StepStone Group
About StepStone Group
The Stepstone Group is a leading online recruitment company founded in 1996, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. With a presence in over 10 countries and approximately 3,000 employees, the company connects job seekers and employers through its customer-centric recruitment platform. Its mission is to ensure "the right job for everyone."
The Stepstone Group operates more than 20 international brands and connects over 100 million applications with employers each year. The company offers a range of services, including online job boards, AI-powered recruiting technology, and data analytics tools
This section covers StepStone Group Inc., the Nasdaq-listed private markets investor. It is a different company from The Stepstone Group, the Düsseldorf recruitment business described in the profile text above, so the HQ and website on file may belong to that company. LinkedIn lists the investor as founded in 2007 and headquartered in New York, and describes work across private equity, infrastructure, private debt and real estate, plus venture capital. In 2024 the firm said it had a 75-person investment team dedicated to venture capital and growth equity. Hunter Somerville, a Partner, is quoted in its venture secondaries announcement. The firm has not named a partner who leads AI investing, and founder names were not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
StepStone has no separate public AI fund or thesis page. It reaches AI companies through a venture platform that spans fund and direct investments, on both a primary and secondary basis. In April 2026 it co-led a $12M round in Moonbounce with Amplify Partners. Moonbounce builds an AI control engine that turns content policies into real-time enforcement for AI applications. In September 2026 StepStone took part in Clay's $115M Series D, which Wellington Management led. Clay is a go-to-market data and automation platform.
StepStone has not published check sizes or a stage mandate for direct AI investments. Its two 2026 AI deals were an early round (Moonbounce, listed as Seed on the Lounge deals desk, though some outlets call it Series A) and a late-stage round (Clay Series D). For funds, StepStone says its sixth venture capital secondaries fund (VSF VI) raised $3.3 billion. That fund buys stakes from founders and early investors in mature venture-backed companies and from limited partners in venture funds. The firm launched its first venture secondaries fund in 2014. It also runs the StepStone Private Venture and Growth Fund (SPRING), whose size was not found. Its investor materials cite $913B of total capital responsibility, made up of $245B in assets under management and $668B under advisement.
- Moonbounce: AI control engine for real-time content moderation and policy enforcement; $12M round in April 2026, co-led with Amplify Partners.
- Clay: go-to-market data and automation platform; $115M Series D in September 2026, led by Wellington Management, with StepStone participating.
- techcrunch.com/2026/04/03/moonbounce-fundraise-content-moderation-for-
- finsmes.com/2026/04/moonbounce-raises-12m-in-funding.html
- multiples.vc/private-comps/clay
- stepstonegroup.com/news-insights/stepstone-closes-largest-ever-venture
- linkedin.com/company/stepstone-group
- go.stepstonegroup.com/rs/664-QRQ-541/images/SPRING_US_Investor_Deck.pd
- crunchbase.com/organization/stepstone-group
- pitchbook.com/profiles/company/11983-06
Investing activity
StepStone Group appears in 2 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $127M, and led 1 of them. The rounds are mostly Series D and Seed, with a median round size of $115M. The most recent are Clay (Series D, $115M, Sep 2026) and Moonbounce (Seed, $12M, Apr 2026).
StepStone Group most often invests alongside Wellington Management, CapitalG, Sequoia Capital and boldstart ventures, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in Data Collection and Labeling and AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about StepStone Group
Does StepStone Group invest in AI startups?
Yes. It co-led Moonbounce's $12M round in April 2026 and took part in Clay's $115M Series D in September 2026. It does not run a dedicated AI fund.
What check size does StepStone Group write for AI startups?
StepStone has not published direct check sizes. Only the round totals of its two known AI deals are public: $12M for Moonbounce, co-led, and $115M for Clay, with StepStone participating.
Is StepStone Group the same as The Stepstone Group in Düsseldorf?
No. The Düsseldorf company is an online recruitment business. The investor is StepStone Group Inc., a private markets firm listed on Nasdaq as STEP and founded in 2007.
How large are StepStone Group's venture funds?
Its VC Secondaries Fund VI raised $3.3 billion. The firm's first venture secondaries fund launched in 2014. The size of its SPRING fund was not found.
Who leads AI investing at StepStone Group?
The firm has not publicly named an AI lead. Partner Hunter Somerville is quoted on its venture secondaries business, but the sources do not tie him to AI investing.
What AI companies has StepStone Group invested in?
StepStone Group's AI investments include Clay and Moonbounce. The 2 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is StepStone Group based?
StepStone Group is based in Duesseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
What stage does StepStone Group invest at?
In the rounds tracked on AI Lounge, StepStone Group has invested at Series D and Seed, with a median round of $115M. StepStone Group led 1 of those rounds.
Who does StepStone Group co-invest with?
StepStone Group's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Wellington Management (1 deal), CapitalG (1 deal), Sequoia Capital (1 deal), boldstart ventures (1 deal) and DST Global (1 deal).
How can founders reach StepStone Group?
Founders on AI Lounge can see StepStone Group'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 StepStone Group to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.