Boston is home to an abundance of established professionals, a large number of business opportunities, and economical living, so it’s easy to see why it’s a terrific place to begin a tech company. According to TechCrunch, Boston has leapfrogged over New York to become the second-largest US startup funding hub, and it is now approaching critical mass in terms of accessible capital.
Massachusetts startups raised $17.4 billion in venture capital in the first six months of 2018 alone, breaking all-time annual records and showcasing its VC-friendly atmosphere. This guide looks at some of those VC firms that make Massachusetts such a great place for startups.
Best Boston VC Firms
To scale fast, many startups opt to take on venture capital investment, raising money that will accelerate their growth. With so many innovative startups spanning across the Boston area, choosing the right venture capital firm is dependent on the company’s needs and the value each firm brings to the company as well as its founder. These are the best Boston venture capital firms for startup founders.
1. G20 Ventures
- Industries: Technology
- Stage: Startup, Seed Stage, Growth Stage
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Fetcher, Frame AI, CloudZero
G20 Ventures provides early funding to promising tech businesses on the East Coast. The firm has a people-centric approach and searches for excellent groups with big imaginations. G20 typically donates between $2 million and $5 million in the preliminary phase.
They do not invest in crypto gambling, speculative wagers, anonymous founders, offshore schemes, or momentum plays. They are searching for teams all over the world working with Web3 technology to solve real issues. Businesses along any scale, from centralized to decentralized, are welcome.
2. Underscore VC
- Industries: Technology, Software
- Stage: Seed Stage
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Coda, Mable, Apploi
Boston-based Underscore VC is a seed-stage investment firm that actively invests in standout technology and software businesses. The company’s visionary team of experienced investors, entrepreneurs, and operators provides startups with the know-how they need to get ahead in the highly competitive tech industry.
Underscore likes to back entrepreneurs who come up with unique solutions to problems that impact people’s everyday lives.
3. Spark Capital
- Industries: Consumer, Enterprise, Hardware, Fintech, Frontier, Tech, Marketplaces
- Stage: Startup, Seed Stage, Early Stage
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Oculus, Slack, Discord
With Spark, there has to be, well, a spark. The firm only invests in products they love — innovative ideas, people, new markets, future technology, community, dreams, art, and more.
Spark offers capital and sincere, business-savvy guidance, and they stick with their businesses through every rise and fall. Spark prefers to work as a partner rather than an owner, and they strive to turn their entrepreneurial fantasies into reality.
4. Hyperplane Venture Capital
- Industries: Technology
- Stage: Seed Stage
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Butlr, ReAlpha, Flume Internet
Hyperplane Venture Capital l invests in futuristic technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data technologies. This company provides early-stage capital to exceptional tech founders and supports them at every step of their journey, from the beginning to the end and beyond.
The investment range for Hyperplane can be between $250,000–$3 million in the initial phase.
5. Summit Partners
- Industries: Healthcare & Life Sciences, Technology, Growth Products & Services
- Stage: Growth Stage
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Lingoda, CluePoints, ShipMonk
Summit Partners invests in industry-leading companies with exceptional founders and management teams. This VC firm has been investing in healthcare, technology, and growth product companies around the world for the last 35 years.
Their investment ranges from $10 million to $500 million, and their expertise lies in healthcare & life sciences, technology, growth products & services.