Gradient, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on artificial intelligence startups, announced it has closed its fifth flagship seed fund, totaling $220 million, bringing its total assets under management to nearly $1.2 billion across five funds. Founded in 2017, the firm has positioned itself as one of the earliest dedicated AI venture funds, investing at the pre-seed and seed stages across applications, agentic platforms, and AI-powered real-world systems.
The firm has backed more than 500 AI founders and led seed rounds in companies including CentML, Krea, Lambda, Range, Streamlit, and Writer. Several of these companies have gone on to notable exits, including Streamlit, acquired by Snowflake, and CentML, acquired by NVIDIA.
Gradient noted that its earlier funds delivered strong returns, helping establish its reputation among limited partners. While Google was initially the sole investor in the firm’s first fund, the new vehicle includes a broader base of institutional backers alongside continued support from Google.
The firm has already begun deploying capital from the new fund into AI startups and continues to focus on helping founders achieve product-market fit and scale their businesses.
KEY QUOTES:
“We’re overjoyed with the excitement from the limited partner community for Gradient’s investment thesis and proven track record. Since the beginning we’ve been laser focused on working with founders in AI to help them achieve product-market fit and surrounding them with parties that can assist with scaling what works. However, at the end of the day, the founders we’ve partnered with are the real story and we’re proud of the incredible value they’ve created for the world.”
Darian Shirazi, Managing Partner at Gradient
“We’ve added a number of well-regarded institutions and groups known for working with the best venture funds in the ecosystem. When we started Gradient, Google had deep conviction in the potential of AI and the need for an AI-focused seed fund. With Google’s continued support and the new investors we’ve brought on board, Gradient has become the seed platform of choice for AI founders.”
Zachary Bratun-Glennon, Managing Partner at Gradient
“Google launched Gradient with a clear mission to accelerate AI adoption and support the AI startup community from the ground up. Over the years, we’ve seen the incredible impact of that mission firsthand. We’re proud to continue to support Gradient as they provide the specialized expertise and capital that the next generation of AI founders need to succeed.”
Donald Harrison, President of Global Partnerships and Corporate Development at Google
