Foothill Ventures

Foothill Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Los Altos, California, investing primarily in startups across the United States. It backs companies demonstrating technical differentiation across three core areas: deep tech (semiconductors, photonics, battery and materials science, robotics), software infrastructure and AI applications, and life sciences (therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices). The firm prioritizes strong technical founding teams with a record of leadership, favors immigrant, female, and PhD founders, and looks for cross-disciplinary opportunities where two fields of expertise intersect. It invests from pre-seed through Series A, generally making its first check at seed, and can lead or follow rounds, maintaining reserves for follow-on participation. Its current vehicle, Fund III, closed above target at $110 million in January 2025. Formerly known as Tsingyuan Ventures (itself an outgrowth of the TEEC Angel Fund), the firm rebranded in 2021 and describes its partners as former founders and operators who aim to respond quickly to entrepreneurs and stay closely involved post-investment. Founders can reach out via the firm's website or team contacts.