Stage-Specific VCs

Stage-Specific VCs are venture capital firms that focus their investments on startups at a particular stage of growth. Many VCs specialize in either early or late stage investing. Early-stage firms like First Round Capital and Upfront Ventures focus on Seed, Series A and Series B rounds for young startups still proving product-market fit. Late-stage VCs like IVP and DST Global invest in mature startups already showing strong traction and scalability in Series C rounds and beyond. Specializing by stage allows VCs to tailor their expertise, networks, fund sizes, and investment strategies to the needs of startups at that growth phase. Stage-specific investing also reduces risks by avoiding risky early bets or high late stage valuations. However, the most successful VCs take a full lifecycle approach to build relationships with entrepreneurs early and realize the highest returns by investing through multiple stages.