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Wellington Partners

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$$$$$ Munich, Europe

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Sequoia Capital

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$$$$$ Menlo Park, US West

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Clearstone Venture Partners

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$$$$$ Santa Monica, US West

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Leapfrog Ventures

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Altos Ventures

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Scale Venture Partners

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Mayfield Fund

 

$$$$$ Menlo Park, US West

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Spark Capital

 

$$$$$ Boston, US East

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Bessemer Venture Partners

 

$$$$$ Wellesley Hills, US East

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Trinity Ventures

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$$$$$ Menlo Park, US West

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3.5

Sigma Partners

 

$$$$$ Menlo Park, US West

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New Enterprise Associates

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$$$$$ Menlo Park, US West

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First Round Capital

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$$$$$ San Francisco, US West

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Union Square Ventures

 

$$$$$ New York, US East

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Menlo Ventures

 

$$$$$ Menlo Park, US West

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Kepha Partners

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$$$$$ Waltham, US East

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Draper Richards, LP

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$$$$$ San Francisco, US West

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Index Ventures

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$$$$$ Geneva, Europe

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Draper Fisher Jurvetson Gotham Ventures

 

$$$$$ New York, US East

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Advanced Technology Ventures

 

$$$$$ Palo Alto, US West

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3.1 3.4 3.8 3.4 3.0

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True Ventures

Certified

$$$$$ Palo Alto, US West

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InterWest Partners

Certified

$$$$$ Menlo Park, US West

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Polaris Venture Partners, L.P.

 

$$$$$ Waltham, US East

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Opus Capital

 

$$$$$ Menlo Park, US West

Rated by 10

3.3 3.3 3.3 2.9 3.3

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Gemini Israel Funds

Certified

$$$$$ Herzliya, ME / Africa

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Hummer Winblad Venture Partners

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$$$$$ San Francisco, US West

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Levensohn Venture Partners, LLC

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$$$$$ San Francisco, US West

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Greylock Partners

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$$$$$ San Mateo, US Central

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3.6 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.2

3.2

Foundation Capital

Certified

$$$$$ Menlo Park, US West

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Brian O'Malley is an exceptional Associate - have pitched him a number of deals and always had a great experience. Rarely does an associate have the maturity of a partner - but Brian is exceptional.

After reading the post on this site about Battery's new seed program, we submitted an e-mail inquiry directly to the team members associated with our industry (financial services), including Seth Kisch in Boston. It's not clear whether there's formally a new seed stage initiative in that office, but Kisch replied to our inquiry (within 5 minutes), inviting us to submit our materials.

Less than 48 hours later, we had an answer (it was a "no" or at least a "not yet", but the feedback we got was thorough and specific). Kisch had quickly picked up on a few of the key risks surrounding the business and noted which one we needed to resolve before they could take a closer look. We definitely plan to follow up once we've resolved the issue identified as the non-starter.

Battery just started doing seed investments, and the process is definitely very entreprenuer friendly. It works like this - you take one 90 minute meeting with several partners, and then they get back to you within 24 hours with a decision on whether or not they're in. They do amounts of about 500K and give you a vanilla term sheet (no board seats etc etc), so you can close the deal and get the money within a week or two. They like it because it lets them build early relationships with promising companies at what (for a large firm like theirs) is a relatively small cost.

We were one of the first companies to pitch them on this new process, and it worked the way they said it would. We came and talked to them, and then got an answer the next day. Even though they passed on the deal, they took the time to call us and give us some pretty detailed feedback about why they said "no", and what they thought we should do both to build the business and if we wanted to raise a series A from them. They also offered to pass us onto some angels/VC firms that might be interested, and actually did this. Even though we didn't end up working with them, I'd still recommend this for any early-stage company that needs to raise hassle free capital quickly and wants to work with a good firm.

with no introductions, we sent our ES 3 days ago to Satya Patel. He replied today, declining as they are not investing in China as of yet. Professional and timely reply.

I have to admit this is my first start-up, and I had never pitched to VCs, so my co-founder and I were definitely green (not unlike this site) when it came to judging VCs. We pitched a total of 5 firms, got term sheets from 3 of them, including Battery.

We selected Battery based on a few key criteria, namely they were very enthusiastic about our technology (Jason Matlof and Carl Stjernfeldt are were great), and they were up front up about issues that were going to be contentious, so I never felt like we were being duped (having great counsel from our attorneys, Orrick, and more experienced entrepreneurs helped)

Battery has delivered, they way they promised they would. They foster engagements with customers at the CxO level, provide great advice without taking over control of the company, not to mention housed us for almost a year at their offices.

They are not without some drawbacks, but my guess is that is going to be the case with any firm.

Carl Stjernfeldt (now with Castile) is a brutally honest, direct, no-nonsense kind of guy. He has demonstrated his ability to focus on the core issues and work with us to address them effectively, whether we are dealing with operational, financial, or BD related issues. You may find his personality "strong", but I have found that just as he can dish it, he is willing to take it. I consider him a friend and valued colleague.

Jason Matlof is insanely passionate about what he invests in. Having been a VP marketing at a startup, he has good hands on experience and remembers clearly the challenges that startups typically endure. In my estimation, our company would not exist if not for him. His passion needs to be tempered from time to time, but thankfully he is open minded and gives us the room we need to execute.

Ken Lawler stepped in when Carl left to Castile Ventures. While we were sad to see Carl leave, Ken has been a great addition. He complements Jason's technical acumen and "operator" experience with his background of do's and don'ts from his extensive background. A great source of sage advice.

All in all, I am happy, and don't feel screwed (like some of the other comments made here) I have been a reference for Battery, and once we IPO =) will likely go to them on my next startup.

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We had an initial meeting with Battery Ventures. Pitched them on our business plan. They declined via a phone call

We were introduced to Battery through one of our service providers. They have an investement near our space and opted out before spending our time meeting with them. It was one of those things that could go either way - conflict or complimentary. We appreciated the quick pass and the fact they didn't waste our time.

When I was raising money for my last company, I read an article about Battery that referred to them as an "entrepreneur's VC". So I was very pleased when Battery called US to ask for an opportunity to invest (this is rare, indeed!) Battery Ventures continues to exceed our expectations for involvement, assistance with resources, negotiating on our behalf, introductions to C-level people, HR needs and general strategic support. They were tough negotiators, but fair and reasonable and they continue to be a contributing element of our management team. Ultimately, the partner you work with will make a big difference, but we have had positive interactions with a number of partners and are quite pleased with the added value they have brought to the company. Money is important, but the right money that comes with skilled business assistance will really help accelerate your success and your valuation.

Battery has been an investor in my company for over many years, and they have been valuable and insightful investors. It is very true that the experience one has with Battery is very much a function of the Partner one deals with since interactions with other partners in this firm is very limited (even if you are a portfolio company). Avoid the associates if you want to get your ideas funded and try to reach one of the key partners

Met with Brian to discuss our venture. He was courteous and polite, but clearly did not understand the business plan. At least they were honest into what type of fund they are: late stage and private equity buy-outs. If you are early stage, don't bother. He also promised that he doesn't give out "soft maybes".

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We've found Battery to be really valuable and active team members of our startup. Their help has ranged from operating advice to introductions and even product feedback. All of it has been very helpful, valuable and given in a real team spirit. All in Roger Lee and Satya Patel are a pleasure to work with and great team members.

These guys are complete snakes. One poster was spot on when he said that they steal business plans and are amoral. They not only stole from us, but also stole a key executive! Stay away from these guys. They pick through you business and take whatever they want to use for any number of their losing plays.

Battery is great firm to have on your roster if you can navigate their process. Yes, a bit "old line" but their are a couple of very solid partners on the roster.

Definitely a Tier One is every sense. Worth the effort to pursue.