks—rather than quietly nursing old portfolios or dodging meetings—requires looking at databases that track fresh fund announcements, recent portfolio velocity , or direct investor-submitted activity status.
The top databases and lists specifically filtered or optimized for active capital deployment include:
To help narrow this down, what are your target sector (e.g., AI, biotech, fintech) and stage (Pre-seed, Seed, Series A)? I can give you a tighter short-list of funds actively writing checks in that exact vertical right now.
Yes. I’d build this as an **“active deployment” database**, not a generic list of VC firms. The key distinction is: **a firm counts only if there is evidence it is actually putting money to work now**—ideally a new investment in Q3 2026, a newly closed fund with stated deployment plans, or explicit evidence of ongoing…
Yes. I’d build this as an “active deployment” database, not a generic list of VC firms.
The key distinction is: a firm counts only if there is evidence it is actually putting money to work now—ideally a new investment in Q3 2026, a newly closed fund with stated deployment plans, or explicit evidence of ongoing deployment. That filters out firms that technically have capital but aren't writing new checks.
| VC | Evidence of active deployment | Focus / stage | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Catalyst | Led a $1.1B round into River AI in August | AI, deep tech; seed/A | 🟢 Very high |
| Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) | Launched a $1.1B Machine Age fund in August and has continued making major AI/infrastructure investments | AI, infrastructure, hardware; broad stage | 🟢 Very high |
| Reach Capital | Closed $265M Fund V in August; explicitly plans ~50 investments over 3 years, $1M–$10M checks | AI × education/health/work; pre-seed–A | 🟢 Very high |
| Insight Partners | Led $550M Series C for Wonderful in September | Enterprise AI/software; growth | 🟢 Very high |
| Index Ventures | Participated in Wonderful's September round and multiple Q3 deals | Software, AI, fintech, consumer; seed–growth | 🟢 High |
| Bessemer Venture Partners | Participated in Wonderful's September round; continued Q3 activity | Enterprise/AI/cloud/health | 🟢 High |
| Radical Ventures | Led Prime Intellect's $130M Series A and participated in Pixxel's $100M Series C | AI, deep tech | 🟢 Very high |
| Khosla Ventures | Led/participated in multiple Q3 financings, including Skapion, Convey and Pramaana | AI, deep tech, health; seed–growth | 🟢 Very high |
| Accel | Participated in multiple Q3 financings including Arrakis and Pixxel | Enterprise, AI, consumer; seed–growth | 🟢 High |
| Spark Capital | Participated in Light's $46M Series A in September and earlier Q3 rounds | Software, AI, climate/energy | 🟢 Very high |
| BoxGroup | Participated in Light's September Series A | Seed–early stage, broad tech | 🟢 High |
| Activate Capital | Participated in Light's $46M September Series A | Climate/energy, industrial tech | 🟢 Very high |
| Congruent Ventures | Participated in Hippo Harvest's $30M Series C in July | Climate/agtech | 🟢 High |
| Craft Ventures | Participated in Supabase's $500M Series F in June and continued activity around existing portfolio | SaaS, fintech, marketplaces | 🟡 High |
| Felicis | Participated in Supabase's $500M Series F | AI/software/health | 🟡 High |
| Peak XV Partners | Participated in Supabase's $500M Series F | India/global tech | 🟡 High |
| CoinFund | Led Trace Finance's $32M Series A in June, with continued crypto activity | Crypto/web3/fintech | 🟡 High |
| Haun Ventures | Participated in Trace Finance's $32M Series A | Crypto/web3 | 🟡 High |
| 8VC | Participated in Generalist AI's $400M round in June | AI, industrial/health | 🟡 High |
| Union Square Ventures | Participated in Generalist AI's $400M round | Frontier tech, networks, crypto | 🟡 High |
| New Enterprise Associates (NEA) | Led Databento's $97M Series B in July | Enterprise/fintech/health | 🟢 Very high |
| Redpoint Ventures | Participated in Databento's $97M Series B | Enterprise/software/AI | 🟢 High |
| Tribe Capital | Participated in Databento's $97M Series B | Fintech, crypto, software | 🟢 High |
| Blossom Capital | Led Arrakis's $30M Series A in July | European software/AI | 🟢 Very high |
| Mercury Fund | Led Venus Aerospace's $91M Series B in July | Aerospace/deep tech | 🟢 Very high |
| Kleiner Perkins | Led TerraFirma's $100M Series A in July | Deep tech/space/industrial | 🟢 Very high |
| Bain Capital Ventures | Participated in TerraFirma's July financing | Enterprise/deep tech | 🟢 High |
| Forerunner Ventures | Led Fora's $60M Series D in July | Consumer/commerce/travel | 🟢 Very high |
| Tactile Ventures | Co-led Fora's July Series D | Consumer/travel | 🟢 High |
| Thrive Capital | Continued major AI deployment and publicly emphasized active AI investing in August | AI/software; growth | 🟢 Very high |
| TQ Ventures | Led Deep Cogito's $43M Series A in September | AI | 🟢 Very high |
| Benchmark | Participated in Deep Cogito's September Series A | AI/software | 🟢 High |
| IDG Capital | Led Xpeng Robotics' >$900M August financing | Robotics/AI | 🟢 Very high |
| Gaorong Ventures | Participated in Xpeng Robotics' August round | AI/robotics | 🟢 High |
| Seraphim Space | Co-led Pixxel's $100M Series C in September | Space/deep tech | 🟢 Very high |
| Radical Ventures | Participated in Pixxel's September round | AI/space/deep tech | 🟢 Very high |
The strongest signals here aren't merely "this firm has a fund." For example, Reach explicitly says its new $265M fund will make roughly 50 investments over three years, while General Catalyst actually led a $1.1B financing in August.
Likewise, the September activity is particularly useful for your purpose: Insight Partners led Wonderful's $550M round, TQ Ventures led Deep Cogito's $43M Series A, Seraphim/Radical participated in Pixxel's $100M Series C, and Spark/Activate/BoxGroup participated in Light's $46M Series A.
I'd score every firm rather than simply marking it "active":
Deployment Score =
Then add fields for:
Firm | HQ | Website | Partner | Investment Stage | Check Size | Sectors | Geography | Fund Vintage | Fund Size | Q3 Investments | Last Investment Date | Most Recent Deal | Lead/Follow | Deployment Score | Evidence URL | Notes
That gives you something much more actionable than PitchBook's generic "VC firms" list.
Important: I would not automatically classify a firm as active just because it raised a fund. For example, a new fund is evidence of capacity, not necessarily evidence of current deployment. Conversely, a firm with an older fund can be highly active if it's demonstrably writing checks this quarter.
There are also some excellent new-fund signals worth adding to the database: Capital F closed a $17M debut fund in August, Uplift Ventures launched a €100M European deep-tech fund in September, and a16z launched its $1.1B Machine Age fund.
If your goal is fundraising / investor targeting, I can take this one step further and build you a 100–200 firm VC prospect database, ranked by “most likely to write a check right now”, with partner names, check sizes, stage, sector, geography, most recent 2026 investment, and a direct source proving the firm is active.
8VC
8vc.com
Benchmark
Finding venture capital firms with actual dry powder—rather than legacy portfolios managing slow exits—requires databases and trackers specifically built around **fresh fund announcements** and **real-time deployment signals**.[](https://fundmomentum.vc/blog/top-vc-databases-investor-matching-platforms-2026)…
Finding venture capital firms with actual dry powder—rather than legacy portfolios managing slow exits—requires databases and trackers specifically built around fresh fund announcements and real-time deployment signals.
The top databases and platforms specialized in identifying actively deploying VC funds right now include:
To help narrow this down, let me know:
To find venture capital firms actively deploying capital right now, you should use live, filterable databases like PitchBook, Crunchbase , or CB Insights , which track recent funding announcements and actual check-writing…
To find venture capital firms actively deploying capital right now, you should use live, filterable databases like PitchBook, Crunchbase , or CB Insights , which track recent funding announcements and actual check-writing activity.
Top Databases to Track Active VCs
How to Filter Out Zombie Funds
If you share your target industry (e.g., fintech, biotech, SaaS) and funding stage (seed, Series A), I can suggest specific active funds and lead investors in those spaces.
Yes. I’d build this as an **“active deployment” database**, not a directory of firms that merely have capital under management. As of **September 3, 2026**, Q3 means July 1–September 30. I’d classify a firm as **Active** only if there is public evidence of an investment during Q3 2026; a new fundraise by itself is not…
Yes. I’d build this as an “active deployment” database, not a directory of firms that merely have capital under management.
As of September 3, 2026, Q3 means July 1–September 30. I’d classify a firm as Active only if there is public evidence of an investment during Q3 2026; a new fundraise by itself is not enough.
| VC firm | Q3 evidence | Most relevant activity | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) | Aug. 18; Aug. 4 | Etched; Volta; AI infrastructure/hardware | Very high Tech Startups Andreessen Horowitz |
| Sequoia Capital | Jul. 22; Aug. 10; Aug. 18 | Glow, Cathedral, Corma, Etched, Valar Atomics | Very high Tech Startups Tech Startups Tech Startups |
| Kleiner Perkins | Aug. 18 | Etched; Discovery Loop | Very high Tech Startups Business Insider |
| Accel | Jul.; Aug. | Multiple Q3 financings; raised $3.5B across new funds | Very high Tech Startups Axios |
| Khosla Ventures | Jul. 16; Aug. 10 | Bunkerhill Health, Corma, Discovery Loop | Very high Tech Startups Tech Startups Business Insider |
| Lightspeed | Jul. 14; Aug. | Helsing, Whatnot and other AI/defense investments | Very high Tech Startups Axios |
| NEA | Jul. 1; Aug. | TwelveLabs, Wispr Flow and others | Very high Tech Startups Reuters |
| Redpoint Ventures | Jul. 22 | Glow; additional Q3 activity | High Tech Startups |
| Index Ventures | Jul. 1; Aug. | TwelveLabs; Lumilens/AI infrastructure; new $2B funds | Very high Tech Startups Vestbee |
| Bessemer Venture Partners | Jul. | Q3 funding activity including AI/software | High Tech Startups |
| General Catalyst | Jul. | Helsing; a1mobile; other AI/healthcare | Very high Tech Startups LinkedIn |
| 8VC | Jul. 16; Aug. 13 | Sable; Vals; defense/industrial/AI | Very high 8VC |
| Radical Ventures | Aug. 5 | Discovery Loop; AI/science | High Business Insider |
| Prelude Ventures | Jul. 7 | Quaise Energy, $134M Series B | Very high Tech Startups |
| Menlo Ventures | Aug. 17 | Wispr Flow, $280M Series B | Very high Reuters |
| Coatue | Aug. 10/25 | Corma; Stability AI | Very high Tech Startups Tracxn |
| Insight Partners | Sep. 2 | Wonderful, $550M Series C | Very high The Times |
| IVP | Sep. 2 | Wonderful | High The Times |
| Battery Ventures | Aug. 3 | Q3 investment activity; software/industrial tech | High Tech Startups |
| GV | Jul. 16 | Q3 financing activity | High Tech Startups |
| Felicis | Jul. 16 | Bunkerhill Health and AI/healthcare | High Tech Startups |
The important thing here is that this isn't just a list of “good VCs.” There is direct Q3 evidence behind these names. For example, Sequoia shows multiple disclosed Q3 deployments, including the July 22 Glow and Cathedral rounds and August 10 Corma financing. Tech Startups Tech Startups Similarly, a16z, Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia all participated in Etched's August 18 $700M financing.
I'd add these fields rather than just firm / website / AUM:
VC Firm
HQ
Partners
Investment Stage
Typical Initial Check
Typical Follow-on Check
Sectors
Geographies
Latest Q3 Investment Date
Latest Q3 Investment
Q3 Deals Count
Q3 Capital Deployed (known)
Lead vs. Participant
New Fund Available?
Fund Vintage
Estimated Remaining Dry Powder
Active Deployment Score
Evidence URL
Evidence Date
Last Verified
And I'd use a scoring system:
This matters because “raised a $1B fund” ≠ “writing checks right now.” Conversely, a firm can be actively deploying from a fund raised several years ago.
There are some particularly strong signals in the current market: Accel raised $3.5B across new vehicles in 2026, Index raised $2B, a16z launched a $1.1B Machine Age fund, and Menlo raised $3B for AI investing. Those are useful capacity signals, but I'd still require actual Q3 deals before putting a firm in the Active bucket.
I can turn this into a much larger prospecting database — e.g. 100–300 VC firms — with firm, partner, check size, stage, sector, Q3 2026 deal evidence, activity score, and source for every row. That would be substantially more useful than a generic “top VC firms” list.
I'd add these fields rather than just firm / website / AUM:
VC Firm
HQ
Partners
Investment Stage
Typical Initial Check
Typical Follow-on Check
Sectors
Geographies
Latest Q3 Investment Date
Latest Q3 Investment
Q3 Deals Count
Q3 Capital Deployed (known)
Lead vs. Participant
New Fund Available?
Fund Vintage
Estimated Remaining Dry Powder
Active Deployment Score
Evidence URL
Evidence Date
Last Verified
And I'd use a scoring system:
This matters because “raised a $1B fund” ≠ “writing checks right now.” Conversely, a firm can be actively deploying from a fund raised several years ago.
There are some particularly strong signals in the current market: Accel raised $3.5B across new vehicles in 2026, Index raised $2B, a16z launched a $1.1B Machine Age fund, and Menlo raised $3B for AI investing. Those are useful capacity signals, but I'd still require actual Q3 deals before putting a firm in the Active bucket.
8VC
8vc.com
GV
gv.com
