Avalon Ventures

General contacts

Investor type

Founded

1983

AUM

$669 M

Location

San Diego, California, United States

Investment Ticket

$50-100 m

Investment Stage

Series A Seed Series B

Region of investment

North America

Investor profile last updated: 25 August, 2026

Profile

Avalon Ventures is a venture capital firm based in La Jolla, California, with additional offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded by Kevin Kinsella and is managed by a team including Steve Tomlin, Jay Lichter, Rich Levandov, Brady Bohrmann, and Tighe Reardon. The firm distinguishes itself with a focus on seed and early-stage investments, and being driven by former entrepreneurs who support disruptive ideas in the life science and information technology sectors.

The firm invests primarily in the life science and information technology sectors, covering a range of sub-sectors through their various seed and early-stage investments. Avalon Ventures does not publicize the size of their funds nor specific check sizes, but they are known for early-stage focus, indicating checks likely in the range of $0-1 million to $5 million. They emphasize North American investments primarily.

Notable investments by Avalon Ventures include Zynga - a social games creator, Aurora Biosciences - a drug discovery company, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals - focused on cancer therapies, Syrrx - pharmaceutical development, and Sana BioTech - biotechnology. They have a history of successful IPOs and acquisitions, emphasizing exit strategies that include sales to strategic investors and public offerings.

Industry

AdTech Biotechnology Education Edtech Fashion/Beauty Financial Services Fintech Food and Beverage Foodtech Gaming Healthcare Services Internet and Web Services Other Pharmaceuticals Software MedTech Life Sciences HealthTech Media and Entertainment SaaS Security

Avalon Ventures Funds

Name	Type	Industry	Stage	Region	Size	AUM	Launch date
Avalon Ventures IX, LP	Venture Capital (VC)	Education Healthcare Services Media and Entertainment SaaS Security Software HealthTech	Pre-seed Seed	North America	$5-10 m	$200 M	January 2011

Contacts

Name

Title

Social Networks

Steve Tomlin Managing Partner

Managing Partner

s•••@•••

Kevin Kinsella Founder

Founder

k•••@•••

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Investment-team contacts for Avalon Ventures — including verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — are available to Private Equity List subscribers.
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FAQs about Avalon Ventures

Is Avalon Ventures a venture capital or private equity firm?

Avalon Ventures is a venture capital firm. It backs companies at Series A, Seed and Series B, writing tickets of $50-100 m.

Where is Avalon Ventures located?

Avalon Ventures is located in San Diego, California, United States.

When was Avalon Ventures founded?

Avalon Ventures was founded in 1983.

What sectors and industries does Avalon Ventures invest in?

Avalon Ventures invests in companies and startups in AdTech, Biotechnology, Education, Edtech, Fashion/Beauty, Financial Services, Fintech, Food and Beverage, Foodtech, Gaming, Healthcare Services, Internet and Web Services, Other, Pharmaceuticals, Software, MedTech, Life Sciences, HealthTech, Media and Entertainment, SaaS, Security.

What is Avalon Ventures geographical focus of investments?

Avalon Ventures invests in companies and startups in North America.

At what stages of companies and startups does Avalon Ventures typically invest in?

Avalon Ventures invests in companies and startups at Series A, Seed, Series B.

What is the usual amount of Avalon Ventures investment?

Avalon Ventures usually invests $50-100 m on average.

What is the amount of assets of under management (AUM) for Avalon Ventures?

Avalon Ventures has around $669m assets under management.

When was Avalon Ventures last fund created?

Avalon Ventures last fund was created/launched in 2011-01-11

What are the contacts of Avalon Ventures?

Avalon Ventures can be reached through its website avalon-ventures.com, its LinkedIn page and its X account. Its general enquiries address is [email protected]. Cold-mailing a general inbox rarely reaches a partner, so Private Equity List also lists the investment-team contacts for Avalon Ventures — names, roles, verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — available on a Pro plan from $129/month (see pricing). Contacts are sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn and re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.

Can I access Avalon Ventures data via API or MCP?

Yes. Every field on this page — profile, funds, investment criteria, portfolio and investment-team contacts — is available programmatically through the Private Equity List REST API and MCP server, so AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT can query Avalon Ventures directly instead of scraping this page. One subscription covers both the web app and machine access — see API & MCP.

When was the Avalon Ventures profile last updated?

Private Equity List re-verifies investor profiles on a rolling cycle, pulling from the firm's own website and LinkedIn rather than a one-off import. This profile was last updated on 25 August, 2026. Something out of date here? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.