Sound Ventures: Funding, Team & Investors

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Sound Ventures: Funding, Team & Investors | Startup Intros

About

Sound Ventures operates as a venture capital firm, primarily engaging in early-stage investments across various technology sectors. The firm focuses on identifying and backing companies poised to define future industries, providing hands-on support to visionary founders to help scale their ventures. Their methodology involves strategic capital deployment combined with active mentorship and market insight.

The firm was co-founded by Ashton Kutcher, Guy Oseary, and Effie Epstein, leveraging their extensive backgrounds in media, technology, and finance. Established with a belief in the power of early, conviction-based investment, Sound Ventures seeks to apply a unique blend of network, operational experience, and market foresight to catalyze the growth of its portfolio companies.

Sound Ventures partners with founders developing innovative products and infrastructure. The firm's overarching vision centers on being a foundational partner to these entrepreneurs, offering comprehensive support that extends beyond capital. They aim to guide companies through critical development phases, helping them achieve significant market impact and long-term success by recognizing and fostering paradigm-shifting technologies.

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Investments Made

Date	Company	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Co-Investor(s)
Feb 2, 2026	Day Ai	$20.0M Series A	Sequoia Capital	Conviction, Greenoaks, Permanent Capital Ventures
Jan 13, 2026	WitnessAI	$58.0M Other Equity	Ashton Kutcher	ForgePoint Capital, Tushar Gupta, Samsung Ventures
Nov 1, 2025	General Counsel AI	$60.0M Series B	Northzone, Rory O'Driscoll	Abstract Ventures, Human Capital, Immad Akhund, Karim Atiyeh, Guillermo Rauch, Aglae Ventures, News Corp, SilverCircle, The Council
Nov 1, 2025	Joy	$14.0M Series A	Forerunner Ventures, Raga Partners	Altair Capital Management, Avalon Ventures, Dream Machine, General Catalyst, Helium-3 Ventures, Liquid 2 Ventures, Magnify Ventures, NFX, Polychain Capital, SNR, Timespan Ventures, Eduardo Haber, Justin Timberlake, Louis Beryl, Mark Pincus, Matt Bellamy, Stacy Brown-Philpot, Shazi Visram, Ingeborg Investments, Next Legacy Partners, Rogue Venture Partners
Oct 1, 2025	CipherOwl Inc	$15.0M Seed	—	Kevin Hartz, Addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Audrey Capital, Dreamers VC, Electric Capital, General Catalyst, Interlock Partners, Khosla Ventures, NewFund, Thirty Five Ventures, Y Combinator, Adrian Aoun, Brad Bao, Bradley Horowitz, Jared Leto, Joshua Reeves, Kevin Weil, Mike Krieger, Odell Beckham Jr., Sam Altman
Oct 1, 2025	Limitless Labs	$10.0M Seed	1confirmation	10100, Abstract Ventures, Kevin Hartz, Brainchild, Divergence Ventures, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, New Form Capital, Polychain Capital, Robot Ventures, The Hit Forge, Thrive Capital, Balaji Srinivasan, Diego Berdakin, Dylan Field, Mark Pincus, Sahin Boydas, Stani Kulechov, Vitalik Buterin, Arrington Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Collider, Digital Currency Group, Flyer One Ventures, F-Prime Capital, Node Capital, SID Venture Partners
Oct 1, 2025	Glue	$20.0M Series A	—	10100, 1confirmation, Abstract Ventures, Kevin Hartz, Brainchild, Divergence Ventures, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, New Form Capital, Polychain Capital, Robot Ventures, The Hit Forge, Thrive Capital, Balaji Srinivasan, Diego Berdakin, Dylan Field, Mark Pincus, Sahin Boydas, Stani Kulechov, Vitalik Buterin
Sep 1, 2025	Filevine	$260.0M Series E	—	2048 Ventures, Accel, Album VC, Brainchild, DealerSocket, Entrée Capital Ventures, FJ Labs, Founder Collective, Insight Partners, Marketplace Capital, QueensBridge Venture Partners, Signal Peak Ventures, TCV, Teamworthy Ventures, The Finger Group, Wellington Management, Arie Abecassis, Eli Manning, Rob Glaser, Shane Battier
Sep 1, 2025	Belfort	$6.0M Seed	Vsquared Ventures	10100, 1confirmation, Abstract Ventures, Kevin Hartz, Brainchild, Divergence Ventures, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, New Form Capital, Polychain Capital, Robot Ventures, The Hit Forge, Thrive Capital, Balaji Srinivasan, Diego Berdakin, Dylan Field, Mark Pincus, Nicolas Pinto, Sahin Boydas, Stani Kulechov, Vitalik Buterin, Willem Delbare, Jeff Dean, Naval Ravikant, Anagram, Credibly Neutral, Inovia Capital, Protocol VC, Prototype Capital, Syndicate One
Aug 1, 2025	Plancraft	$45.0M Series B	Trevor Neff	Creandum, High-Tech Grunderfonds, xDeck
Jul 1, 2025	XMTP	$20.0M Series B	—	Alchemy Ventures, Ambush Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Awesome People Ventures, Bailhe, Batalion Capital, Broadstone, Capital Factory, Form Capital, FTX Ventures, Haun Ventures, HawksHead Capital, IDEO CoLab Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Multicoin Capital, Not Boring Capital, Ben Huh, Pantera Capital, Pharos Capital Group, Redpoint Ventures, Robot Ventures, Scalar Capital, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, The Hit Forge, Timespan Ventures, Todd and Rahul's Angel Fund, Union Square Ventures, Wave Financial, White Loop Capital, Anthony Pompliano, Balaji Srinivasan, Bobby Goodlatte, Chris Kurdziel, Courtney Guertin, Ethan Beard, Fernando Martinelli, Itamar Lesuisse, Jess Sloss, Joe Stump, Michael Dunworth, Narendra Rocherolle, Paul Stamatiou, Reggie James, Ricky Engelberg, Scott Belsky, Shishir Mehrotra, Stani Kulechov, Tegan Kline, William Boebel
Jul 1, 2025	Manifold Labs	$11.0M Series A	—	Greylock, Innovation Endeavors, Sherpalo Ventures, South Park Commons, SV Angel, Amjad Masad, Anne Wojcicki, Deborah Liu, DJ Patil, Drew Houston, Fidji Simo, Howie Liu, Marc Benioff, Shishir Mehrotra
Jul 1, 2025	Polymarket	$150.0M Series C	—	10100, 1confirmation, Abstract Ventures, Kevin Hartz, Brainchild, Darling Ventures, Divergence Ventures, ENIAC Ventures, EQT Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, iNovia Capital, New Form Capital, Operator Collective, Polychain Capital, Robot Ventures, The Hit Forge, Thrive Capital, Tiger Global Management, Triatomic Capital, Balaji Srinivasan, Diego Berdakin, Dylan Field, Mark Pincus, Sahin Boydas, Stani Kulechov, Vitalik Buterin
Jul 1, 2025	Knit	$16.0M Series A	GFT Ventures, Alexandra Burbey	Axiom Partners, Bread and Butter Ventures, C2 Investment, Quest Venture Partners, Revolution, Visible Ventures, Y Combinator, Akshay Kothari, Amjad Masad, Arash Ferdowsi, Balaji Srinivasan, David Petersen, Eoghan McCabe, Gokul Rajaram, Jaffray Woodriff, David Kirk, Osage Venture Partners, Rise of the Rest, Silicon Road Ventures
Jun 1, 2025	Warp	$10.0M Series A	Blue Bear Capital, UP.Partners, Sound Ventures	ACME Capital, Addition, Alumni Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Basecamp Fund, Bee Partners, Bond, Contrary Capital, Craft Ventures, Floodgate, General Catalyst, Giant Ventures, Giza Polish Ventures, Greylock, Frederique Dame, Haystack, IVP, Kleiner Perkins, Klossy, LAUNCH, Lux Capital, Makers Fund, Maniv Mobility, Matrix, Menlo Ventures, Next Play Ventures, Hans Tung, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, Slow Ventures, The General Partnership, The House Fund, Toyota Ventures, Tribe Capital, Ultratech Capital Partners, Ulu Ventures, Venture Highway, Volition Capital, Workday Ventures, Y Combinator, Adam Back, Amjad Masad, Arash Ferdowsi, Balaji Srinivasan, Bradley Horowitz, Catherine Lu, Ding Zhou, Drew Houston, Dylan Field, Elad Gil, Emmett Shear, Gokul Rajaram, Henry Kravis, Jonathan Wasserstrum, Kelvin Beachum Jr., Kevin Weil, Kyle Vogt, Manish Chandra, Marc Benioff, Nico Rosberg, Sahin Boydas, Sam Altman, Tony Xu, Kevin Hartz, Y Combinator, Dan Romero, Fady Yacoub, Garry Tan, Harjeet Taggar, Jordi Hays, HOF Capital, Homebrew, SV Angel
Jun 1, 2025	Netic	$20.0M Seed	—	10100, 1confirmation, Abstract Ventures, Kevin Hartz, Alumni Ventures, Amino Capital, AngelList, Bling Capital, Brainchild, C2 Investment, Kevin Ding, Divergence Ventures, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Goat Capital, Greenoaks Capital, Greylock, Hanabi Capital, Helium-3 Ventures, Jigsaw VC, Kleiner Perkins, LGF, Longtail Ventures, Madrona Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Ann Bordetsky, New Form Capital, Polychain Capital, Primitive Ventures, Quiet Capital, Robot Ventures, Saga, The Hit Forge, Thrive Capital, Tribe Capital, UpHonest Capital, Y Combinator, Balaji Srinivasan, Diego Berdakin, Dylan Field, Elad Gil, Mark Pincus, Matt Bellamy, Mike Vernal, Sahin Boydas, Samvit Ramadurgam, Sohail Prasad, Stani Kulechov, Sue Xu, Vitalik Buterin
Jun 1, 2025	Decagon	$130.0M Series C	Accel, Sarah Wang	8VC, Gautam Gupta, Kevin Hartz, A* Capital (A Star Capital), Afore Capital, Aglae Ventures, AirAngels, Airtree Ventures, Alt Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Avenir, Avid Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Blackbird Ventures Australia, Bond, Cornerstone Venture Partners, Cyberstarts VC, DTCP, Endeavor Health Ventures, ENIAC Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Flex Capital, Forerunner Ventures, Greenoaks Capital, Index Ventures, Insight Partners, Kairos HQ, Kipaki Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Nasdaq Ventures, Andrew Schoen, Hans Tung, Operator Collective, Predictive VC, Primary Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Sequoia Capital, SoftBank Investment Advisers, Theory Ventures, XYZ Venture Capital, Y Combinator, Aaron Levie, Allison Pickens (Allison Pickens Ventures), Bernard Arnault, Frederic Kerrest, Greg Kidd, Howard Schultz, Howie Liu, Matt Macinnis, Mike Vernal, Philippe Teixeira da Mota, Scott Belsky, A Capital, Avra Capital, Forerunner Ventures
Jun 1, 2025	Zoot	$6.0M Seed	CoinFund	Andreessen Horowitz, Angel investor, Archetype, Blisce, Bond, Bow Capital, Caffeinated Capital, Chapter One Ventures, Coatue, Compound, Craft Ventures, Dispersion Capital, Dreamers VC, Electric Capital, Graph Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners, Helium-3 Ventures, North Island Ventures, Paradigm, Reform Ventures, Roosh Ventures, The Hit Forge, Thirty Five Ventures, Union Square Ventures, Yes VC, Andre Iguodala, Balaji Srinivasan, Bill Tai, Jeff Morris, Mark Pincus, Matt Bellamy, Rashaun Williams, William Mougayar
Jun 1, 2025	Antimetal	$20.0M Series A	Sound Ventures	AirAngels, AngelList, C2 Investment, Founder Collective, Greylock, Homebrew, Innovation Endeavors, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Otherwise Fund, Preston-Werner Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, Spark Capital, Spero Ventures, Aaron Levie, Adrian Aoun, Akshay Kothari, Amjad Masad, Andrew Berman, Arash Ferdowsi, Ben Tossell, Ben Uretsky, Charlie Cheever, Charlie Songhurst, Christina Cacioppo, David Lieb, Ding Zhou, Frederic Kerrest, Howie Liu, Jeremy Stoppelman, Karim Atiyeh, Kyle Vogt, Matteo Franceschetti, Max Mullen, Mike Hudack, Mike Krieger, Neha Narkhede, Sam Blond, Siqi Chen, Tobias Lutke, Aravind Srinivas, Daniel Gross, Nat Friedman, Naval Srinivasan, Buckley Ventures
Jun 1, 2025	Toma	$17.0M Series A	Seema Amble	AIX Ventures, C2 Investment, DTCP, Flex Capital, Innovation Endeavors, IVP, Maven Ventures, The Hit Forge, Y Combinator, Amjad Masad, Balaji Srinivasan, Bob Muglia, Dylan Field, Emily Kramer, Jeff Bezos, Mattia Astori, Peter Sonsini, Shane Neman, Stanley Druckenmiller, Tobias Lutke, Yann LeCun, Jonathan Siddharth, Vijay Krishnan, Yossi J Levi, Gokul Rajaram, Scale Angels Fund, Y Combinator
Jun 1, 2025	Landbase	$30.0M Series A	Sound Ventures, Picus Capital	Gautam Gupta, A* Capital (A Star Capital), Alumni Ventures, Andrew Montgomery, Imaginary Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Listen, Emily Kramer, Gokul Rajaram, Megan Quinn, 8VC, A Capital, Firstminute Capital
May 28, 2025	Conduit	$36.0M Series A	Altos Ventures, Rob Hadick	Circle Ventures, Commerce Ventures, Digital Currency Group, Helios Investment Partners, Portage Ventures
May 1, 2025	Rover	$4.0M Seed	—	A Capital, Bankless Ventures, Foundry Group, Gigafund, K2 Global, Menlo Ventures, Pioneer Square Labs, Plug & Play Ventures, Radical Ventures, Anil Dharni, Megan Quinn
May 1, 2025	Forethought	$25.0M Series D	Rami Rahal	8VC, AIX Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Axiom Partners, Balderton Capital, C2 Investment, Footprint Coalition, Greylock, Helion Venture Partners, Index Ventures, Inspired Capital, K9 Ventures, Kepler Operator’s Fund, Madrona Ventures, Recursive Ventures, Scheinman Angel Fund, South Park Commons, Spark Capital, Stellar Capital, Stellation Capital, Tribe Capital, Twelve Below, Village Global, WorkLife Ventures, XYZ Venture Capital, Andy Coravos, Baron Davis, Kelvin Beachum Jr., Krishna Mehra, Mathilde Collin, Peter Sonsini, Sahil Lavingia, Sam Altman, Trevor McFedries, Yan-David Erlich, Gwyneth Paltrow, Karan Goel, May Habib, Scott Wu, Industry Ventures, NEA, Neo
May 1, 2025	General Counsel AI	$10.0M Series A	—	Abstract Ventures, Adverb Ventures, AirAngels, AngelCube, ATX Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, CP Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Foundation Capital, Greylock, Human Capital, Inspired Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Klossy, Offline Ventures, Otherwise Fund, Pantera Capital, Pioneer Fund, RevTech Ventures, Sherpalo Ventures, Stage 2 Capital, Torch Capital, Upfront Ventures, Emily Kramer, Evan Williams, Gokul Rajaram, Guillermo Rauch, Immad Akhund, Jeffrey Wilke, Jonathan Widawski, Karim Atiyeh, Marissa Mayer, Mathilde Collin, Tom Steyer

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Sound Ventures.

Alexandra (Lexi) Burbey

Leadership Team

Key people at Sound Ventures.

Alexandra (Lexi) Burbey

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Sound Ventures is a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm co-founded by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary in 2015. The firm focuses on early to mid-stage investments in transformative technology companies, particularly in sectors such as artificial intelligence, fintech, consumer products, and enterprise software. Sound Ventures emphasizes partnering with exceptional founders to create long-term value by providing strategic support and leveraging its extensive network. Its portfolio includes notable companies like Airbnb, Uber, Spotify, OpenAI, Anthropic, and StabilityAI, reflecting a broad impact across technology and entertainment startups[1][2][3].

The firm’s investment philosophy centers on identifying innovative companies with strong growth potential and societal impact, supporting them hands-on from ideation through scaling. Sound Ventures manages over $1 billion in assets, including a dedicated AI fund of nearly $240 million, underscoring its commitment to backing category-defining AI businesses. Its strategic location in Los Angeles enables access to top talent and industry partnerships, enhancing its ability to nurture startups effectively[1][2][3][4].

Origin Story

Sound Ventures was founded in 2015 by actor and entrepreneur Ashton Kutcher and music manager Guy Oseary, who brought together their deep experience in entertainment and technology. The firm evolved from their shared vision to invest in disruptive technologies and visionary founders, leveraging their unique networks and industry insights. Over time, Sound Ventures expanded its focus from entertainment-related tech to a broader spectrum of transformative technologies, including AI and fintech. The leadership team now includes General Partners Effie Epstein, Ashton Kutcher, and Guy Oseary, with a growing team supporting investment and portfolio operations[1][2][3][6].

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Focuses on early and mid-stage investments with a hands-on, founder-centric approach emphasizing long-term partnerships.
Network Strength: Leverages the founders’ and partners’ extensive connections in technology, entertainment, and media to provide strategic introductions and business development.
Track Record: Over 200 investments including high-profile companies like Airbnb, Uber, OpenAI, and GitLab, demonstrating success in identifying platform-shifting startups.
Operating Support: Provides portfolio companies with strategic guidance, talent acquisition, business development, and technical resources through dedicated platform teams.
Sector Expertise: Deep focus on AI and transformative technologies, supported by a specialized AI fund targeting foundational model companies[2][3][4].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Sound Ventures rides the wave of rapid technological transformation, particularly in artificial intelligence, fintech, and consumer internet sectors. The timing aligns with the explosive growth of AI and digital platforms reshaping industries globally. By investing early in foundational AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, Sound Ventures positions itself at the forefront of this paradigm shift. Its dual expertise in entertainment and technology enables it to bridge creative and technical innovation, influencing the startup ecosystem by accelerating the growth of companies that redefine consumer experiences and enterprise capabilities[2][3][4].

Market forces such as increasing AI adoption, digital transformation, and demand for innovative consumer and enterprise solutions create a favorable environment for Sound Ventures’ investment strategy. The firm’s active involvement and strategic support help startups navigate competitive landscapes and scale efficiently, amplifying their impact on the broader ecosystem[2][3].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Sound Ventures is likely to deepen its focus on artificial intelligence and other frontier technologies, leveraging its AI fund and expanding its portfolio in sectors with high societal impact. Trends such as generative AI, automation, and decentralized technologies will shape its investment trajectory. The firm’s influence is expected to grow as it continues to back category-defining startups and fosters innovation at the intersection of technology and entertainment.

Sound Ventures’ ability to combine industry insight, network power, and operational support positions it well to remain a key player in venture capital, driving the next wave of technological breakthroughs and shaping the future startup landscape[2][3][4].

Sources

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Origin Story

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Focuses on early and mid-stage investments with a hands-on, founder-centric approach emphasizing long-term partnerships.
Network Strength: Leverages the founders’ and partners’ extensive connections in technology, entertainment, and media to provide strategic introductions and business development.
Track Record: Over 200 investments including high-profile companies like Airbnb, Uber, OpenAI, and GitLab, demonstrating success in identifying platform-shifting startups.
Operating Support: Provides portfolio companies with strategic guidance, talent acquisition, business development, and technical resources through dedicated platform teams.
Sector Expertise: Deep focus on AI and transformative technologies, supported by a specialized AI fund targeting foundational model companies[2][3][4].