Overview

Benchmark is a venture capital firm founded in 1995 and based in Silicon Valley. It is best known for a concentrated, hands-on investment model built around a small group of equal general partners who work directly with founders and typically take board seats. Benchmark primarily invests at the seed and Series A stages, with focus areas including artificial intelligence, open-source software, infrastructure, enterprise software, marketplaces and consumer technology. In 2026, the firm expanded its traditional early-stage strategy by establishing its first dedicated growth fund for larger later-stage investments.

Investment focus

Sectors
Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, Infrastructure, Enterprise Software, Marketplaces, Consumer
Stages
Seed, Series A, Early Stage, Growth

How they work with companies

Benchmark operates with a small group of equal general partners who work directly with founders rather than delegating investing to junior teams. Partners typically make a limited number of investments, take board seats and remain closely involved with companies as they develop. The firm describes its mission as supporting entrepreneurs from the earliest stages and emphasizes concentrated, long-term partnerships rather than a high-volume investment model.Read more

Benchmark operates with a small group of equal general partners who work directly with founders rather than delegating investing to junior teams. Partners typically make a limited number of investments, take board seats and remain closely involved with companies as they develop. The firm describes its mission as supporting entrepreneurs from the earliest stages and emphasizes concentrated, long-term partnerships rather than a high-volume investment model.

Key people

5 people
Peter FentonGeneral PartnerView bio

Peter Fenton is a General Partner at Benchmark, which he joined in 2006 after seven years at Accel. He has invested across enterprise software, infrastructure and consumer technology and has served on the boards of numerous Benchmark-backed companies through their growth and public-market journeys.

Profile
Eric VishriaGeneral PartnerView bio

Eric Vishria is a General Partner at Benchmark focused on early-stage artificial intelligence, infrastructure and enterprise software. Before becoming an investor, he co-founded and served as CEO of RockMelt, a web-browser company acquired by Yahoo. He joined Benchmark in 2014.

Profile
Chetan PuttaguntaGeneral PartnerView bio

Chetan Puttagunta is a General Partner at Benchmark, where he focuses on artificial intelligence, enterprise software, infrastructure and developer technologies. He joined Benchmark in 2018 after seven years at New Enterprise Associates and primarily invests at the seed and Series A stages.

Profile
Everett RandleGeneral PartnerView bio

Everett "Ev" Randle is a General Partner at Benchmark. He joined the firm in October 2025 after serving as a Partner at Kleiner Perkins, where he worked on growth-stage technology investments. His investing background also includes roles at Founders Fund, BOND and Vista Equity Partners.

Profile
View all 5 people
Jack AltmanGeneral PartnerView bio

Jack Altman joined Benchmark as a General Partner in February 2026. He previously founded Alt Capital and co-founded Lattice, the human-resources software company where he served as CEO and later chairman. His investment experience spans early-stage technology companies across software and artificial intelligence.

Profile

Companies curated by Ovii

A selection of companies associated with Benchmark that Ovii curates for job seekers.

7 companies