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How to Pitch Madrona

How Madrona invests from pre-seed to Series C out of Seattle and Palo Alto, what its $770M 2025 funds are for, the seeds it led in 2026, and which managing director covers your sector.

Madrona at a glance

Checked against Madrona's own pages and filings, November 2026

Firm
"Founded in Seattle in 1995"; "In 2022, we opened our Silicon Valley office in Palo Alto."1 Offices at 999 Third Avenue, Seattle and 502 Waverley Street, Palo Alto.11 Assets under management not published.
Funds
Fund X and Acceleration Fund IV, "with a combined $770 million in new capital" (January 2025): "initial investments in approximately 30 companies in Fund X at pre-seed, seed, or Series A stage" and "12 in AF IV primarily at a Series B or C stage."2 SEC Form Ds of January 2025: Madrona Venture Fund X, $489.6M sold; Madrona Acceleration Fund IV, $269.4M sold.3,4
Stages
"Backing founding teams in seed, early, and acceleration stages in Seattle, the Bay Area, and beyond."5 Leads at seed and pre-seed by example (Thira, Ridge AI) and co-leads (Golden with NEA, Scala with FUSE); no lead-or-follow policy is published.10,8,9,7
First check
Not published. Ownership target not published.
Focus
"While our foundation is deeply rooted in technology, our approach is industry-agnostic."1 Company categories: AI and Intelligent Apps, AI-Enabled Biotech, Consumer and Marketplace, Data and Infrastructure, Deep Tech, Developer Platforms and Tools, Enterprise Apps, Security.5 The 2025 funds name applied AI, domain-specific AI in areas such as travel and life sciences, and "agentic-first consumer and commercial solutions."2
Geography
"Selectively investing across the U.S. with a strong focus on the West Coast."1 The 2025 funds "invest heavily in the dynamic technology ecosystems in greater Seattle, the Pacific Northwest, and Silicon Valley."2
Partners
Managing directors Matt McIlwain (applied machine learning and cloud), Tim Porter (early-stage B2B software, primarily the Pacific Northwest), Scott Jacobson (marketplaces, consumer, prop tech), Karan Mehandru (Palo Alto; SaaS, data infrastructure, security, cloud, intelligent applications) and Steve Singh (B2B and enterprise); partners Sabrina Albert (intelligent applications, enterprise software, agentic systems), Vivek Ramaswami (Palo Alto; enterprise AI, security, developer tools) and Chris Picardo (life and computer science). The team listing shows titles only; focus comes from each profile.6
Recent seed leads
  • Scala, $7.5M seed, co-led with FUSE, February 20267
  • Ridge AI, $2.6M pre-seed, led, April 20268
  • Golden Analytics, $7M seed, co-led with NEA, April 20269
  • Thira, $21M seed, led, July 202610
Amounts are whole rounds, not Madrona's share.
What it looks for
"We look for founders who care deeply about why a problem exists," and "every founder wants a partner who is there for them when it matters."1 "We invest in people and ideas - for the long run."5
How to reach
"Email team members directly from bios," per the contact page, which also lists a phone number and named media and investor contacts. No pitch form.11 No statement on cold inbound versus warm intros is published.
Process
Not published.
Portfolio
madrona.com/companies, with each company's initial investment stage and year: Amazon, Smartsheet, Snowflake, Redfin, Apptio, Rover, Temporal, Statsig, Rec Room, Pulumi, Runway, UiPath and Typeface among them.12
  1. Madrona: About
  2. Madrona: Madrona raises $770 million to back visionary founders (January 2025)
  3. SEC Form D: Madrona Venture Fund X, L.P. (January 2025)
  4. SEC Form D: Madrona Acceleration Fund IV, L.P. (January 2025)
  5. Madrona: Home
  6. Madrona: Team, investors
  7. Madrona: Why we invested in Scala (February 2026)
  8. Madrona: Why we invested in Ridge AI (April 2026)
  9. Madrona: Why we invested in Golden Analytics (April 2026)
  10. Madrona: Why we invested in Thira (July 2026)
  11. Madrona: Contact
  12. Madrona: Companies

Compare 27 top firms side by side

Madrona is Seattle's venture firm: founded there in 1995, an early investor in Amazon, and the backer of Smartsheet, Snowflake, Redfin, Apptio, Rover, Temporal, Statsig and Pulumi. Since 2022 it has also had a Palo Alto office. In January 2025 it raised $770 million across two funds, and it describes its new money as being for "visionary founders" building applied AI.

What Madrona Is

Madrona runs two vehicles with different jobs. Fund X makes "initial investments in approximately 30 companies ... at pre-seed, seed, or Series A stage." Acceleration Fund IV makes about 12 investments "primarily at a Series B or C stage." The homepage sums it up as "seed, early, and acceleration stages in Seattle, the Bay Area, and beyond."

The firm's 2026 seed record shows it leading at the earliest end: Ridge AI's $2.6 million pre-seed and Thira's $21 million seed, plus co-leads of Golden Analytics with NEA and Scala with FUSE. It does not publish a lead-or-follow policy, a check size or a decision process, so the examples are the guidance.

What Madrona Looks For

1. Why the problem exists. The about page: "we look for founders who care deeply about why a problem exists." That is the firm's one published founder test.

2. Applied AI with a domain. The 2025 fund post names applied AI, domain-specific AI in fields such as travel and life sciences, and "agentic-first consumer and commercial solutions." Thira (a second company from Apptio's founders) and Scala (AI for call centers) are the 2026 examples.

3. Industry-agnostic, technology-rooted. "While our foundation is deeply rooted in technology, our approach is industry-agnostic." Its company categories run from AI-enabled biotech to developer platforms and security.

4. The West Coast, mostly. "Selectively investing across the U.S. with a strong focus on the West Coast," and heavily in Seattle, the Pacific Northwest and Silicon Valley.

5. The long run. "We invest in people and ideas - for the long run," and the firm describes itself as "trusted advisers as companies scale."

What Madrona Needs to See

Madrona publishes no traction thresholds. What it publishes is the shape of its 2026 leads: a pre-seed with a product thesis in embedded analytics (Ridge AI), a $21 million seed to repeat founders it had backed before (Thira), and two co-led seeds in AI applications (Golden, Scala). A founder with a prior relationship to the firm, or a clear reason the problem exists in a domain its partners know, is pitching the way its examples were pitched.

How to Get a Madrona Meeting

  • Email a partner from the bios: the contact page's own instruction. The investor listing on the team page gives titles; each profile states a focus
  • Match the managing director: Matt McIlwain for applied machine learning and cloud; Tim Porter for early-stage B2B software in the Pacific Northwest; Scott Jacobson for marketplaces, consumer and prop tech; Karan Mehandru in Palo Alto for SaaS, data infrastructure, security and intelligent applications; Steve Singh for B2B and enterprise
  • Or the partner closest to the category: Sabrina Albert for agentic systems and enterprise software; Vivek Ramaswami in Palo Alto for enterprise AI, security and developer tools; Chris Picardo for companies at the intersection of life and computer science
  • Co-investors: Madrona's 2026 seeds were shared with NEA and FUSE, and its Seattle network is the deepest published part of its model

What Gets You Passed

  • Outside the US: the firm's stated range is across the US with a West Coast focus; it publishes no international policy
  • A problem you cannot explain the roots of: "why a problem exists" is its stated test
  • Series B or C without a breakout: the Acceleration Fund is for about twelve companies, and the firm says it invests "selectively"

A second track: Pitch Protocol

Warm paths into a fund like Madrona take time. Pitch Protocol is not a route into Madrona; it is a second track you can run alongside your outreach. Applying is free, your own AI agent submits one application in about ten minutes with no web form, and the funds in our network whose thesis matches reach out to you directly. Apply to the First 100 Founders Cohort →

Founder FAQ

Which Madrona partner should I pitch for my sector?

Madrona's investor listing shows titles only; each profile states a focus. Applied machine learning and cloud: Matt McIlwain. Early-stage B2B software in the Pacific Northwest: Tim Porter. Marketplaces, consumer and prop tech: Scott Jacobson. SaaS, data infrastructure, security and intelligent applications, from Palo Alto: Karan Mehandru. B2B and enterprise: Steve Singh. Agentic systems and enterprise software: Sabrina Albert. Enterprise AI, security and developer tools: Vivek Ramaswami. Life science meets computer science: Chris Picardo.

Does Madrona lead seed rounds?

Yes, by its own announcements: it led Thira's $21M seed and Ridge AI's $2.6M pre-seed in 2026 and co-led Golden Analytics (with NEA) and Scala (with FUSE). Fund X invests "at pre-seed, seed, or Series A stage." The firm publishes no lead-or-follow policy.

What is Madrona's typical check size?

Madrona does not publish a check size or ownership target. Its January 2025 fund post gives company counts instead: about 30 initial investments from Fund X and 12 from Acceleration Fund IV, out of $770M combined.

Does Madrona invest outside the United States?

Its about page says it is "selectively investing across the U.S. with a strong focus on the West Coast," and its 2025 funds "invest heavily in the dynamic technology ecosystems in greater Seattle, the Pacific Northwest, and Silicon Valley." No international policy is published.

How long does Madrona take to decide?

Madrona does not publish a decision process or timeline.

Does Madrona take cold inbound?

Its contact page says "Email team members directly from bios" and lists a phone number; there is no pitch form and no published statement on cold inbound versus warm intros.

What does Madrona invest in?

Technology companies across industries: "While our foundation is deeply rooted in technology, our approach is industry-agnostic." Its company categories are AI and Intelligent Apps, AI-Enabled Biotech, Consumer and Marketplace, Data and Infrastructure, Deep Tech, Developer Platforms and Tools, Enterprise Apps and Security, and its 2025 funds are aimed at applied AI.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Madrona invest at Series B and later?

Yes. Acceleration Fund IV makes about 12 investments "primarily at a Series B or C stage," per the January 2025 fund post, and the about page says the Acceleration Funds back applied AI companies primarily in the US.

Can I apply through Pitch Protocol instead of waiting for a warm intro?

Pitch Protocol is not a back door into Madrona, and we do not share which funds review an application before it is in. What it does: applying is free, your own AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any agent that can read a URL) submits one application in about ten minutes with no web form, and the funds in our network whose thesis matches reach out to you directly. Founders anywhere can apply. Keep working your warm path to Madrona in parallel. Apply to the First 100 Founders Cohort →