In the hyper-competitive world of Silicon Valley venture capital, “mindfulness” and “top-quartile returns” aren’t always used in the same sentence. But Wisdom Ventures is betting $77.7 million that they should be.
The firm announced today the close of its oversubscribed Fund II, a significant step up from its $10 million debut fund. While the capital is staying focused on early-stage startups, the mandate has sharpened: Wisdom is looking for founders leveraging AI to fix the very things tech is often accused of breaking: human connection, mental health, and physical wellbeing.
The fund plans to write checks between $1 million and $5 million for approximately 40 mission-driven startups.
Worldclass Team & Network Bound by Wisdom
If the fund’s mission sounds a bit “woo-woo” for the Sand Hill Road crowd, the cap table suggests otherwise. Wisdom Ventures has assembled a “who’s who” of tech royalty as LPs, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield, Pinterest co-founder Evan Sharp, and Away co-founder Jen Rubio. Most of the network is connected from the Wisdom 2.0 conference created by General Partner Soren Gordhamer.
Perhaps the most notable addition to the team is Dr. Vivek Murthy, the former U.S. Surgeon General, who is joining as a Senior Venture Partner. Murthy, who has spent much of his public career leading the fight against the “loneliness epidemic,” and will advise on investments across the health and wellness spectrum.
“The health and well-being challenges we face require more than traditional interventions – they demand a fundamental shift in how we build and interact with technology,” said Dr. Vivek Murthy in a statement. “I am proud to join Wisdom Ventures to back founders who are designing the next generation of technology to foster genuine human connection, support physical and mental health, and cultivate long-term resilience.”
Proving the “Doing Well by Doing Good” Thesis
Wisdom’s Fund I, which closed in 2022, has already set a high bar. The firm claims the fund has ascended to the top quartile of early-stage funds, thanks in no small part to early bets on the two biggest names in AI: OpenAI and Anthropic.
Beyond the heavy hitters, the portfolio includes 38 startups, 14 of which have already seen markups. Notably, the firm is hitting diversity benchmarks that many larger funds still struggle with; Wisdom reports that 74% of its portfolio founding teams are diverse across race, gender, and sexual orientation.
“Building at the intersection of AI and health requires investors who understand that technology must be designed with human values at its core,” said Fidji Simo, Co-Founder of ChronicleBio and CEO of Instacart, who is a supporter of the firm’s model.
Investing in the Whole Founder
The firm’s GPs: Bradley Horowitz (former VP of Product at Google), Cecily Mak (legal and ops veteran), and Soren Gordhamer (founder of the Wisdom 2.0 conference), are doubling down on a support model they call “whole-founder.”
In practice, this means Wisdom isn’t just looking at burn rates and CAC. They integrate meditation retreats and monthly community check-ins into their post-investment support, operating under the philosophy that a resilient founder leads to a resilient balance sheet.
As AI continues to permeate every aspect of the healthcare stack, from personalized coaching to diagnostic tools, Wisdom Ventures is positioning itself as the “conscious” alternative to traditional capital. With a 7x increase in dry powder compared to Fund I, they now have the muscle to back that sentiment up.
