19 VCs and 4 funds investing in education
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
BoxGroup
Check: $500K-$5M (recently raised a $550M fund in Oct 2025, significantly larger than previous funds)
One of the most active and respected seed investors in NYC. Co-founded TechStars NYC (now Techstars NYC), deeply embedded in the New York startup ecosystem since its earliest days. Known for being highly accessible, fast to decide, and genuinely helpful post-investment. Just raised a $550M fund (Oct 2025) — a massive step up from previous funds, signaling BoxGroup's evolution from small seed fund to significant early-stage player. Not thesis-driven — David reacts to founders and ideas he finds compelling rather than fitting investments into a predefined framework. This flexibility has served him well — his portfolio spans fintech (Plaid), healthcare (Oscar, Ro), consumer (Harry's, Away), and more. The common thread isn't sector but founder quality and early product-market fit signals. David is deeply connected to the NYC startup ecosystem and has helped shape it over the past 15+ years. He's often one of the first calls founders make when starting a company in New York.
CEO & Managing Director
General Catalyst
Check: $1M-$100M+ (multi-stage, GC manages $25B+)
'Responsible innovation' thesis: technology should solve real problems for real people, not create consumer distractions. Strong health and enterprise focus. Author of 'Unscaled' — argues that technology is unscaling the economy, allowing small, nimble companies to compete with large incumbents by renting scale (cloud, AI, platforms) rather than building it. Recently evolved GC into a 'global transformation company' — not just investing but also building internal ventures, acquiring companies, and providing 'transformation services' to portfolio companies and external partners. This is a controversial evolution — GC is now part VC, part PE, part consulting firm. Hemant believes the traditional VC model is outdated and that the next great investment firm needs to do more than write checks. Backs companies that endure and compound over decades. Deep conviction that AI will transform healthcare, reducing costs 10x while improving outcomes. Views technology as a tool for social good, not just wealth creation.
Founder
Khosla Ventures
Check: $500K-$50M+ (across seed fund and main fund)
Explicitly optimizes for ~70% failure rates to back 'black swan' outcomes. Actively seeks opportunities that appear 'crazy' to most of the market. Capital-intensive, science-heavy bets. Believes fusion and superhot geothermal will be primary energy sources by mid-2030s. Bets on the future being radically different from the present. Co-founded Sun Microsystems. Famous for saying 'expertise is the enemy of imagination' — believes experts are often the worst at predicting disruption in their own fields because they're anchored to existing paradigms. Has been one of the most aggressive climate tech investors, putting billions into energy transition companies. Views AI as the most transformative technology in history, predicting it will replace 80% of jobs in 80% of occupations within decades. Runs both a seed fund (for earlier, riskier bets) and a main fund (for larger investments). Willing to lose money on most investments if the winners are transformational.
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Union Square Ventures (USV)
Check: $1M-$25M
Backs 'trusted brands that broaden access to knowledge, capital, and well-being by leveraging networks, platforms, and protocols.' The access thesis is the through-line: every investment should make something important more accessible to more people. Willing to invest in companies without a business model if the product will attract millions. Lives with uncertainty. Now investing in climate tech (both bits and atoms) through a dedicated fund. Fred is thesis-driven — USV publishes its investment thesis publicly and updates it periodically. Each fund has a specific thesis, and every investment must fit. Historically moved through phases: Web 2.0 networks → mobile → crypto/web3 → climate. One of the earliest VCs to take crypto seriously (invested in Coinbase in 2013). Co-founded USV with Brad Burnham in 2003 after learning hard lessons from the dot-com bust at Flatiron Partners.
Senior Analyst
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Chief Financial Officer
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Vice President, Finance
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Accountant
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Advisor
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Venture Partner
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Entrepreneur in Residence
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Entrepreneur in Residence
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Executive Assistant
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Managing Partner
Zane Venture Fund
Check: Not publicly disclosed
At the firm level, Zane Venture Fund invests in Southeast-based founders building technology-enabled solutions that improve the social drivers of health and show early traction.
Venture Partner
Zane Venture Fund
Check: Not publicly disclosed
At the firm level, Zane Venture Fund invests in Southeast-based founders building technology-enabled solutions that improve the social drivers of health and show early traction.
Strategic Advisor
Zane Venture Fund
Check: Not publicly disclosed
At the firm level, Zane Venture Fund invests in Southeast-based founders building technology-enabled solutions that improve the social drivers of health and show early traction.
Managing Partner
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Managing Partner
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.
Managing Partner
Osage Venture Partners
Check: Not publicly specified on the official site
At the firm level, Osage Venture Partners backs early-stage B2B software companies whose innovations in work and education can advance human achievement.