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Who Funds Artificial Intelligence Startups in California?

Real, verified funding sources for artificial intelligence founders in California: VC funds, accelerators, angel networks, and active grant programs — sourced from SEC filings and Grants.gov, not estimates.

ℹArtificial Intelligence Funding Snapshot — California (as of July 2026)

1
10 VC fundsheadquartered in California with "Artificial Intelligence" in their name
2
8 acceleratorsopen to artificial intelligence founders in California (including globally-available programs)
3
6 angel networksbased in California
4
53 open grantsin the Technology category, refreshed nightly from Grants.gov

Artificial Intelligence VC Funds in California

SOUND VENTURES AI FUND, L.P.

📍 Santa Monica, CA📅 Filed March 2023

General partners: ASHTON KUTCHER, EFFIE EPSTEIN, GUY OSEARY

$265.8M

Effective fund size

$500K - $20M

SVA AI Growth, L.P.

📍 San Francisco, CA📅 Filed June 2025🎯 Growth focus

General partners: Ronald Conway

$215.3M

Effective fund size

AI Venture Fund II, L.P.

📍 Mountain View, CA📅 Filed November 2023

General partners: Andrew Ng

$188.8M

Effective fund size

Future Ventures AI, LLC

📍 Los Altos, CA📅 Filed May 2024

General partners: Maryanna Saenko, Steve Jurvetson

$168.9M

Effective fund size

DFJ Growth AI Investors, L.P.

📍 Menlo Park, CA📅 Filed May 2024🎯 Growth focus

General partners: Randall S. Glein, John H.N. Fisher, Barry M. Schuler

$101M

Effective fund size

Good AI Capital Fund I, L.P.

📍 Sunnyvale, CA

General partners: Darwin Ling

$70M

Effective fund size

Menlo Inflection ABN AI Partners, L.P.

📍 Menlo Park, CA

General partners: Venky Ganesan

$55M

Effective fund size

Menlo Inflection AI Partners II, L.P.

📍 Menlo Park, CA📅 Filed February 2025

General partners: Venky Ganesan

$37.8M

Effective fund size

DFJ Growth AI Investors II, L.P.

📍 San Mateo, CA📅 Filed November 2024🎯 Growth focus

General partners: John H.N. Fisher, Randall S. Glein, Barry M. Schuler

$30.5M

Effective fund size

Blitzscaling Ventures AI, L.P.

📍 San Francisco, CA📅 Filed October 2023

General partners: Scott Johnson, Christopher Yeh, Jeffrey Abbott & 1 more

$30.3M

Effective fund size

Artificial Intelligence Accelerators Open to California

8 programs

Y Combinator

San Francisco, CA

Y Combinator

$500K

Deadline: Rolling / no fixed deadline

Pear VC Accelerator

Palo Alto, CA

Pear VC Accelerator

$500K

Deadline: Rolling / no fixed deadline

Contrary Capital

San Francisco, CA

Contrary Capital

$500K

Deadline: Rolling / no fixed deadline

500 Global

San Francisco, CA

500 Global

$250K

Deadline: Rolling / no fixed deadline

Mucker Capital

Santa Monica, CA

Mucker Capital

$250K

Deadline: Rolling / no fixed deadline

AngelPad

San Francisco, CA

AngelPad

$120K

Deadline: Rolling / no fixed deadline

Techstars Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

Techstars Los Angeles

$120K

Deadline: Rolling / no fixed deadline

Backstage Capital Accelerator

Los Angeles, CA

Backstage Capital Accelerator

$100K

Deadline: Rolling / no fixed deadline

Angel Investor Networks in California

6 networks

Keiretsu Forum

👥 3000 members💰 $25K - $2M check range

📍 San Ramon, CA

TechnologyHealthcareConsumerFintechSaaS

Keiretsu Forum

👥 1000 members💰 $25K - $2M check range

📍 Palo Alto, CA

TechnologyHealthcareCleanTechConsumer

Tech Coast Angels

👥 400 members💰 $5K - $150K check range

📍 San Diego, CA

TechnologyLife SciencesCleanTech

Portfolia

👥 200 members💰 $1K - $100K check range

📍 San Francisco, CA

TechnologyHealthcareConsumerWomen-led

Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs

👥 200 members💰 $25K - $500K check range

📍 Stanford, CA

TechnologyHealthcareConsumerFintechSaaS

OSEA Angel Investors

👥 152 members💰 $15K - $250K check range

📍 CA

TechnologyGeneral

Grants in the Technology Category

Artificial Intelligence falls under the broader "Technology" category in federal grant data. These are federal programs open to eligible founders nationwide (including California) — live from Grants.gov, refreshed nightly.

Ready To Learn Programming

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Deadline: July 8, 2026Apply →

Defense Production Act Title III Expansion of Domestic Production Capability and Capacity

Air Force -- Research Lab

Deadline: July 12, 2026Apply →

FY 2026 Ocean Technology Transition Program

DOC NOAA - ERA Production

$1 - $400K

Deadline: July 15, 2026Apply →

TechAccess: AI-Ready America

U.S. National Science Foundation

$3M - $4M

Deadline: July 16, 2026Apply →

CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service

U.S. National Science Foundation

$300K - $2.5M

Deadline: July 21, 2026Apply →

A.12 Hemispheric Airborne Measurements of Air Quality (HAMAQ) Science Team

NASA Headquarters

Deadline: July 21, 2026Apply →

?Artificial Intelligence Funding FAQs — California

Are there artificial intelligence VCs headquartered in California?

Yes — 10 funds headquartered in California have "Artificial Intelligence" (or a close synonym) in their legal name, based on SEC Form D filings. This is a name match, not a verified thesis, so it understates true local investor interest.

What accelerators in California support artificial intelligence startups?

8 accelerator programs open to California-based artificial intelligence founders are in our database, including programs based in California and globally-available programs.

Are there angel investor networks in California?

Yes — 6 angel investor networks based in California are in our database, ranked by member count with artificial intelligence-relevant groups surfaced first where our sector data supports it.

What grants are available for artificial intelligence founders?

53 currently open federal grant programs are tagged under the Technology category, which is where artificial intelligence falls in our grant classification. These are federal programs open to eligible founders nationwide (including California), pulled live from Grants.gov and refreshed nightly.

Your Artificial Intelligence Funding Action Plan

1

Research & Prepare

Review the 10 artificial intelligence-matched funds above and their filing history
Check each fund's website for current investment criteria before reaching out
Prepare a pitch deck and financial projections tailored to your stage

2

Apply & Connect

Apply to the 8 accelerator programs listed above
Reach out to the 6 angel networks in California
Check eligibility for the 6 open grant programs above

3

Follow Up

Track deadlines for any application-based programs above
Look for warm introductions through your existing network before cold outreach
Revisit this page periodically — fund and grant data refreshes nightly

Related Funding Resources

Other Industries in California

Machine Learning Funding in California →Deep Tech Funding in California →Quantum Computing Funding in California →Software As A Service Funding in California →SaaS Funding in California →

Artificial Intelligence in Other Locations

Artificial Intelligence Funding in Alabama →Artificial Intelligence Funding in Alaska →Artificial Intelligence Funding in Arizona →Artificial Intelligence Funding in Arkansas →Artificial Intelligence Funding in Colorado →

More Resources

All Artificial Intelligence VC Funds →Artificial Intelligence Accelerator Programs →Angel Networks Directory →Government Grant Database →Free Startup Resources →

Fund and angel network data sourced from SEC Form D filings (EDGAR). Grant data sourced from Grants.gov, refreshed nightly. Last generated July 7, 2026.