The venture world took note late last week as broke that San Francisco-based will cut the size of its $1.9 billion venture fund raised last year by about half.
However, the highly recognized firm — whose investments over the years include , and — has been significantly slowing the pace of its dealmaking as the venture market cooled and valuations dropped, according to an analysis of Ƶ data.
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At the height of the market in 2021, ’s Founders Fund took part in 121 rounds that totaled more than $10 billion (it’s Important to note the amount any investor — including Founders Fund — invests as a specific stake in a round is not usually divulged).
That includes leading or co-leading huge rounds such as Mexico-based online car buying platform ’s $485 million Series D, Cayman Islands-based crypto exchange ’s $300 million venture round, and New York-based fintech ’s $300 million Series C.
Changing market
Those numbers dropped precipitously in 2022 as venture capital numbers tumbled under a variety of economic pressures still being applied to the industry.
Last year, Founders Fund took part in only 80 rounds — a 33% drop from the heyday of 2021. Those rounds totaled only $6.6 billion — again a drop of more than one-third. However, that number is slightly elevated, since it includes the huge $1.5 billion Series E for Costa Mesa, California-based defense and security firm , which was led by .
The numbers also continuously dropped as the year went on, with the firm only making 32 deals in the last two quarters of 2022, according to Ƶ data.
Some of the largest rounds it led or co-led, including another $200 million for Ramp and a $100 million Series C for Redwood City, California-based cybersecurity firm , occurred in the first half of the year — when the venture market was just catching up to the changing economic winds.
Continued slowing
The firm’s investment pace has not picked up through the first two-plus months of this year. It’staken part in only three announced rounds thus far that totaled less than $200 million.
Founders Fund has led only one announced round this calendar year — a $15 million seed funding for Brooklyn-based , a 3D-printed shoemaker.
It was almost exactly a year ago when first Founders Fund had closed more than $5 billion in two new funds dedicated to both early- and late-stage investing — including a $1.9 billion venture fund and a $3.4 billion growth fund.
With the news last week that roughly half of that $1.9 billion fund will be rolled into a future fund, it goes to show just how much can change in venture in 12 months.
Founders Fund did not return a request for comment.
Further reading:
- Tiger Catnapped As 2022 Wore On
- Insight Partners’ Dealmaking Slows Substantially
- What Slowdown? Founders Fund Latest To Close Two New Monster Funds
Illustration: Dom Guzman
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