Illuminate Ventures
General contacts
Investor type
PE / VC
Founded
2009
AUM
$150 M
Location
Oakland, California, United States
Investor profile last updated: 17 February, 2026
Profile
Illuminate’s focus is on finding, funding and accelerating great founders in the B2B/Enterprise cloud and mobile computing space. We focus on companies building SaaS applications as well as solutions that leverage data and mobility to improve business results. We seek innovative ideas led by talented teams – frequently bringing together diverse perspectives that marry “creative destruction” with new technologies to solve old problems in new ways.
Illuminate is typically a startup’s first institutional investor, but can also be a fit for an established company seeking its first equity financing. Our sweet spot is Series Seed rounds – filling the gap between angel capital and larger funding rounds of traditional VCs. When the timing is right, we collaborate with the best large-scale firms for the next round of financing, but we love lean start-ups that preserve flexibility in their early years.
Industry
Illuminate Ventures Funds
| Name | Type |
|
|
|
Size | AUM | Launch date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Illuminate Ventures III, L.P.
|
Venture Capital (VC)
|
Business Services (B2B)
SaaS
Software
Machine Learning (ML)
|
Pre-seed
Seed
|
North America
|
$5-10 m
|
—
|
June 2024
|
|
Illuminate Ventures I
|
Venture Capital (VC)
|
Business Services (B2B)
Financial Services
Fintech
SaaS
Security
Software
Cybersecurity
|
Pre-seed
Seed
|
North America
|
$5-10 m
|
$20 M
|
November 2013
|
|
Illuminate Ventures SPV I
|
Venture Capital (VC)
|
Business Services (B2B)
Financial Services
Fintech
SaaS
Software
Cybersecurity
|
Pre-seed
Seed
|
North America
|
$5-10 m
|
$10 M
|
November 2020
|
Contacts
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Title
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Investment-team contacts for Illuminate Ventures — including verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — are available to Private Equity List subscribers.
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Contacts sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn, re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.
FAQs about Illuminate Ventures
Is Illuminate Ventures a venture capital or private equity firm?
Illuminate Ventures is a venture capital and private equity firm. It backs companies at Seed and Series A, writing tickets of $10-50 m.
Where is Illuminate Ventures located?
Illuminate Ventures is located in Oakland, California, United States.
When was Illuminate Ventures founded?
Illuminate Ventures was founded in 2009.
What sectors and industries does Illuminate Ventures invest in?
Illuminate Ventures invests in companies and startups in Education, Fashion/Beauty, Marketing and Advertising, Software, Telecommunications, Business Services (B2B), SaaS, Machine Learning (ML), Financial Services, Fintech, Security, Cybersecurity.
What is Illuminate Ventures geographical focus of investments?
Illuminate Ventures invests in companies and startups in North America.
At what stages of companies and startups does Illuminate Ventures typically invest in?
Illuminate Ventures invests in companies and startups at Seed, Series A.
What is the usual amount of Illuminate Ventures investment?
Illuminate Ventures usually invests $10-50 m on average.
What is the amount of assets of under management (AUM) for Illuminate Ventures?
Illuminate Ventures has around $150m assets under management.
When was Illuminate Ventures last fund created?
Illuminate Ventures last fund was created/launched in 2024-06-21
What are the contacts of Illuminate Ventures?
Illuminate Ventures can be reached through its website illuminate.com, its LinkedIn page and its X account. Its general enquiries address is contact@illuminate.com. Cold-mailing a general inbox rarely reaches a partner, so Private Equity List also lists the investment-team contacts for Illuminate Ventures — names, roles, verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — available on a Pro plan from $129/month (see pricing). Contacts are sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn and re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.
Can I access Illuminate Ventures data via API or MCP?
Yes. Every field on this page — profile, funds, investment criteria, portfolio and investment-team contacts — is available programmatically through the Private Equity List REST API and MCP server, so AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT can query Illuminate Ventures directly instead of scraping this page. One subscription covers both the web app and machine access — see API & MCP.
When was the Illuminate Ventures profile last updated?
Private Equity List re-verifies investor profiles on a rolling cycle, pulling from the firm's own website and LinkedIn rather than a one-off import. This profile was last updated on 17 February, 2026. Something out of date here? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.