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Firstmark Capital

FirstMark is an early-stage venture capital firm in New York City. We back exceptional founders making their mark on the world.

New York, NY, USA

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Description

FirstMark Capital is a premier early-stage venture capital firm based in New York City. Founded in 2008, the firm is a dominant force in the New York tech ecosystem, known for its "Platform" approach that provides founders with extensive post-investment support in hiring, sales, and community building. 
  • Seed & Series A: This is the firm’s primary focus. They aim to be the first or second institutional check and frequently lead rounds.
  • Expansion: While they specialize in early stages, they also manage an Opportunity Fund to continue supporting their highest-performing portfolio companies through later growth stages. 
FirstMark operates as a traditional, high-conviction institutional venture firm. 
  • Method: Founders typically engage through warm introductions from their network of "FirstMark Platform" members, co-investors, or alumni founders.
  • Direct Inquiry: While they do not have a public "application form," they monitor high-signal talent and academic research coming out of top-tier institutions. 

Eligibility

  • Sectors: Enterprise SaaS, Fintech, Consumer Tech, Healthcare, and Infrastructure/Deep Tech.
  • Geography: Primarily North America, with a very high concentration in the Greater New York and San Francisco areas.
  • Founder Profile: They look for "category-defining" visionaries capable of scaling a company from an early team to a global enterprise. 

Process

  1. Direct Sourcing: The team focuses on identifying "outsized" talent and technical breakthroughs in their core verticals.
  2. Rigorous Vetting: Due diligence involves a deep dive into product-market fit, unit economics, and the founder's ability to build a world-class team.
  3. The Platform Onboarding: Once funded, founders gain access to the FirstMark Platform, which includes a dedicated team to help with executive recruiting, corporate development, and peer-to-peer networking.
  4. Guilds: Founders and their employees are invited into "Guilds" (specialized communities for CTOs, CMOs, etc.) for ongoing knowledge sharing. 

What an Applicant can Obtain

  1. Top-Tier Capital: Access to one of the most respected balance sheets in venture capital (backing companies like Pinterest, DraftKings, and Airbnb).
  2. Executive Recruiting: A dedicated in-house talent team that helps hire the first 10-20 "foundational" employees.
  3. Global Network: Direct introductions to Fortune 500 customers and strategic partners through their corporate development network.
  4. Physical Space: Access to their high-profile event space in NYC for community events and board meetings.