CRV Research Document
Investment Thesis
CRV is a legendary early-stage venture capital firm with deep conviction in backing founders from day one. Since 1970, CRV has invested in over 750 startups across technology sectors, becoming known as a "first-check investor" that leads rounds rather than follows. The firm's thesis centers on the belief that great companies are built by exceptional founders operating at the earliest stages, often before product-market fit is proven. CRV's core values emphasize speed (24-hour decision making), conviction-based investing, and lasting partnerships with founders.
Sector Focus
CRV invests broadly across enterprise and consumer technology with particular strength in:
- Enterprise software and B2B SaaS
- Developer tools and infrastructure
- Consumer applications and marketplaces
- Financial technology and payments
- AI/ML and emerging technologies
- Healthcare technology
The fund explicitly focuses on technology companies and avoids non-tech sectors. Recent activity shows significant focus on AI companies across multiple verticals.
Stage Focus
CRV is definitively an early-stage investor with stated focus on seed and Series A investments. The fund emphasizes being "your first term sheet" and claims to lead rounds at the earliest stages. Investment portfolio shows consistent seed-stage focus with selective Series A participation.
Check Size
Based on portfolio company data and recent announcements, CRV writes checks in the range of $500K-$5M:
- Seed stage: $500K-$2M typical
- Series A: $2M-$5M+
- Average check appears to be around $1-2M for seed rounds
Lead Tendency
CRV explicitly positions itself as a lead investor. Their homepage states "Lead, Don't Follow" and "No project is too early or too ambitious. We aim to be your first term sheet. We lead rounds; we don't wait for others to show social proof." Portfolio company data confirms lead positions in majority of early-stage investments.
Recent Activity
CRV raised Fund XX ($750M) in August 2025 and is actively deploying:
- February 2026: Invested in Lotus Health AI (Enterprise Healthcare)
- January 2026: Led Series A in Fulcrum
- 2025: Invested in multiple AI-focused companies including Outtake and Concourse Technologies
- Fund status: Actively deploying from $750M Fund XX (closed August 2025)
Portfolio Highlights
Notable Exits & High-Value Companies:
- DoorDash (led seed round, now public)
- Airtable (founded 2013, now unicorn)
- Vercel (Series A, valued at $3.25B)
- Mercury (Series A lead)
- Twitter (early-stage investment, IPO)
- 80+ portfolio companies that went public
Active Portfolio (Recent):
- Lotus Health AI (Healthcare AI, 2026)
- Fulcrum (2026)
- Outtake (2025)
- Concourse Technologies (2025)
- 750+ total portfolio companies
Team
Investment Team (10+ active investors):
- Anja Zehfuss - Investing Partner
- Brittany Walker - Investing Partner
- Caitlin Bolnick Rellas - Investing Partner
- James Green - Investing Partner
- Mia Krishnamurthy - Investing Partner
- Murat Bicer - Investing Partner
- Nadine Fattah - Investing Partner
- Reid Christian - Investing Partner
- Saar Gur - Investing Partner
- Veronica Orellana - Investing Partner
Operations & Support:
- Heather Judd - Operations
- Krista Canfield McNish - Operations
- Sachin Sood - Operations
- Non-investing partners and advisors in various domains
Partners Emeritus:
- Rick Burnes
- Bruce Sachs
- Mike Zak
- Ted Dintersmith
Decision Process
CRV operates with a partnership model emphasizing fast decision-making. The firm states they can reach a "yes" decision in 24 hours. Multiple investing partners with sector expertise suggest a collaborative partnership model with efficient decision-making processes. The presence of 10+ investing partners indicates a distributed decision-making approach rather than single-person gate.
Geographic Focus
Primarily US-based (San Francisco and Palo Alto offices), with investments concentrated in US technology hubs. Some international exposure through portfolio companies but clearly a US-focused fund.
Founder Preferences
Based on values and website messaging, CRV seeks:
- Founders with conviction and strong belief in their ideas
- Early-stage technical founders
- Entrepreneurs willing to move fast and innovate
- Founders who view their customers as the primary guide ("The only one who should tell you what to do is your customer")
- Teams with shipping/execution capability
Fund Status
CRV is actively deploying from Fund XX ($750M, closed August 2025). Recent investments in early 2026 indicate active deployment phase. Fund profile suggests well-established, continuously operating fund with strong track record.
Investor Profile
Check Size: $500K-$5M (typical seed: $1-2M) Lead Tendency: Leads rounds, positions as first institutional investor Speed: 24-hour decision capability Involvement: Board seats and active involvement typical Geographic: US-focused (SF/Palo Alto primary offices) Sectors: Technology-focused (enterprise, consumer, infrastructure, AI) Decision Making: Partnership model with 10+ active investors