Organization · Venture Capital
Obvious Ventures
Obvious Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco, focusing on purpose-driven entrepreneurs addressing significant challenges in various sectors, including health and sustainability.
Overview
What Obvious Ventures does
What Obvious Ventures is
Obvious Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco, focusing on purpose-driven entrepreneurs addressing significant challenges in various sectors, including health and sustainability.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports funder and publisher capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Venture Capital
- Founded
- Founded in 2014
- Approximate age
- About 12 years
- Structured capabilities
- Funder · Publisher
- Last reviewed
- March 16, 2026
Official channels
Find Obvious Ventures elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
Obvious Ventures as a funder
Investment thesis
Three pillars: planetary health, human health, economic health. Backs frontier innovations combining profit and purpose. Focus on category-creating companies in AI, biotech, clean energy, and fintech.
Focus narrative
Three investment pillars: planetary health, human health, and economic health. Backs frontier innovations combining profit and purpose across AI, biotech, fintech, clean energy, and sustainable consumer products. Primarily Seed and Series A.
Value beyond capital
Ev Williams brings deep founder experience from co-founding Twitter and Medium. The firm provides mission-aligned capital for companies that integrate values at their core. Three-pillar framework (planetary, human, economic health) helps founders articulate impact alongside financial returns.
Terms and economics
- Typical check
- $2,000,000–$15,000,000
- Sweet spot
- $5,000,000
Focus and fit
- Stages
- Seed · Series A · Series B
- Regions
- North America
Availability
- Currently deploying
- Yes
Portfolio and track record
- Recorded portfolio count
- 113
- Investments in the last 12 months
- 12
- Last recorded investment
- November 1, 2025
Portfolio context
113 companies with 5 unicorns. Notable: Beyond Meat, Devoted Health, Magic Leap, Gusto, Medium. Recent: OpenHands ($18.8M Series A), Inductive Bio ($25M Series A with a16z/Lux), Obello ($8.5M Seed).
Capability profile
Obvious Ventures as a publisher
Editorial focus
Obvious Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests thematically across three primary pillars: Planetary Health, Human Health, and Economic Health. The firm focuses on supporting companies that contribute to the green economy, improve human health and longevity, and help individuals and small businesses achieve financial prosperity.
Audience value
Obvious Ventures aims to back visionary leaders who are addressing humanity's biggest challenges through innovative solutions across various sectors.
Format and cadence
- Content formats
- blog and research-report
- Primary platform
- obvious.com
Availability
- Guest pitch state
- Not currently accepting
Audience and focus
- Audience
- Founders · Investors
- Regions
- North AmericaUnited States
Flagship work and coverage
Flagship properties
Obvious Ventures publishes 'Obvious Ideas', a series exploring transformative ideas in climate, healthcare, and more, and the 'World Positive Report', which provides annual insights on trends in planetary, human, and economic health.
Common questions
What to know about Obvious Ventures
Upseed classifies Obvious Ventures under the Venture Capital organization type. Its current public profile includes funder and publisher capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
March 16, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.