Surface Ventures
New York, New York · Invests in US; North America; Europe; MENA · Website
Check size
🔒 $•• – $••Thesis
The best B2B software companies emerge when founders combine deep domain expertise with technical sophistication to build solutions addressing inefficiencies in underserved verticals. We invest in technical founders and experienced operators who understand their target market intimately.
Likely not a fit for
Pure consumer applications, hardware-heavy businesses, non-technical founding teams, high CAC businesses without unit economics clarity
How they invest
- Lead or follow
- Usually leads
- Typical decision
- ~2 weeks
- Warm intro
- Not required
- Involvement
- Takes a board seat
- Fund status
- Actively deploying
- Assets under mgmt
- $50M
- Decision process
- Partnership vote
Partners & team
4 contacts on file
Portfolio
Poetiq is developing intelligent systems capable of recursive self-improvement to enhance reasoning and problem-solving capabilities using language models.
Operant AI is a Runtime AI Application Defense Platform that actively protects every layer of live cloud and AI applications from infra to APIs, blocking critical runtime attacks and providing real-time visibility and cloud-native defense.
BrightHire is the first hiring excellence platform, transforming how the world's fastest-growing companies scale. Our powerful AI helps streamline the hiring process, making everything from job scoping to interviewing to onboarding faster, more equitable, and more human – ensuring a higher quality of hire and a better experience for the candidate.
BotGauge offers Autonomous QA as a Solution (AQaaS), utilizing AI-driven testing agents and human validation to deliver fast, reliable quality assurance for engineering teams. Their service promises high test coverage and efficient integration into existing workflows.
Uplinq automates bookkeeping and tax for small businesses, providing real-time financial tools and insights to empower business owners.
Agave is a data infrastructure platform designed specifically for the construction industry, aiming to modernize a $12 trillion global sector that relies on outdated software systems. Their core product, Agave Sync, facilitates seamless financial data synchronization between field teams on job sites and accounting teams in the back office.
DocJuris is a leading contract negotiation platform that empowers enterprise teams to streamline contract compliance and reduce risk using AI-powered tools.
Outerbase provides an AI-powered interface for databases, enabling users to query, visualize, and manage their data efficiently. It offers features like smart queries, anomaly detection, and predictive analytics to enhance data insights.
Performica is a company based in Santa Cruz, California, offering AI-driven people analytics and productivity solutions. Their website provides insights and tools for HR analytics. Performica's AI platform automates workflows to enhance team productivity.
Recent activity
- Feb 2026
Poetiq
Seed · Co-Lead
- Jun 2025
Agave
Seed · Lead
- Jun 2025
Cypago
Seed · Lead
- Oct 2024
Outerbase
Seed · Lead
Surface Ventures in the news
GlobeNewswire
Octozi Raises $3M in Seed Funding to bring Agentic AI to Clinical Development
2 months ago
The AlleyWatch Startup Daily Funding Report: 7/7/2026
2 months ago
BotGauge AI Raises $2 Million Led by Surface Ventures to Deliver Autonomous QA at Engineering Speed
6 months ago
Software testing firm Botgauge AI raises $2 million, led by Surface Ventures
6 months ago
BotGauge AI Raises $2 Mn to Scale Agentic QA Platform
6 months ago
AI software testing startup BotGauge AI raises $2 Mn led by Surface Ventures
6 months ago
Software testing firm Botgauge AI raises $2 million, led by Surface Ventures
6 months ago
Poetiq Raises $45.8M in Seed Funding
7 months ago
Poetiq Raises $45.8M, AI Meta-System Beats Top LLMs
7 months ago
Poetiq nabs $45.8M in seed funding for its LLM-enhancing ‘meta-system’
7 months ago
Pulse 2.0
Poetiq: $45.8 Million Seed Funding Raised To Boost LLM Reasoning
7 months ago
Loft Labs – Inventors of Virtual Kubernetes Clusters – Raises $24 Million Series A
Apr 2024
This energy startup wants to make utility data more accessible — and spur creation of new companies
Apr 2024
Funding in AI Startups Sept-1 Issue: ConverSight, Voxel, AI21, and Gesund
Aug 2023
ConverSight raises $9M to advance AI analytics
Aug 2023
With new capital, Adapty is betting it can help app devs make more money
Nov 2022
mobihealthnews.com
Waltz Health raises more than $35M for drug cost marketplace and more digital health fundings
Apr 2022
betakit.com
Uplinq raises $4.4 million CAD to help small business lenders make accurate decisions
Apr 2022
Wing Assistant Raises $2.1M in Seed Funding
Mar 2022
Similar firms
Seed-stage AI-powered B2B investor in companies with $300K–$1M+ ARR that leads ~95% of rounds with double-digit ownership. Runs a deliberately low-volume model where each partner does only 2–3 new seed deals per year and spends 20–30 hours hands-on with every company in the first month, achieving an unusually high ~80–85% Series A graduation rate. The firm combines two long-standing LA seed funds with a deeply operational Salesforce executive and focuses exclusively on AI-powered B2B software at seed stage.
Pre-seed-focused theme syndicate with high-conviction, low-volume approach.
Seed-stage, ultra-focused vertical B2B SaaS fund with small-fund, hands-on approach, an in-house Growth and Talent team on revenue/sales, and a Startup Sales platform (podcast, playbooks, published methodologies).
Research briefRead more
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