Top 10 Founder Investors (2025)

Last Updated: July 09, 2025

Total Investments

386

Successful Exits

0

Active Investors

87

Top Founder Investors Overview

Introduction to Founder Investors

Founder investors play a crucial role in the startup ecosystem. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the most active and successful founder investors, based on their investment history, portfolio performance, and industry expertise.

How We Selected Top Founder Investors

Our rankings are based on several key factors:

  • Number of investments made
  • Successful exits
  • Industry diversity and expertise
  • Team size and experience
  • Market presence and reputation
Profile photo of Paul Ferri

Paul Ferri

Boston, Massachusetts

Founder at Matrix Partners
SaaS E-commerce Enterprise Venture Capital Individual/Angel Founder

Past Investments

Namely, Merico, 15Five, QuickDecision, FPL Technologies, IronChain Capital, Machinify, CommonGround-AI, Owl Labs, CARMERA, nference, Markforged, Dray Alliance, Xiaoqule, Side, Sila Nanotechnologies, RightHand Robotics, Apartment List, Jodo, Practo, Bugsnag, KLOOK, PayRange, Loadshare Networks Pvt Ltd, Whatifi, Kucoin, Courier, CloudBees, Kolide, Apollo, CreditVidya, Stanza Living, CTRL-labs, Mashgin, Goat Group, Flock Safety, Zaius, Salsify, PerceptIn, Fuzzy, Starship Technologies, Taulia, &ME, Myra, Guilded, Backpack, QFPay, Lightforce Orthodontics, Fivetran, Donde Search, Slab, ITILITE, Earnin, Parabola, LandSpace, Flex, Brightback, Lightmatter, Ins For Renascence, Razorpay, Streamlabs, Keeper Tax, Atomist, CloudZero, DocTalk, LogRocket, Steadily, FeaturePeek, Smartcat, VIPKID, Canopy
Profile photo of Hadley Harris

Hadley Harris

New York, New York

Cofounder of Eniac Ventures
Enterprise AI Social Networks Consumer Internet Venture Capital Individual/Angel Founder Early Stage Venture

Past Investments

Edeng, LevelOps, Bleximo, Iron Ox, Statsbot, Brightwheel, Loop Team, Snips, Anchor, Viro Media, Scatter, Fritz AI, Briq, Lawmatics, ISEE, Legit, Wallaroo, MedCrypt, Spansive, Dubsmash, Phil, Mio, 1upHealth, Quilt, Shaper, Demand Sage, Level, Bedrock Ocean Exploration, READY Robotics, Recharge Labs, Ten Percent Happier, Cube Dev, Sea Machines Robotics, Nirvana Health, b8ta, Fuzzy, Pienso, Vence, Attentive, Superpeer, Eden Workplace, KitchenMate, Parallel Markets, ProdPerfect, Grouparoo, Shine, Passbase, Trim, Visual Vocal, Alloy, Raken, Inc., Esports One, Hive, Fox Robotics, Universe, Embrace, Owlet Baby Care, nemedio, FortressIQ, Boston Geospatial, XWING
Profile photo of Nils Root

Nils Root

Columbus, Ohio

Partner at Drive Capital | Founder, Producer at Bookbag Video
Enterprise Future of Work Human Capital/HRTech Gig Economy Enterprise Applications Venture Capital Individual/Angel Founder Series B

Past Investments

Hologram, CirrusMD, Udacity, Civis Analytics, Greenlight, Molecula, When I Work, Ascent, Beam Dental, Forge Biologics, Stateless, Fast Radius, Comply365, Aver, Gecko Robotics, Channel IQ, RoBotany, Sidecar Health, Vecna Robotics, KOHO Financial, Root Insurance, Leadpages, Immuta, Roadtrippers, Cyclica, Duolingo, battleface, Algolux, Physna, READY Robotics, FarmLogs, Lightstream, Nowait, Trove, Inc., Gild, Clinc, Rambl, Path Robotics, Circulo Health, Olive, DisruptOPS, ApplyBoard
Profile photo of Gaurav Jain

Gaurav Jain

San Francisco, California

Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Afore Capital
FinTech SaaS Health IT E-commerce Enterprise AI Consumer Internet Marketplaces Data Services Venture Capital Individual/Angel Founder Seed Pre-Seed

Past Investments

Kinsa, Burner, Bulk MRO, Periscope, SkipTheDishes, Dropoff, BalkanID, Socure, Osana, BenchSci, Cushion, CarDash, 10 Happier, Stanza, Terminal 49, Ionic, Bulletin, ThriveHive, HoneyBee, Databox, Overtime, Petal, Smyte, Rebag, MedRepublic, Transfix, Tulip Retail, Replicated, Firebase, Panda, Cruise Automation

Shelley Zhuang

Menlo Park, California

Founder and Managing Partner at 11.2 Capital
Security Robotics BioTech AI Space Venture Capital Individual/Angel Founder Seed Pre-Seed

Past Investments

ThinAir, Molecular Assemblies, FeedBurner, Avaamo, Ginkgo Bioworks, GraphSQL, TicketsNow, Savioke, Xfire, BayLabs, Flurry, CryptoNumerics, mTime, Integrated Media Measurement IMMI, Ecoplast Technologies, GemShare, Jaxtr, CastTV, Notable Labs, White Ops, Apportable, Placenote, Yeepaycom, Cruise Automation, PPLive, Capella, Intematix, Threadable
Profile photo of Bill Trenchard

Bill Trenchard

United States

I lead seed investments and look for founders who have gone unreasonably deep to understand a big problem
FinTech SaaS Logistics Analytics ClimateTech/CleanTech EnergyTech Health IT AI Future of Work Real Estate/PropTech Venture Capital Founder Former CEO Seed

Past Investments

Liveops, Ownwell, PacketZoom, Looker, RedCap, LendingHome, Edify, Xoopit, Readyforce, NextRoll, Legion, Getable, XCLAIM, Direct Match, Edge Pathways, Sano, Legion Technologies, Grove, Chirply, Airbase, Cocoon, Ossium Health
Profile photo of Enrique Allen

Enrique Allen

San Francisco, California

Co-Founder, Designer Fund
Travel Education ClimateTech/CleanTech Consumer Internet Marketplaces Media/Content Digital Health Venture Capital Individual/Angel Founder Seed Pre-Seed

Past Investments

Tiny Post, Storytree, Dopt, Moxxly, Pledge, Behance, Operator, Gusto, storehouse, Wildfire Interactive, Wake, Noun Project, Punchd, Visually, Omada Health, Stripe, Shyp, CardMunch, Freestyle Software, Elevate

Mathias Schilling

San Francisco, California

Managing Partner at e.ventures
SaaS Advertising Enterprise Consumer Internet Media/Content Venture Capital Individual/Angel Founder Series B

Past Investments

Angieslist, Maker Studios, Vuze, BlueKai, Lastline, Fan TV, Groupon, Appfolio, Himedia, Friendbuy, Betaworks, Darberryru, Eucalyptus Systems, Sonos, Munchery, Yume Networks, TheRealReal, Xango, Sonim Technologies, Angie`s List
Profile photo of Rudina Seseri

Rudina Seseri

Boston, Massachusetts

Founder and Managing Partner at Glasswing Ventures
Logistics Manufacturing Enterprise AI Data Services Venture Capital Individual/Angel Founder Seed

Past Investments

Basetwo AI, Reprise, Talla, CrowdTwist, Paper Crane, Zylotech, Celtra Inc., Inrupt, FeatureByte, ChaosSearch, SocialFlow, Tuono, AskFora

Thomas Gieselmann

San Francisco, California

Partner at e.ventures
Cloud Infrastructure Enterprise IoT Data Services Venture Capital Individual/Angel Founder Series B

Past Investments

Merchantry, Zippia, Inc., Tabnine (formerly Codota), CodeFights, HiGear, PlayHaven, VULCUN, NGINX, Fotolog, Polygon.io

Founder Investment Trends and Insights

Key Findings

  • Average investments per investor: 4.4
  • Most active sectors: Enterprise, FinTech, Consumer Internet, SaaS, AI
  • Success rate (exits/investments): 0.0%

Summary of Top Founder Investors

The founder investment landscape continues to evolve and grow. These top investors have demonstrated consistent success in identifying and supporting promising startups. Whether you're a founder looking for investment or an aspiring founder investor, these individuals represent some of the most knowledgeable and active participants in the startup ecosystem.

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