Active

Gradient Ventures

General contacts

Investor type

PE / VC

Founded

2017

AUM

$1 000 M

Location

San Francisco, California, United States

Investment Ticket

$10-50 m

Investment Stage

Series A Seed Pre-seed Series B

Region of investment

North America Europe

Investor profile last updated: 23 August, 2026

Profile

Gradient Ventures is an AI-focused venture capital firm based in San Francisco. Founded in 2017 as Google's in-house AI seed vehicle, it has since become an independent entity. The firm is led by General Partners Darian Shirazi and Zach Bratun-Glennon, both engineers-turned-investors with extensive experience in AI. Gradient Ventures is distinct for its deep AI expertise, stemming from its roots within Google and its targeted focus on AI applications and agentic platforms.

The firm invests in pre-seed and seed-stage AI companies, concentrating on applications that use AI as a core capability rather than developing foundational models. With nearly $1.2 billion in assets under management, its investments are typically in the $0-1 million range, aligned with genuine seed rounds. It is cautious about participating in mega-seed rounds above $100 million. Gradient Ventures has strategically transitioned to independent management, with its latest fund, Fund V, being the first to include institutional LPs such as Alea Capital and Reflex Capital alongside Google.

Gradient's notable investments include Writer - enterprise generative AI, Lambda - AI cloud infrastructure, Krea - AI-powered creative tools, Oura - wearable health intelligence, and Sona - AI-native workforce management. Noteworthy exits include CentML, acquired by NVIDIA, Streamlit, acquired by Snowflake, and Prepared, acquired by Axon.

Industry

Life Sciences Technology MedTech AI Transportation Telecommunications Sports/SportsTech Software Security Pharmaceuticals Medical Devices Media and Entertainment Marketing and Advertising Internet and Web Services Healthcare Services Gaming Fintech Financial Services Edtech Education SaaS HealthTech Infrastructure

Gradient Ventures Funds

Name	Type	Industry	Stage	Region	Size	AUM	Launch date
Gradient Fund V	Venture Capital (VC)	Financial Services Fintech Healthcare Services Marketing and Advertising Media and Entertainment SaaS Security Software HealthTech	Pre-seed Seed	North America	$5-10 m	$200 M	October 2025
Gradient Ventures I	Venture Capital (VC)	Financial Services Fintech Marketing and Advertising Media and Entertainment SaaS Security Software AI	Pre-seed Seed	North America	$5-10 m	$200 M	October 2017
Gradient Ventures II	Venture Capital (VC)	Financial Services Fintech SaaS Security Software Infrastructure	Pre-seed Seed	North America	$5-10 m	$100 M	October 2019
Gradient Ventures III	Venture Capital (VC)	Financial Services Fintech Marketing and Advertising Media and Entertainment SaaS Security Software	Pre-seed Seed	North America	$5-10 m	$200 M	October 2023

Contacts

Name

Title

Social Networks

Darian Shirazi Managing Partner

Managing Partner

d•••@•••

Zach Bratun-Glennon General Partner

General Partner

z•••@•••

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

Is Gradient Ventures a venture capital or private equity firm?

Gradient Ventures is a venture capital and private equity firm. It backs companies at Series A, Seed, Pre-seed and Series B, writing tickets of $10-50 m.

Where is Gradient Ventures located?

Gradient Ventures is located in San Francisco, California, United States.

When was Gradient Ventures founded?

Gradient Ventures was founded in 2017.

What sectors and industries does Gradient Ventures invest in?

Gradient Ventures invests in companies and startups in Life Sciences, Technology, MedTech, AI, Transportation, Telecommunications, Sports/SportsTech, Software, Security, Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Media and Entertainment, Marketing and Advertising, Internet and Web Services, Healthcare Services, Gaming, Fintech, Financial Services, Edtech, Education, SaaS, HealthTech, Infrastructure.

What is Gradient Ventures geographical focus of investments?

Gradient Ventures invests in companies and startups in North America, Europe.

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

Gradient Ventures invests in companies and startups at Series A, Seed, Pre-seed, Series B.

What is the usual amount of Gradient Ventures investment?

Gradient Ventures usually invests $10-50 m on average.

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

Gradient Ventures has around $1 000m assets under management.

When was Gradient Ventures last fund created?

Gradient Ventures last fund was created/launched in 2026-03-18

What are the contacts of Gradient Ventures?

Gradient Ventures can be reached through its website gradient.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 Gradient 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 Gradient 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 Gradient Ventures directly instead of scraping this page. One subscription covers both the web app and machine access — see API & MCP.

When was the Gradient 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 23 August, 2026. Something out of date here? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.