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Vertex Ventures US is a small Palo Alto firm with a narrow brief. It backs enterprise software companies early, from the first idea to the Series A. It says no to consumer products and crypto. Its partners are former founders and operators. It also belongs to an unusual global family: several independent funds around the world share the Vertex name and a common anchor investor tied to Temasek, Singapore's state investment company.
This profile is a neutral explainer for founders. It uses the firm's website and FAQ, read in November 2026, plus news coverage of its launch and funds. For how venture funds work in general, see our venture capital guide.
Launch in 2015
Fortune reported in January 2015 that Jonathan Heiliger and In Sik Rhee had teamed up to launch a US affiliate of Vertex Ventures. Heiliger had led infrastructure work at Facebook and later been a partner at North Bridge Venture Partners. Rhee came from Rembrandt Venture Partners. According to the Fortune report, a regulatory filing showed the new fund had already secured $107.5 million from three investors. The plan was to focus on enterprise applications and web infrastructure.
The firm still runs with a small team. Its website lists Rhee and Heiliger as general partners, alongside an investment and operations staff. The "Why Vertex US" page stresses that the partners have been "founders and company-builders" themselves.
Based in Palo Alto
The firm's FAQ calls Vertex Ventures US "an independent firm based in Palo Alto, CA." Its contact page lists Palo Alto with a 650 phone number and an email address. It does not print a street address on the pages we read, so we do not publish one. Founders should confirm where to meet. Partners at small firms often take first meetings by video or over coffee.
Palo Alto has a cluster of similar early-stage firms. Wing Venture Capital also gives only "Palo Alto" as its location. Others, such as Accel, list offices on University Avenue, while the larger firms sit a short drive away on Sand Hill Road.
The Vertex family and Temasek
The Vertex name confuses many founders. The firm addresses it head on in its FAQ. Its answer, in short:
- Vertex Ventures US is independent, with its own portfolio, general partners and limited partners.
- Other funds named Vertex are equally independent. The FAQ lists Vertex Ventures Israel, Vertex Ventures SEA and India, Vertex Growth, Vertex Ventures China, Vertex Healthcare and Vertex Ventures Japan.
- All of them share Vertex Holdings as an anchor investor. Vertex Holdings is a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek.
For founders, the practical upside is reach. The firm says the global network can help portfolio companies with customers and partners in other regions. A sovereign-backed anchor investor is not the same as a corporate parent, so this is not a strategic or corporate fund. Our page on corporate venture capital explains how those differ.
Stage, checks and what it looks for
The FAQ is one of the clearest on any local firm's website. Key points:
| Question | What the firm says |
|---|---|
| Sector | Enterprise software, including AI-delivered services. No consumer and no crypto. |
| Stage | From inception to Series A, when there is some product but product-market fit is not obvious. |
| Check size | $500,000 to $12 million, often leading the round. |
| Board seats | Often at seed and Series A, seldom at pre-seed. |
| Follow-on | Often invests again in later rounds. |
The firm says it weighs market size and company upside, execution risk, founder dilution, stage and check size. It likes to talk to a company's users and customers. In new categories with no existing market, it looks for an exceptional team with a clear reason the opportunity exists. Among the traits it wants in founders: customer obsession, clarity of thought and pursuit of excellence.
Its world view
Three ideas run through the "Why Vertex US" page. First, markets are won by the best go-to-market execution, not the best product. Second, exceptional teams build exceptional companies, so hiring the right people at the right time matters. Third, founders should avoid unforced errors by learning from those who came before. The firm describes its role as coach and adviser. Its FAQ even uses the word consigliere.
Funds
Vertex Ventures US has raised modest funds by Silicon Valley standards:
- 2015: a regulatory filing reported by Fortune showed $107.5 million secured at launch.
- Fund II: reported at $150 million in trade press.
- Fund III: $200 million, announced in a September 26, 2022 press release that described a "high-conviction approach to venture capital."
We found no announcement of a fourth fund through October 2026. Small funds usually mean concentrated portfolios and partners who spend real time with each company.
Companies on the firm's website
The portfolio page offers a downloadable overview. Companies the firm names across its site and founder testimonials include:
| Company | What it does |
|---|---|
| LaunchDarkly | Feature management for software teams |
| Docker | Container tools for developers |
| Hasura | Data APIs for developers |
| Tulip | Software for manufacturing operations |
| Evisort | AI contract management, acquired by Workday in 2024 |
| Vectara | AI search and retrieval for enterprises |
| Metaview | AI tools for recruiting interviews |
| HUMAN | Bot and fraud defense |
| HighArc | Software for home builders |
The firm also lists Trustero and Orkes among its companies. Vectara also appears in the portfolio of Fusion Fund, another Palo Alto firm.
How founders reach Vertex Ventures US
The firm makes itself approachable. Its FAQ says it would "love to have a chat" with visionary technical teams going after critical problems in overlooked markets, even if the company does not fit a standard category. The contact page lists a general email address. A good approach:
- Read the FAQ and confirm you are enterprise, not consumer or crypto.
- Look at the portfolio for a founder who can introduce you. Testimonials on the site show the partners keep close ties with them.
- Lead with customers. The firm wants to speak to users, so line up two or three who will take a call.
- Be clear on go-to-market. Expect detailed questions about sales motion and early hires.
Our guide to pitching investors covers the first meeting.
Local notes: meeting in Palo Alto
Because the firm publishes no street address, plan the logistics once the partners confirm a place. If the meeting is downtown, the Palo Alto Caltrain station at 95 University Avenue is the easiest arrival point. Express trains stop there, so the ride from San Francisco takes about 39 minutes on the fastest weekday trains.
Drivers can use the city garages downtown, which allow up to three hours free outside permit areas. Our downtown parking garages guide lists them. For an informal coffee, Caffe Stellato at 435 Emerson Street and Mademoiselle Colette at 499 Lytton Avenue are both a short walk from University Avenue. Evvia at 420 Emerson Street suits a longer business dinner.
Good to know
- No street address is published. Ask for the meeting location.
- Do not confuse Vertex Ventures US with Vertex Pharmaceuticals or with the other regional Vertex funds.
- This page is not investment advice and makes no claims about returns.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Vertex Ventures US located?
Vertex Ventures US describes itself as an independent firm based in Palo Alto, California. Its contact page gives a Palo Alto phone number but no street address, so confirm the meeting location with the partners.
Is Vertex Ventures US part of Temasek?
Not directly. The firm says it is independent, with its own general partners and limited partners. It shares an anchor investor, Vertex Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek, with other independent Vertex funds in Israel, China, Southeast Asia and India and Japan.
What does Vertex Ventures US invest in?
It invests in enterprise software, including what it calls services-as-software, where AI delivers services that people used to perform. Its FAQ says it does not invest in consumer products or services or in anything related to cryptocurrency.
How much does Vertex Ventures US invest?
The firm's FAQ says it writes checks of $500,000 to $12 million from inception to Series A. It often leads rounds. It seldom takes board seats in pre-seed companies.
What companies has Vertex Ventures US backed?
Companies the firm names on its website include LaunchDarkly, Hasura, Tulip, Metaview, Vectara, HUMAN, HighArc, Trustero, Docker, Orkes and Evisort, which Workday acquired in 2024.