Necessary Ventures

Necessary Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2020 by Neil Devani, headquartered in San Francisco. The firm invests in mission-driven companies solving fundamental, "necessary" problems. The firm also helps founders leverage authentic mission-based narratives to access talent, non-dilutive and strategic capital, and earned media, running an in-house content platform including a newsletter and podcast to support portfolio companies' growth. It invests across deep tech, hard tech, and AI applied to healthcare, climate, fintech, education, and reindustrialization. Notable investments include Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Vicarious Surgical, Wayve, Solugen, Andela, and Arc Boats, with 5 unicorns, 3 IPOs, and 8 acquisitions across 58+ portfolio companies. Necessary typically leads $1M–$2M pre-seed rounds (with reported check sizes of $250K–$500K) and also invests non-lead from pre-seed through pre-IPO. Its approach is thesis-driven across a wide range of sectors, prioritizing founders with authentic, mission-driven narratives capable of outcompeting for talent, capital, and attention.