Venture capital firm Greylock Partners introduced Greylock 18, a new $1.5 billion venture fund aimed at investing at the earliest stages of artificial intelligence startups. 

The firm said the vehicle is designed to support AI-native teams across multiple sectors, from core infrastructure to consumer and fintech, Pulse 2.0 reported.

Greylock plans to concentrate on a small number of new bets each year, with partners typically making only one to two fresh investments annually. The company framed that pace as a way to stay deeply involved with founders as companies move from formation through scaling and, in some cases, public listings.

"We invest selectively and partner deeply with the founders we back. Each Greylock partner makes only one or two new investments a year because the work demands depth. We bring the full attention, network, and resources of Greylock to every partnership," Saam Montamedi, General Partner at Greylock wrote in a post on X regarding the announcement.

Greylock 18 follows the firm’s long-standing approach of getting involved early and sticking with companies over the long haul. The firm has previously been an early partner of companies such as Airbnb, LinkedIn, Meta, Palo Alto Networks, and Workday, while also highlighting later-stage investments that include Anthropic, Coinbase, Ramp, Roblox, and Wiz. 

Greylock has also made several AI-related investments spanning foundation models, tooling, and applications, including 7AI, Abnormal AI, Baseten, Braintrust, Cresta, Resolve AI, and Snorkel AI.

"A company begins when a founder sees a future others cannot yet see. There is no team, product, or revenue. Only a deep insight and the courage to start. Being early is lonely work. For years, being right can look exactly like being wrong. Greylock has spent more than six decades partnering with founders through those earliest moments to build enduring companies. AI has made the map blank again. Every part of the economy is now open to reinvention. We believe many of the defining AI companies do not yet exist," Motamedi’s post continued.

Founded in 1965, Greylock said it has invested across multiple technology eras and has participated in more than 100 IPOs and 250 acquisitions. The company noted that it relies on in-house teams focused on recruiting, customer development, and marketing to help portfolio companies hire and win early customers.

Greylock’s recent portfolio developments include the Figma and Rubrik IPOs and Palo Alto Networks’ $3.35 billion purchase of Chronosphere. It also noted late-stage fundraising activity, including Baseten reaching a $13 billion valuation.

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