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Josh Buckley

North America, California, United States, San Francisco

Description

Josh Buckley has transitioned from a successful entrepreneur to a highly regarded venture capitalist, founding Buckley Ventures to back promising early-stage companies. His journey includes co-founding the mobile gaming startup MinoMonsters, which was acquired by Glu Mobile, and serving as CEO of Product Hunt, a prominent platform for new product discovery. This operational background provides him with a unique, founder-centric perspective on venture investing.

Buckley Ventures operates with a focused strategy, primarily targeting seed and Series A rounds. The firm initially launched with a $10 million first fund, quickly demonstrating its ability to identify and support high-potential startups. Following its early success, Buckley Ventures significantly scaled its operations, raising a $100 million second fund to expand its investment capacity. The typical first check size from Buckley Ventures ranges from $500,000 to $5 million, allowing the firm to make meaningful contributions to its portfolio companies' initial growth phases.

Buckley's investment thesis often gravitates towards consumer-facing applications, social platforms, gaming, and developer tools, areas where his own entrepreneurial experience offers significant value. He is known for being a high-conviction investor who provides hands-on support and strategic guidance to founders, leveraging his deep understanding of product development and user acquisition. His approach emphasizes long-term partnerships and a commitment to helping companies navigate the challenges of scaling from inception.

Investor Profile

Josh Buckley has backed more than 46 startups, with 1 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 6 rounds, about 13% of its total and boasts 6 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Series A, Series B rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, United Kingdom, Norway.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, Artificial Intelligence (AI), FinTech.
  • Typical check size: $500K – $5M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (57%)
  • Series A (17%)
  • Series B (15%)
  • Pre Seed (4%)
  • Series C (4%)
  • Convertible Note (2%)

Country Focus

  • United States (76%)
  • United Kingdom (7%)
  • Norway (2%)
  • Canada (2%)
  • Japan (2%)
  • Poland (2%)
  • India (2%)
  • Ghana (2%)
  • Pakistan (2%)
  • Indonesia (2%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Fintech
  • Financial Services
  • Health Care
  • Mobile Apps
  • Developer Apis
  • Consumer
  • Internet
  • Information Technology
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Josh Buckley frequently co-invest with?

BV
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 11
Soma Capital
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 8
Caffeinated Capital
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3
The Twenty Minute VC
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Co-Investments: 4
Liquid 2 Ventures
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 7
Y Combinator
North America, California, United States, Mountain View
Co-Investments: 8
Quiet Capital
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 4
SV Angel
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 5
BoxGroup
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 3
Founders Fund
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3

Which angels does Josh Buckley often collaborate with?

LG
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 5
MG
North America, California, United States, Los Altos
Shared Deals: 3
HS
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Shared Deals: 9
LR
North America, United States
Shared Deals: 3
RV
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 6
SB
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 6
TG
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 3
AM
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 3
JK
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 3
IA
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 5

What are some of recent deals done by Josh Buckley?

Vultron

San Francisco, California, United States

Vultron provides unparalleled AI for federal proposal development.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Software
SeedOct 9, 2024
Amount Raised: $4,850,000
Speak

San Francisco, California, United States

Speak is a mobile app that helps people learn new languages through AI-powered conversation.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)E-LearningSpeech Recognition
Series BJul 19, 2023
Amount Raised: $16,000,000
Vial

San Francisco, California, United States

Scalable biotech advancing clinical programs with cost-effective trials and computationally designed therapeutics.

BiotechnologyClinical TrialsHealth CareMedical
Series BNov 30, 2022
Amount Raised: $67,000,000
Speak

San Francisco, California, United States

Speak is a mobile app that helps people learn new languages through AI-powered conversation.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)E-LearningSpeech Recognition
Series BNov 17, 2022
Amount Raised: $27,000,000
Pomelo

San Francisco, California, United States

Pomelo is a fintech startup combining credit and international money transfer in one unified product.

Financial ServicesFinTech
SeedAug 16, 2022
Amount Raised: $20,000,000
Pogo

New York, New York, United States

Pogo enables people to earn money by unlocking the power of their data.

ConsumerMobile Apps
SeedJul 26, 2022
Amount Raised: $12,300,000
Lottielab

London, England, United Kingdom

Lottielab is an animation editor for design and tech teams.

AndroidAnimationMobile Apps
SeedApr 26, 2022
Amount Raised: $4,000,000
Stilt

San Francisco, California, United States

Stilt offers financial services for immigrants, visa holders, and the underserved.

Financial ServicesFinTechLendingPersonal Finance
Series AMar 10, 2022
Amount Raised: $14,000,000
Fathom

San Francisco, California, United States

Fathom is a free AI notetaker that records, transcribes, highlights, and summarizes your Zoom calls. Never take notes again!

Meeting SoftwareSoftwareVideoWeb Apps
SeedJan 24, 2022
Amount Raised: $6,700,000
Placer.ai

Los Altos, California, United States

Placer.ai offers a traffic analytics platform that allows anyone to generate insights into any property.

AnalyticsArtificial Intelligence (AI)ConsumerGeospatialSoftware
Series CJan 12, 2022
Amount Raised: $100,000,000