Here’s a great article from CB Insights
(https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/tech-periodic-table/)
We expect that this list of 118 will change over time as new entrants emerge and gain prominence and others falter and get removed. If you believe someone should be added, please leave a comment with your rationale.
Navigating the Periodic Table
The table focuses on eight different investor types as follows (from left to right). They were selected based on a combination of factors including historical exits, network strength, reputation/brand prominence and deal activity. Many of these criteria are considered as part of our Investor Mosaic scoring algorithms.
Venture capital firms
Venture capital firms included make venture equity investments across the stage spectrum and geographies focusing on high-growth opportunities in tech and have received significant LP commitments to date ($200M to well over $1B+).
Related research:
The Unicorn VCs are Increasing Their Early Stage Investment Focus
The Most Active Venture Capital Firms in H1 2014 – Silicon Valley, New York & Massachusetts
Corporate venture capital firms
Corporate VCs included have separately identifiable corporate venture units and made over 80% of their investments into tech categories, i.e., internet, mobile, software, hardware/electronics). Corporate-affiliated funds with LP commitments such as SAP Ventures are not included here (but are part of the VC category).
Related research: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Corporate Venture Capital Investors in Tech
Growth/late-stage firms
Growth and late-stage investment firms focus on growth-stage companies with established revenue typically in the tens of millions and/or a record of significant traction. Some, but not all, growth investors are part of firms that also have funds investing in the public markets.
Micro VC firms
Tech micro VCs are those with funds ?$100M and which have made 80%+ of investments at the early-stage (seed/Series A).
Related research: Micro VC Rising: Analyzing Trends and the Top Investors in the Micro VC Ecosystem
Angel investment groups
Angel groups often bridge the gap between angel investment and institutional VC, providing either a managed fund or direct investment from angel group members.
Related research: Ranking Angel Investment Groups
Angels
Angel investors are, often, wealthy individuals who offer early-stage capital, advice and networks to startups in exchange for equity or convertible debt.
Related research: We Analyzed 2000 Angel Investors. Here are the Top 1%
Accelerators/venture studios/holding companies
Accelerators and startup venture studios typically offer some combination of equity investment, mentorship and resources around company development. We’ve previously taken deep dives into the investment activity of Y Combinator and Rocket Internet.
Tech acquirers
Public tech corporations acquiring private tech companies for business growth, sales expansion, new technologies and/or talent. Acquirers selected were based on overall M&A activity of private tech companies as well as M&A momentum based on deal pace.
Related research: Analyzing Tech’s Top Acquirers by Year
Again, if you believe someone should be added, please leave a comment below with your rationale.
Want to track the activity of these 118 key players of the tech ecosystem ? Check out the CB Insights Venture Capital Database. Sign up free below.
Want to know more about Colorado’s Tech Community?
Attend RVC’s Investing In Tech event, Tuesday January 13, 2015 5:00-7:30 PM at the Denver Chamber of Commerce Building, hosted by the SBDC, Denver Metro Small Business Development Center
1445 Market Street, Denver, CO 8020
Investing In Technology Companies
January 2015

Event Sponsor: Denver Metro SBDC
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————Peter Adams is co-author of Venture Capital for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons. 2013) available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and your local book store. Peter serves as the Executive Director of the Rockies Venture Club, America’s oldest angel investing group. RVC is a non-profit organization furthering economic development whose companies raised over $23 million in the past year. RVC’s connects investors and entrepreneurs through conferences (Angel Capital Summit and Colorado Capital Conference), networking events, angel investing educational offerings and facilitation of Colorado’s largest angel investor groups. Peter is the founder of the Biz Girls CEO Development Program for high school age girls and is an Adjunct Professor in the Colorado State University EMBA program. Peter holds a BA Degree from Colorado College, PhD/ABD from University of Colorado and an MBA from Regis University.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!