Conviction Partners
UnclaimedAt a Glance
- Check Size
- $1M – $15M
- Stage
- Seed, Series A
- AUM
- $300M
- Sectors
- AI, Enterprise, DevTools
- Founded
- 2023
- HQ
- San Francisco, CA
About Conviction Partners
Conviction Partners was founded in 2023 by Sarah Guo, former general partner at Greylock Partners, as an AI-native venture capital firm. The firm raised $101 million for its inaugural fund, positioning itself as one of the first VC firms dedicated exclusively to artificial intelligence investments. Guo brings extensive experience from her time at Greylock, where she led investments in AI and enterprise software companies and built a reputation as one of the most prominent AI-focused investors in Silicon Valley.
The firm's investment approach centers on three key areas: AI infrastructure and tooling, AI-native applications, and vertical AI solutions that transform specific industries. Conviction Partners has quickly established itself in the AI ecosystem by backing companies like Harvey (legal AI), Runway (creative AI tools), and Character.AI (conversational AI). What distinguishes the firm is its singular focus on AI at a time when many generalist VCs are still developing their AI expertise, combined with Guo's deep technical knowledge and extensive network in the AI community.
Investment Thesis
“Backs founders building AI-native companies that fundamentally transform how industries operate, with a focus on applied AI and infrastructure.”
Leadership Team
Sarah Guo founded the firm. She spent close to a decade investing at Greylock Partners, where she became a general partner and built a reputation across enterprise software and security, then left in 2022 to raise her own vehicle.
Mike Vernal joined as general partner in January 2025 after almost seven years as a partner at Sequoia Capital, where he led investments in Notion, Rippling, and Verkada, and eight years at Facebook as a vice president of product and engineering. Pranav Reddy is a founding investor whose background pairs neuroscience research with engineering work; he was a founding engineer and engineering manager at the search company Neeva. Bella Garcia-Camargo is also part of the founding investment team. The partnership is deliberately small, which fits a strategy built on leading seed and Series A rounds rather than running a large deal-flow operation.
Sector Focus
Investment Stage
Notable Portfolio Companies
Fund History
- Sarah Guo left Greylock Partners in July 2022 and launched Conviction that October with a $101 million debut fund, an unusually concentrated vehicle for a solo general partner and one raised before the current wave of AI financing.
- Fund II closed in January 2025 at $230 million, more than double the first vehicle, announced alongside the addition of Mike Vernal as general partner.
- That puts roughly $331 million across the two disclosed funds.
- Conviction writes checks from $1 million to $25 million and positions itself as a first institutional investor rather than a follower.
- It also runs Embed, a structured program that places $250,000 into very early companies on an uncapped most-favored-nation SAFE or at the price of a recent round, which widens the top of the funnel without committing fund reserves.
- The firm describes its mandate as serving AI-native Software 3.0 companies across infrastructure, applications, and vertical products.
SEC Fund Filings
- Vehicles filed, last 24 months
- 4
- Latest filing
Conviction Partners filed a Form D for 4 fund vehicles between Sep 30, 2024 and Sep 29, 2026.
| Fund vehicle | Source |
|---|---|
| Conviction Partners Select I, L.P. | SEC Form D, filed |
| Conviction Partners Expansion II, L.P. | SEC Form D, filed |
| Conviction Partners Fund III, L.P. | SEC Form D, filed |
| Conviction Partners Expansion I, L.P. | SEC Form D, filed |
A Form D is the notice a fund files with the SEC when it raises money in a private offering. Feeder funds, parallel funds and SPVs each file their own, so the count measures filing activity, not the number of flagship funds.
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D filings for pooled investment funds, original filings only (amendments excluded). Our filing data starts Jul 1, 2024. Vehicles are matched to Conviction Partners by fund name and checked against the sponsor address and named principals on each filing; offering amounts are not shown. Each “SEC Form D” link opens an EDGAR full-text search for that vehicle’s exact name, where the filing itself is listed. See every new fund filing on the Form D Radar.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What stage does Conviction Partners invest at?
Conviction Partners primarily invests at the Seed, Series A stages. This means they focus on companies that are building their initial product and finding product-market fit.
Where is Conviction Partners located?
Conviction Partners is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
What sectors does Conviction Partners focus on?
Conviction Partners focuses on investments in AI, Enterprise, DevTools. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
What is Conviction Partners's typical check size?
Conviction Partners's typical investment check size ranges from $1M to $15M. Actual amounts may vary based on the stage, sector, and specific opportunity.
How much does Conviction Partners have under management?
Conviction Partners manages approximately $300M in assets under management (AUM) across their funds.
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