Mayfield

Mayfield is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 1969 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California. It invests alongside technology founders, frequently as their first institutional investor: the firm states that 70 per cent of its investments begin at inception, meaning the point at which a company is first formed. Capital is accompanied by strategic guidance and hands-on support, delivered through a team-based investment model with growth resources made available to portfolio companies.

The firm's stated areas of focus span artificial intelligence, semiconductors, human health, enterprise technology and consumer technology. A dedicated AI investment initiative commits $3 billion to investing in AI companies, a figure that reflects the scale of capital now allocated to the sector across the venture industry. Investments are made from inception through early stage.

Over its multi-decade history, Mayfield has backed 120 IPOs and more than 225 mergers and acquisitions. Portfolio companies named by the firm include Atari, Genentech, Lyft, Poshmark and HashiCorp - a span of investments extending from the early semiconductor and biotechnology eras to contemporary enterprise software and consumer platforms.

The firm describes its approach as people-first, partnering with founders to build enduring companies and combining capital with hands-on involvement rather than passive financing.