Sutter Hill Ventures
About Sutter Hill Ventures
Sutter Hill Ventures is a venture capital firm in Palo Alto, California, with a London office listed by Superscout. Wikipedia and several directories give 1964 as the founding year, with Paul Wythes and Bill Draper named as founders. Some directories, including Tracxn and Angel Investors Network, list 1962 instead. NFX Signal lists Jim White as managing partner since 2000 and Sam Pullara as managing director since 2012. A Form D filed in March 2025 for 1962 Opportunity Fund LP lists $750 million, according to aum13f.com. Crunchbase lists the firm at 11 to 50 employees.
Directory profiles describe a company-building model in which the firm often originates or incubates companies itself. Angel Investors Network says roughly 20 of about 80 portfolio companies were founded with the firm's help. Startupintros lists artificial intelligence among the sectors the firm targets, alongside cloud computing, big data, enterprise software and developer tools. In May 2025, reports said the firm invested in io, an AI hardware startup founded in 2024 by Jony Ive, which OpenAI agreed to acquire for $6.5 billion, subject to regulatory approval. TipRanks lists Observe Inc, an enterprise software and AI data platform, with a $156 million Series C.
Superscout lists Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C as recorded stages. Angel Investors Network reports typical check sizes of $18.3 million for Series A, $25.2 million for Series B and $28.4 million for Series C. ConnectLab gives a range of $10 million to $28 million. These figures come from third-party directories and have not been confirmed by the firm.
- io: AI hardware startup founded in 2024 by Jony Ive; reported investment in May 2025, with OpenAI's agreed acquisition for $6.5 billion pending regulatory approval.
- Observe Inc: enterprise software and AI data platform; $156 million Series C per TipRanks.
- Nvidia: developer of hardware and software for AI computing; listed among the firm's top investments by Tracxn. Round and year not stated.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Hill_Ventures
- startupintros.com/orgs/sutter-hill-ventures
- angelinvestorsnetwork.com/listing/sutter-hill-ventures
- superscout.co/investor/sutter-hill-ventures
- connectlab.live/funds/sutter-hill-ventures
- tipranks.com/private-companies/investor/sutter-hill-ventures
- tracxn.com/d/venture-capital/sutter-hill-ventures/**04pmizt9nJamJufl2T
- aum13f.com/firm/sutter-hill-ventures-llc
Investing activity
Sutter Hill Ventures is listed on AI Lounge as a venture capital investor based in Palo Alto, California, United States. The deals desk records Series A and later AI rounds and seeds over $10M, so smaller checks may not show here yet.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Sutter Hill Ventures
When was Sutter Hill Ventures founded?
Wikipedia gives 1964, with Paul Wythes and Bill Draper named as founders. Some directories list 1962 instead.
Does Sutter Hill Ventures invest in AI startups?
Yes. AI is among the sectors listed in directory profiles, and reported examples include io and Observe Inc. Its AI-related holdings are mostly in enterprise and infrastructure companies.
What stages does Sutter Hill Ventures invest in?
Superscout lists Seed through Series C as recorded stages. ConnectLab describes its focus as Seed, Series A, Series B and Series C+.
What check sizes does Sutter Hill Ventures write?
Third-party directories report checks from about $10 million to $28 million. Angel Investors Network gives typical Series A, B and C checks of $18.3 million, $25.2 million and $28.4 million. The firm has not confirmed these figures.
Where is Sutter Hill Ventures based?
The firm is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, and Superscout lists an additional office in London, England.
How can founders reach Sutter Hill Ventures?
Founders on AI Lounge can see Sutter Hill Ventures'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 Sutter Hill Ventures to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.