Sapphire Ventures

Here at Sapphire Ventures, we pride ourselves on our passion, experience, enterprise expertise, and helping build what we call Companies of Consequence. But don’t just take our word for it. Over the past couple of years, we asked our portfolio CEOs “Why Sapphire?” Here’s what they had to say: ??Our conviction and shared passion for the company vision is unmatched ??Our experience in helping build iconic Companies of Consequence ??Our enterprise network, and specifically our ability to make customer & talent intros that matter ??Simply put, we get enterprise ?? Check out the video below for more on why our CEOs choose us.

Following the release of The State of the SaaS Capital Markets report earlier this year, Sapphire Ventures’ Partner Steve Abbott took the stage at the Citizens Technology Conference to share where SaaS is headed next. Here’s what’s driving the market forward: 1?? Software is back: VC investment in private technology companies is up, and enterprise software continues to take a share of that pie (42% of all tech VC investment). Software mega-rounds ($100M+) are up (206 in 2024, an increase from 144 in 2023), and we have entered the era of the ultraround ($1B+). ? 2?? AI is eating software: GenAI funding was up 100%+ in 2024. GenAI is TAM-expansive to software, as agentic AI gobbles up adjacent services TAM. 2025 will be the year of AI-first application-layer companies, building on the success of AI model-layer investment in 2023–2024. ? 3?? VC renaissance: Pacing is back to pre-pandemic levels. It’s an exciting time to be a VC or a founder, as AI-first companies are growing from pre-revenue levels faster than ever before.? ?? Want the full breakdown? Download The State of the SaaS Capital Markets report here: https://lnkd.in/gKz5zGwe #EnterpriseSaas #AI #VC

AI is transforming HR and workforce tech—so what’s next? At Transform, Cathy Gao will join Jean-Paul (J.P.) Sanday (Menlo Ventures), Barbry McGann (Workday Ventures), and Usman Khan (ADP Ventures) to discuss the hottest trends shaping the future of work, including: ? AI-driven workforce solutions – How AI is reshaping hiring, automation, and workforce management ? Agentic frameworks & AI adoption – The role of AI-powered agents in HR and enterprise adoption trends ? Corporate partnerships & distribution – How startups can scale by partnering with established enterprises ? The changing investment landscape – What VCs are looking for in workforce tech startups ?? Wynn Las Vegas ?? March 18 | 11:10 - 11:40 AM PT ??? https://lnkd.in/gEXj6mQ Planning to attend? Don’t miss this conversation. Still on the fence? There’s still time to register! #FutureOfWork #AI #WorkplaceInnovation #Transform2025

A huge congratulations to Moveworks on the next chapter of your journey! ?? By joining the ServiceNow family, together Moveworks + ServiceNow will set a new standard for the future of employee engagement with a powerful universal AI assistant, along with more perceptive AI?based enterprise search. Since first partnering with Bhavin Shah, Varun Singh, Vaibhav N., Jiang Chen and the entire team in 2019, co-leading the company’s series B, we’ve been big believers in the company’s mission to improve the employee experience with AI. We’re beyond excited to see what the future holds for Moveworks, agentic AI and employee productivity overall! ??Read more about the acquisition here: https://lnkd.in/d26ch5jc CC: Rajeev Dham, Jai Das, Cathy Gao, Casber Wang. #CompaniesofConsequence #AI #Automation #EnterpriseAI

AI isn’t the product—so what is? On the EO STUDIO Deal Makers podcast Rajeev Dham breaks down a critical challenge in today’s startup landscape: differentiation. With AI woven into nearly every pitch, founders need more than just cutting-edge tech to stand out. Here are 3 major takeaways from the conversation: ?? AI isn’t killing SaaS—it’s evolving it. Every vertical is being touched by software and AI, but true innovation lies in solving new problems, not just layering AI on existing models. ?? Investor scrutiny is sharper than ever. The best founders articulate a compelling “why now?”—a clear market gap and a differentiated approach that moves beyond AI as a buzzword. ?? Conviction is a competitive advantage. Growth-stage investing isn’t just about numbers. Founders who deeply believe in their vision—and execute with precision—rise above the noise. Watch the following episode to learn what separates lasting companies from fleeting trends: https://lnkd.in/gC2NB5yY #AI #SaaS #VentureCapital #Founder

AI applications aren’t just growing fast—they’re outpacing an entire decade of software growth. ?? As businesses rapidly adopt AI to drive productivity and cost efficiencies, investors are valuing AI startups differently by basing valuations not just on today’s revenue, but on unprecedented future growth projections. As Jai Das explains, AI companies are scaling at rates we haven’t seen before, leading to sustained high valuations even as the market evolves. But with the AI landscape shifting, will these multiples hold? Read The Information’s deep dive into AI’s evolving funding dynamics: https://lnkd.in/g4Pc7ba3 #StartupValuations #AI #VentureCapital

Founder conviction and a strong company culture are crucial to startup innovation and, ultimately, success. We’re proud to see 17 of our portfolio companies recognized for excelling in company reputation, employee satisfaction, and growth in this year’s Forbes Best Startup Employers list. ?? ?? ?? ?? Hightouch, Mercury, Glean, Attentive, Moveworks, Gem, Gorgias, FalconX, Weights & Biases, Sword Health, Dremio, Huntress, JupiterOne, Paradox, Yugabyte, CaptivateIQ, EliseAI See the full list here: https://lnkd.in/dGSX3ahr #CompaniesofConsequence #VC #Forbes #StartupCulture

Congratulations to Weights & Biases on joining forces with CoreWeave! ?? Weights & Biases has been a game-changer for AI developers, providing powerful tools to track, visualize, and optimize machine learning models. Now, joining forces with CoreWeave, a leading provider of high-performance cloud infrastructure, they’re poised to help enterprises scale AI development faster than ever. We’re thrilled for Lukas Biewald and the entire Weights & Biases team on this next chapter in the journey. ?? #CompaniesofConsequence #AI #MLOps #CloudComputing

AI-driven sales prospecting is evolving FAST. ?From signal-based orchestration to AI SDRs and outreach automation, the landscape is shifting. But as AI-generated outreach floods inboxes, the real winners will be those who master precision, personalization, and timing. ?? The rise of “Service-as-Software”—AI SDRs like our portfolio companies Qualified and Jeeva, as well as 11x are moving beyond software tools to digital workers that sell autonomously and price based on usage and outcomes, not seats. ?? Signal-based selling is taking off—Real-time intent data, from champion tracking to product usage analytics, is replacing intuition with highly targeted, automated prospecting campaigns. ?? More automation ≠ better results—Sales teams are wary of overloading buyer inboxes, focusing instead on creating AI-powered campaigns that balance automation with real personalization. We’ve updated our market map with the latest AI prospecting players. Where does your stack stand? ?? Explore the landscape and read the full breakdown: https://lnkd.in/gXwNtbD2 #SalesAI #SaaS #GTM #GenAI #CompaniesofConsequence

According to recent data, there are nearly 85,000 AI companies, with the majority representing startups. As investors, it can be overwhelming to sift through the noise to understand which startups will one day become Companies of Consequence. Our partners Jai Das and Casber Wang head to HumanX in a couple of weeks to discuss this very topic. If you plan to attend, check out the following sessions. It’s not too late to register: https://www.humanx.co/ →? Investing in intelligence: The high-stakes world of AI venture capital: Learn how investors identify & back promising AI-driven startups, balancing the immense potential of the technology with its unique challenges. March 10th @ 4:05pm PT, Center Stage?? ?? Josh Constine (moderator), Venture Partner & Head of Content, SignalFire ?? Jai Das, President, Co-founder & Partner, Sapphire Ventures ?? Christine Tsai, Founding Partner & CEO, 500 Global ?? Steve Jang, Founder & Managing Partner, Kindred Ventures → From Code to Capital: The Technical Edge of Venture Capital in AI: VCs with deep technical expertise play a big role in identifying groundbreaking technologies. Panelists will discuss how their technical acumen shapes investment strategies, aids in scaling innovation, and more. March 12 @ 10:45am PT, Venture Stage ?? Krystal Hu (moderator), VC and Startups Reporter, Reuters ?? Casber Wang, Partner, Sapphire Ventures ?? Sara Ittelson, Partner, Accel? ?? Ian Sigalow, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Greycroft We’re looking forward to seeing you there! #humanx #AIinvesting #artificialintellignece #AIstartups