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Rincon Venture Partners

North America, California, United States, Santa Barbara

Description

Rincon Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Santa Barbara, California, with a primary focus on web-based businesses. Established in 2005, the firm targets investment opportunities in companies that leverage the internet to deliver services, content, and commerce. While their geographical emphasis is on Southern California, they maintain an open approach to promising ventures in other regions. Rincon typically engages with companies across Seed, Series A, and Series B funding rounds, demonstrating a commitment to supporting startups through their initial growth phases.

The firm's investment strategy is characterized by a clear initial check size, typically ranging from $500,000 to $2,000,000 for their first investment. This structured approach allows them to provide meaningful capital at critical early stages. Beyond the initial infusion, Rincon Venture Partners strategically reserves significant capital for follow-on rounds, indicating a long-term partnership approach designed to support portfolio companies as they scale and achieve key milestones. This commitment ensures that promising ventures have continued access to funding from a trusted partner.

Over its nearly two-decade history, Rincon Venture Partners has built a robust portfolio and a strong track record of successful exits. The firm has raised multiple funds, including Rincon Venture Partners IV, which closed at $100 million in 2019, following a $60 million Fund III in 2014. Their investment activity spans over 100 companies, with notable successes including Ring, a smart home security company acquired by Amazon, and Carbonite, a data backup solution acquired by OpenText. These exits underscore Rincon's ability to identify and nurture high-potential technology companies, delivering significant returns for their limited partners.

Investor Profile

Rincon Venture Partners has backed more than 81 startups, with 0 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 23 rounds, about 28% of its total and boasts 23 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Series A, Seed, Series B rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Denmark.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, Analytics, Advertising.
  • Typical check size: $500K – $2M.

Stage Focus

  • Series A (36%)
  • Seed (25%)
  • Series B (16%)
  • Series Unknown (15%)
  • Series C (6%)
  • Series D (2%)

Country Focus

  • United States (98%)
  • Denmark (2%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Analytics
  • Advertising
  • Saas
  • Internet
  • E-commerce
  • Mobile
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Recruiting
  • Big Data
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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 Rincon Venture Partners frequently co-invest with?

Bonfire Ventures
North America, California, United States, Santa Monica
Co-Investments: 20
Accelerator Ventures
North America, Florida, United States, Miami
Co-Investments: 4
Crosscut Ventures
North America, California, United States, Los Angeles
Co-Investments: 8
500 Global
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 5
Wavemaker Partners
Asia, Central Region, Singapore, Singapore
Co-Investments: 6
Upfront Ventures
North America, California, United States, Santa Monica
Co-Investments: 13
Baroda Ventures
North America, California, United States, Beverly Hills
Co-Investments: 5
TenOneTen Ventures
North America, California, United States, Los Angeles
Co-Investments: 6
Greycroft
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 6
Double M Partners
North America, California, United States, Los Angeles
Co-Investments: 6

Which angels does Rincon Venture Partners often collaborate with?

ER
North America, California, United States, Santa Monica
Shared Deals: 2
MW
North America, Ohio, United States, Beachwood
Shared Deals: 3
AK
North America, California, United States, Santa Monica
Shared Deals: 1
CL
North America, Tennessee, United States, Nashville
Shared Deals: 3
RW
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
HR
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
AH
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
David O. Sacks
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
KP
North America, Florida, United States, Miami
Shared Deals: 3
AR
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1

What are some of recent deals done by Rincon Venture Partners?

mPulse Mobile

Encino, California, United States

MPulse Mobile specializes in conversational AI and digital engagement solutions for the healthcare industry.

AnalyticsHealth CaremHealthMobile
Series CAug 11, 2020
Amount Raised: $16,000,000
Medallia Zingle

Carlsbad, California, United States

Medallia Zingle is a messaging platform, enabling on-demand mobile customer communication.

AnalyticsCustomer ServiceMessagingMobileSaaSSMSSoftwareText Analytics
Series UnknownJan 31, 2019
Amount Raised: $11,000,000
Qordoba

San Francisco, California, United States

Qordoba is an AI writing assistant for businesses.

AppsArtificial Intelligence (AI)Assistive TechnologyContentContent MarketingEnterpriseEnterprise ApplicationsInternetNatural Language ProcessingSmall and Medium Businesses
Series BOct 11, 2018
Amount Raised: $11,500,000
Raken, Inc.

San Diego, California, United States

Raken is a mobile, cloud-based app that allows users to complete daily construction work flows directly from their device in the field.

ConstructionMobileSaaSSoftware
Series AJun 5, 2018
Amount Raised: $10,000,000
Nordsense

Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark

Nordsense is a SaaS-based smart waste management platform that helps with the waste collection processes.

EnterpriseHardwareInternet of ThingsSaaSSoftwareWaste Management
SeedJun 1, 2018
Amount Raised: $2,100,000
Rainforest QA

San Francisco, California, United States

Rainforest QA offers modern testing for web and mobile apps.

Mobile AppsQuality AssuranceSoftwareTest and MeasurementWeb Development
Series BJan 23, 2018
Amount Raised: $25,000,000
JazzHR

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

JazzHR is easy, powerful, and affordable recruiting software purpose-build for SMBs. SaaS ATS for masses.

B2BHuman ResourcesRecruitingSaaSSoftware
Series DOct 25, 2017
Amount Raised: $6,600,000
Fuel50

Laguna Niguel, California, United States

Fuel50 is the AI-powered Talent Marketplace that delivers internal talent mobility and workforce reskilling.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Career PlanningCloud ComputingEmployee BenefitsEmploymentHuman ResourcesMarketplaceRecruitingSaaSTraining
Series AOct 4, 2017
Amount Raised: $2,500,000
HAAWK

Studio City, California, United States

HAAWK polices, administers, distributes, & licenses content to UGC video sites on behalf of copyright holders.

Digital MediaMusicMusic StreamingVideo Streaming
SeedSep 20, 2017
Amount Raised: $2,420,000
LiftIgniter

San Francisco, California, United States

LiftIgniter is a machine learning personalization layer powering user interactions on every digital touchpoint.

AnalyticsArtificial Intelligence (AI)Information TechnologyMachine LearningPersonalizationPredictive Analytics
Series AAug 17, 2017
Amount Raised: $6,400,000