Top 8 Healthcare Investors in California: VC Firms and Accelerators
The top healthcare startup investors in California include Techstars, Bessemer Venture Partners, Advanced Technology Ventures, Delphi Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, New Enterprise Associates, Khosla Ventures, and Right Side Capital Management. Together, they back healthcare companies at every stage, from pre-seed accelerator checks to growth rounds.
Personal health is something that no one can ignore. Similarly, from a business perspective, the healthcare sector has been growing expeditiously. Health innovations and collaborations with the tech sector have pushed healthcare spending in the United States to $5.3 trillion in 2024, according to CMS.
And since a large number of entrepreneurs have already realized the potential in the healthcare industry, we are now witnessing tons of startups getting funded. AngelMatch alone lists 42,000+ healthcare investors, many of them funding healthcare ideas in California.
That is why, in today's article, we will be discussing the list of the top healthcare investors in California.
Top 8 Healthcare Investors in California: VC Firms and Accelerators
Following is the list of some of the top healthcare investors in California categorized according to their active involvement.
Techstars
- Website: techstars.com
- Preferred Industries: Tech and Healthcare
- Total Investments: 3,000+
- Notable Investments: DataRobot, ClassPass, and Chainalysis
Techstars is a pre-seed investor and accelerator that provides early-stage entrepreneurs with access to capital, mentorship, and other support. The network has been operating since 2006 and has become one of the biggest accelerators worldwide.
The team of investors looks for innovative businesses with a clear edge in their market. Techstars runs accelerator programs across the US, including California, and has deep roots in Colorado, where it was founded. Like most other accelerators, Techstars has an online application process where startup leaders can fill out forms and get selected.
Aside from startup funding, Techstars organizes additional startup events, workshops, and mentorship programs. They have several mentor and entrepreneur teams who guide startups when things don't turn out to be in their favor. The standard Techstars accelerator investment is $220,000, made up of a $200,000 uncapped MFN SAFE and a $20,000 convertible equity agreement.
Bessemer Venture Partners
- Website: bvp.com
- Preferred Industries: Consumer, Enterprise, Healthcare
- Total Investments: 420+ portfolio companies
- Notable Investments: Shopify and Yelp
Headquartered in San Francisco, with investment teams across Silicon Valley and beyond, Bessemer Venture Partners is a famous venture capital firm that partners with startup leaders at the early and seed stages. Although most of the portfolio investments of Bessemer Venture Partners are in the early stage, they also participate in late-stage financings and occasionally make seed-stage investments.
Moreover, the firm is known for its rigorous screening as the investors are highly qualified and experienced. They look for the best startup leaders having ideas that can dominate the relevant industry. BVP has a track record of more than 150 IPOs from its portfolio companies.
The investment range of Bessemer Venture Partners can go up to several million dollars, but there is no specific number as they invest in a wide range of sectors.
Advanced Technology Ventures
- Website: www.atvcapital.com
- Preferred Industries: IT, CleanTech, Healthcare
- Total Investments: 290+
- Notable Investments: Fuze and Nuvaira
Advanced Technology Ventures is a bi-coastal venture capital firm that was founded in 1979 and has managed more than $1.8 billion in capital. Headquartered in Menlo Park, the venture capital firm is highly focused on tech and healthcare markets. They also have offices in Massachusetts.
Discussing the investment strategies, ATV has worked with entrepreneurs who can bring positive change to the healthcare markets of California. The firm's focus areas include ICT, bio-pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, and it usually backs businesses that operate through the latest tech rather than regular healthcare alone.
One thing founders should note: ATV's most recent fund, ATV VIII, closed back in 2007, so new investment activity is limited compared to the other firms on this list.
Delphi Ventures
- Website: delphiventures.io
- Preferred Industries: Life Sciences, Crypto, Deep Tech
- Total Investments: 170+
- Notable Investments: Tandem Diabetes Care and PTC Therapeutics
Delphi Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 1988 and was one of the first VCs that started investing in life science companies. Based in the Bay Area, the firm has spent decades helping medical device and biotech startups secure an investment.
Similarly, Delphi Ventures is known for its hands-on guidance. The network doesn't just fund startups to get an ROI but has also worked towards improving the life science sector in the US. Their mission is to enable companies to expand therapeutic access for patients who need less invasive procedures. Delphi Ventures has committed more than $1.1 billion since its inception and has invested in many big names in the respective sector, with more than 110 portfolio companies having gone public or been acquired.
Kleiner Perkins
- Website: www.kleinerperkins.com
- Preferred Industries: Tech, Life Sciences, Healthcare
- Total Investments: 900+
- Notable Investments: Genentech, Google, and Amazon
Kleiner Perkins, formerly known as Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), is an American venture capital firm headquartered in Menlo Park. The VC firm is known to be one of the oldest firms in California, founded in 1972, more than five decades ago.
When making investments, Kleiner Perkins funds across all stages of venture capital, including seed, early-stage, and late-stage expansion. The firm has a long history in life sciences, most famously as the seed investor behind Genentech, and today invests across healthcare technology, digital, and AI. The investors at Kleiner Perkins prefer startup leaders who are well-experienced and have already led a business.
The investment range of Kleiner Perkins can range up to several million dollars, depending upon the startup.
New Enterprise Associates
- Website: New Enterprise Associates
- Preferred Industries: Innovative Software, Fintech, Cleantech, Healthtech, Biotech, Life Sciences.
- Total Investments: 2,700+
- Notable Investments: Patreon, MasterClass, Coursera, Hyperion Therapeutics, Databricks, Upwork, Upstart.
New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is also a famous American venture capital firm that invests in healthcare-based startups. Operating since 1977, NEA has invested in many innovative startups that have transformed over the years and are now known as some of the biggest healthcare names in the US. The firm manages more than $35 billion in assets and its track record includes 285+ portfolio company public listings.
Similarly, NEA makes investments across the full lifecycle, from seed through series A, series B, series C, and series D. The investors select startups that have high growth potential and an experienced team.
NEA does not publish a fixed check size, as the firm invests at every stage from seed through IPO, so round sizes vary widely by company.
Khosla Ventures
- Website: www.khoslaventures.com
- Preferred Industries: Consumer, Enterprise, Fintech, Healthcare, Sustainability.
- Total Investments: 700+
- Notable Investments: Mirvie, OpenAI, and DoorDash
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2004 by Vinod Khosla. The network is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, and actively funds healthcare-related businesses, including digital health, medical technology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. The investors at Khosla Ventures have a strict focus on businesses that can achieve unsubsidized market competitiveness quickly. Scalability is also a big requirement and the services or products offered by the startup need to be affordable and innovative.
Moreover, Khosla Ventures is known for taking on extreme technical risk and backing bold, breakthrough technologies, with a strong and growing focus on the AI and healthcare markets.
Khosla Ventures writes checks ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars at
the seed stage up to $50 million or more, depending on the sector and stage
of the startup.
Right Side Capital Management
- Website: >www.rightsidecapital.com
- Preferred Industries: Software, SaaS, HealthCare
- Total Investments: 2,000+
- Notable Investments: ASETS, HLRBO, Precision Compounding, Arcadequest, Aropha, and Caden
Right Side Capital Management is an investment firm that focuses exclusively on the pre-seed ("Pre-VC") stage of technology startups, including healthcare startups. The San Francisco-based firm has been operating since 2012 and runs a 12-person team of investors who are well-experienced in the relative sectors.
When making investments, RSCM uses a quantitative, data-driven process and focuses on capital-efficient startups that already have a revenue-generating product and an in-depth understanding of the market. The firm strives to give entrepreneurs a firm yes or no quickly, which makes it one of the fastest-moving investors on this list.
RSCM also runs a founder community with webinars, workshops, and founder dinners across the US and Canada. The typical check size of RSCM is $150,000 to $300,000, into rounds of $500,000 or less.
Wrap-Up
And there, we have finally completed the list of top healthcare investors in California. However, an important point to note is that the healthcare industry is quite different from other startup sectors where most of the investors highly value ROI.
In the healthcare sector, most VC firms or angel investors prioritize the quality of the product or service offered. This means that even if you don't have the best scaling plan but your product has the potential to benefit the sector, there are VC firms that might invest and guide you throughout the whole process.
Regardless, it is still recommended to do due diligence and ensure that your pitch deck doesn't lack anything. If you want to see how funded healthcare startups structured theirs, you can browse real examples in the pitch deck database.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which VC firms in California invest in healthcare startups?
Top California investors funding healthcare startups include Kleiner Perkins, New Enterprise Associates, Khosla Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Delphi Ventures, Advanced Technology Ventures, Techstars, and Right Side Capital Management. They cover every stage, from pre-seed accelerator checks to late-stage growth rounds in biotech, medical devices, and digital health.
How much do California healthcare VCs typically invest?
Check sizes vary by stage. Techstars offers a standard $220,000 accelerator investment, Right Side Capital writes $150,000 to $300,000 pre-seed checks, and firms like Kleiner Perkins, NEA, and Khosla Ventures invest from seed checks up to tens of millions of dollars in later rounds.
How do I get in front of healthcare investors in California?
Apply directly where possible: Techstars and Right Side Capital both accept online applications. For the larger firms, warm introductions and targeted outreach work best. You can also research the 20,000+ investors in California to build a focused outreach list before you pitch.
What do healthcare VCs look for in a startup?
Healthcare investors weigh clinical or scientific credibility more heavily than most sectors, alongside a strong team, a scalable business model, and evidence of market validation. This checklist to make your startup investable covers the fundamentals investors expect to see.
