8VC
About 8VC
8VC was founded in 2015 by Joe Lonsdale, a Palantir co-founder. It started shortly after Formation 8, another firm Lonsdale co-founded, broke up, and 15 of Formation 8's 25 employees joined him. The firm was first based in San Francisco and moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas in 2020. Lonsdale is Founder and Managing Partner. Drew Oetting is listed as Founding Partner, and Jin-Young Kim as Partner and Head of Capital Formation. Public sources do not name a partner who leads AI investing alone. Founder lists differ by source: Wikipedia names Lonsdale and Jake Medwell, while other profiles also name Oetting and Alex Kolicich. Its first fund raised $425M in 2016, plus a $50M seed fund. Fund V raised $880M in March 2023 and Fund VI raised $998M in March 2025. Lonsdale has announced a $1.5B Fund 7, and one trade site reports it closed in July 2026.
8VC works as a traditional investor and as a venture studio. Through its Build program it co-founds companies where it sees a gap. Saronic, which makes autonomous surface vessels, came out of that program and sits in 8VC Fund IV. Lonsdale describes Fund 7 as capital for the US-led AI industrial revolution, with productivity, manufacturing, defense and healthcare named as areas. On the Lounge deals desk, 8VC led Rilian Technologies ($17.5M seed, April 2026), Harbor ($10M seed, October 2026) and Enclave ($6M seed, March 2026). It also led Cognition's $1B Series D in May 2026. Outside the desk, press lists 8VC as lead on a $20M Series B for Standard Metrics, an AI-driven portfolio management platform, in August 2026.
8VC does not publish check sizes on its own site. Third-party investor databases cite a range of $500K to $50M and list pre-seed, seed, Series A and later rounds. One tracker says early seed checks are often $500K to $5M, but this is an estimate, not a firm statement. The firm also takes part in very large later rounds, such as Anduril's $5B Series H and Saronic's $1.75B Series D on the Lounge desk.
- Anduril Industries: defense technology company. 8VC was an early investor, joined its $200M Series C in 2020, and appears in the 2026 $5B Series H.
- Cognition: maker of the Devin AI software engineer. 8VC led its $1B Series D in May 2026.
- Saronic: autonomous surface vessels for maritime defense. An 8VC Build company, with a $1.75B Series D in March 2026.
- Generalist AI: robotics AI company, $400M Series B in June 2026.
- Rilian Technologies: $17.5M seed led by 8VC in April 2026.
- Harbor: $10M seed led by 8VC in October 2026.
- Standard Metrics: AI-driven portfolio management platform for investors, $20M Series B led by 8VC in 2026.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8VC
- techcrunch.com/2017/01/16/joe-lonsdale-moves-forward-with-8vcs-new-fun
- blog.joelonsdale.com/p/announcing-8vc-fund-v
- 8vc.com/resources/announcing-8vc-fund-vi
- x.com/JTLonsdale/status/2072195697701441802
- x.com/8vc/status/1897002131074507198
- everythingstartups.com/article/8vc-closes-1-5b-fund-7-largest-fund-to-
- 8vc.com/companies/saronic
Investing activity
8VC appears in 14 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $8.97B, and led 5 of them. The rounds are mostly Seed, Series D and Series C, with a median round size of $50M and the largest at $5B. The most recent are Bedrock Robotics (Series C, $600M, Oct 2026), Sirona Medical (Series D, $40M, Oct 2026) and Harbor (Seed, $10M, Oct 2026).
8VC most often invests alongside Nvidia, Bessemer Venture Partners, Abstract Ventures and General Catalyst, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in AI, Autonomous construction robotics and Healthcare AI, radiology software.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about 8VC
Who founded 8VC and when?
Joe Lonsdale founded 8VC in 2015, after the breakup of Formation 8. It was first based in San Francisco and moved to Austin in 2020.
How big are 8VC's funds?
The first fund was $425M with a $50M seed fund. Fund V was $880M (2023) and Fund VI was $998M (March 2025). Lonsdale has announced a $1.5B Fund 7.
What check size does 8VC write?
8VC does not publish check sizes. Third-party databases estimate $500K to $50M, with early seed checks often $500K to $5M.
Does 8VC lead AI rounds?
Yes. It led Cognition's $1B Series D in May 2026 and seed rounds at Rilian Technologies, Harbor and Enclave in 2026.
What is the 8VC Build program?
It is 8VC's internal venture studio, which co-founds companies from scratch. Saronic is one example. One trade site says it typically uses 25 to 30% of fund capital.
What AI companies has 8VC invested in?
8VC's AI investments include Bedrock Robotics, Sirona Medical, Harbor, Gallatin AI, Primero AI, Minerva, Generalist AI and Cognition. The 14 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is 8VC based?
8VC is based in Austin, US.
What stage does 8VC invest at?
In the rounds tracked on AI Lounge, 8VC has invested at Seed, Series D, Series C and Series A, with a median round of $50M. 8VC led 5 of those rounds.
Who does 8VC co-invest with?
8VC's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Nvidia (2 deals), Bessemer Venture Partners (2 deals), Abstract Ventures (2 deals), General Catalyst (2 deals) and Founders Fund (2 deals).
How can founders reach 8VC?
Founders on AI Lounge can see 8VC's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add 8VC to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.