Top 100 Global Venture Capitalists

After long research, Red Herring is releasing its Top 100 Global Venture Capitalists list. This comes as economies have radically changed across the globe, seriously challenging the asset class. Nevertheless, the facts remain: higher relative returns, hundreds of thousands of jobs created, and super-sized brands such as Facebook and Twitter speak volumes. Not to mention the world has been improved through advances in biotech and cleantech. Yet not all venture capital at work has held its side of the bargain and returned sufficient money to its backers, the limited partners. For the LPs, those who manage vast pools of money from pensions and other sources, 2007-2009 will be remembered as the dark years. Fortunately, the Top 100 Global Venture Capitalists represent the best of the group. This group sends checks to their limited partners and holds substantive unrealized value in their portfolios, just waiting for a better exit market.

The Top 100 Global Venture Capitalists list at least demonstrates the qualitative work done by the profession. Most of these 100 firms return money to their LP backers. The ranking methodology is constructed of more than a dozen benchmarks. Among those, we value firms that outpace average returns and build startups from the ground up on a global basis. Red Herring also values stable teams who transition well from one generation of professionals to another. But there’s another, less tangible value that we recognize: those VCs valued by entrepreneurs for their advice and stewardship. As such, we ultimately value the venture platforms that have managed to display and implement a recognizable uniqueness. Then, of course, there are the more quantifiable characteristics such as their global reach. And let’s not forget those firms that hold substantial positions in startups that now exceeded $100 million in sales.

During the past 25 years in venture, household names have been built and the best firms have left their mark. Some will contest our choices. Many will agree that we have chosen a better course than just sifting through historical returns. As most of the Top 100 Global Venture Capitalists know, we have asked the firms to tell us about what they have in store and to divulge information about their best portfolio companies. In doing all that these rankings require, we have seen the difficulties of assembling data, measuring intangible qualities, and comparing different vintage funds from fifteen countries, along with other complexities. We trust that this effort will not only bring more of an insider’s perspective to an industry long misunderstood but also provide more transparency.

Last, we’d like to congratulate an exceptional group of professionals—selected among 1,800 entries—and welcome your feedback. But Red Herring’s Top 100 Global Venture Capitalists list doesn’t stop here. In the coming weeks, the publication plans to profile the top 25 on the list, detailing the next generation of young venture capitalists poised to take charge of the industry. Stay tuned.



Top 100 Global Venture Capitalists

01. Accel Partners
02. Softbank
03. Index Ventures
04. Sequoia Capital
05. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
06. DCM
07. Insight Venture Partners
08. Draper Fisher Jurveston
09. Sofinnova Partners
10. Matrix Partners
11. New Enterprise Associates
12. Bessemer Venture Capital
13. Greylock Partners
14. Wellington Partners
15. Khosla Ventures
16. Norwest Venture Partners
17. Benchmark Capital
18. TVM Capital
19. Battery Ventures
20. Lightspeed Venture Capital
21. August Capital
22. Pitango Venture Capital
23. GRP Partners
24. IDGVC Venture Partners
25. Alta Partners

26. Trident Capital
27. Institutional Venture Partners
28. Allegis Capital
29. Legend Capital
30. Reliance Technology Ventures
31. InterWest Partners
32. Mangrove Partners
33. Banexi Ventures
34. Technology Crossover Partners
35. Foundation Capital
36. Charles River Ventures
37. Mayfield Venture Capital
38. JAFCO Ventures
39. Redpoint Ventures
40. Menlo Ventures
41. Azure Capital Partners
42. Oak Investment Partners
43. US Venture Partners
44. Balderton Capital Management
45. Mohr Davidow Ventures
46. Carmel Ventures
47. Amadeus Capital Partners
48. Globespan Capital Partners
49. BDC Venture
50. Venrock Associates

51. Canaan Partners
52. CDH Ventures
53. FTQ
54. Polaris Venture Partners
55. General Catalyst Partners
56. Sierra Ventures
57. CDC Innovation
58. Atlas Ventures
59. Globis Capital
60. Highland Capital Partners
61. Crescendo Ventures
62. Ignition Partners
63. Nexus India Capital
64. Trinity ventures
65. Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
66. Sigma Partners
67. Allen Buckridge Ventures
68. Walden International
69. Northern Light Venture Capital
70. Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures
71. Morgenthaler Ventures
72. CMEA Ventures
73. KTB Venture
74. Tallwood Venture Capital
75. ATA Ventures

76. Shenzen Capital Group
77. Vengrowth Capital Fund
78. Early Bird
79. Jerusalem Venture Partners
80. Advent Ventures
81. Northzone Capital
82. Southern Cross Venture Partners
83. Emergence Capital Partners
84. Artiman Ventures
85. GSR Venture
86. Bluerun Ventures
87. GGV Capital
88. Garnett and Helfrich Capital
89. Granite Ventures
90. Vantage Point Venture Partners
91. Shasta Ventures
92. iGlobe Partners
93. DN Capital
94. Northcap Partners
95. Partech Ventures
96. Scale Venture Partners
97. Mustang Ventures
98. Gemini Israel Fund
99. Gabriel Venture Partners
100. Zone Venture Capital

Source : Red Herring, 11/09/09