Top New York VC Ben Lerer says more mid-sized VC firms are heading for failure

When seed-focused Pear VC raised a $432 million fund last year, the firm co-founder Pejman Nozad said that it meant his firm had reached its “own product-market-fit.” That fourth fund was nearly three times larger than its previous $160 million fund. The 11-year-old firm wants to help emerging venture funds follow in Pear’s footsteps. On Wednesday, Pear announced the Pear Emerging Manager in Residence program, which brings three up-and-coming pre-seed and seed venture funds into Pear’s offices

Sep 25, 2024

While fund sizes of many venture capital firms have ballooned into billions of dollars over the last decade, Benchmark Partners, one of Silicon Valley’s most successful investors, has stuck to raising approximately $425 million in capital every few years. That’s what the storied firm told in a letter to its limited partners when it announced its latest fund this summer, reported the Information. However, Benchmark’s partners are not limiting themselves to whatever capital commitment they make

Oct 21, 2024

CRV, a more than 50-year-old venture firm, is returning to investors $275 million from its $500 million Select fund, which backs later-stage rounds of existing portfolio companies, the New York Times reported. The firm is one of the first Silicon Valley outfits to return committed capital to investors. (We reported yesterday that India’s largest venture investor, Peak XV, is slashing the size of a handful of funds.) CRV partners said it realized that investing in follow-on rounds of many of it

Oct 2, 2024

Primary Ventures has closed a $625 million fund focused on seed investing nationwide. It's a sizable accomplishment for a seed-stage VC firm.

Feb 10, 2026

When seed-focused Pear VC raised a $432 million fund last year, the firm co-founder Pejman Nozad said that it meant his firm had reached its “own product-market-fit.” That fourth fund was nearly three times larger than its previous $160 million fund. The 11-year-old firm wants to help emerging venture funds follow in Pear’s footsteps. On Wednesday, Pear announced the Pear Emerging Manager in Residence program, which brings three up-and-coming pre-seed and seed venture funds into Pear’s offices

Sep 25, 2024

While fund sizes of many venture capital firms have ballooned into billions of dollars over the last decade, Benchmark Partners, one of Silicon Valley’s most successful investors, has stuck to raising approximately $425 million in capital every few years. That’s what the storied firm told in a letter to its limited partners when it announced its latest fund this summer, reported the Information. However, Benchmark’s partners are not limiting themselves to whatever capital commitment they make

Oct 21, 2024

CRV, a more than 50-year-old venture firm, is returning to investors $275 million from its $500 million Select fund, which backs later-stage rounds of existing portfolio companies, the New York Times reported. The firm is one of the first Silicon Valley outfits to return committed capital to investors. (We reported yesterday that India’s largest venture investor, Peak XV, is slashing the size of a handful of funds.) CRV partners said it realized that investing in follow-on rounds of many of it

Oct 2, 2024

Primary Ventures has closed a $625 million fund focused on seed investing nationwide. It's a sizable accomplishment for a seed-stage VC firm.

Feb 10, 2026