Led by General Catalyst, Lightspeed, and D1 Capital, Beacon is embedding leading AI and engineering talent into everyday industries that power millions of lives.
TORONTO & SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#AI–Beacon Software, the AI holding company building the permanent home for essential vertical software and services, today announced a $250 million Series B financing led by General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and D1 Capital. This round brings Beacon’s total funding to $335 million since its founding last year.
The round also included investments from BDT & MSD Partners, Chris Rogers (CEO of Instacart), and Sator Grove. They join existing backers including Amar Varma (Mantle), Darren Farber (Albion River), Eric Glyman and Karim Atiyeh (Ramp), Fidji Simo (OpenAI), Rafael Corrales (Background Capital), Scott Wu (Cognition) and Tony Xu (DoorDash).
Founded by Nilam Ganenthiran (former President of Instacart and Partner at D1 Capital) and Divya Gupta (former Partner at Sequoia Capital), Beacon has already acquired and partnered with dozens of software and services companies across education, finance, logistics, recreation, and more. Collectively, these businesses serve thousands of enterprise customers, employ hundreds of thousands of people, and support over a million active users – making Beacon one of the fastest-scaling AI holding companies in North America. With its centralized software and AI expertise, Beacon is delivering modern technology directly to the companies that keep communities running – from local soccer clubs and campgrounds to family-owned businesses providing everyday essential services.
“Beacon exists to transform the industries that quietly power our everyday lives,” said Nilam Ganenthiran, Founder & CEO of Beacon. “After nearly a decade helping grocers modernize at Instacart, I realized Main Street businesses everywhere need to be equipped for the technology revolution ahead. By pairing the deep expertise of the entrepreneurs we back with Beacon’s AI and technology capabilities, we are helping industries modernize while protecting the legacy of the teams who built them.”
“We’re excited to back Beacon as they transform real-world industries with AI,” said Marc Bhargava, Managing Director at General Catalyst. “Beacon is at the center of General Catalyst’s AI-enabled roll-up strategy: acquiring durable businesses and embedding leading technology talent directly into them. This model doesn’t just create better software, it builds stronger companies delivering real impact to the communities they serve.”
“Beacon is a radically new approach to transforming everyday industries with software and AI, inspired by my experience working with legendary Silicon Valley companies at Sequoia Capital, Databricks, and Palantir. With permanent capital, world-class technologists, and a long-term mindset, we are dedicated to preserving the legacy of our businesses while driving their growth through technology, talent, and process,” said Divya Gupta, Co-Founder & CTO of Beacon.
“Having worked with Beacon since its founding, we’re thrilled to deepen our partnership with Nilam and the Beacon team as they bring AI-powered transformation to the foundational industries that drive our economy,” said Mike Tully of D1 Capital Partners. “Nilam’s proven track record as an operator and investor, combined with his deep understanding of how technology can scale Main Street businesses, makes him the ideal founder to lead this mission. Beacon’s approach of embedding AI capabilities directly into established businesses represents exactly the kind of practical, high-impact innovation we look for at D1,” said Jeremy Goldstein of D1 Capital Partners.
“Our investment in Beacon exemplifies our conviction in partnering with exceptional founders building transformative companies,” said Bejul Somaia, Partner at Lightspeed. “Nilam, Divya and the Beacon team are bringing AI directly to software businesses that we interact with in our everyday lives. This isn’t just about building better software, it’s about empowering companies that keep our communities running and enabling them to continue to grow and thrive.”
Beacon provides its portfolio companies with a shared platform of technology, design, fintech, and go-to-market capabilities. Its Beacon Partners network, an advisory community of leaders from Instacart, Lineage Logistics, Meta, OpenAI, Ramp, Shopify, and others—helps entrepreneurs accelerate innovation, recruit top talent, and expand distribution while preserving their independence and identity.
With this new Series B funding, Beacon will continue to expand its network of software and services companies while scaling its centralized technology teams to drive even greater impact across industries.
Contacts
For questions and follow-up, please contact [email protected]
