focal
VC Fund
San Francisco, United States
focal is a VC fund in San Francisco focused on Software and Artificial Intelligence. True 0 to 1 specialists, laser focused on helping you cut through Seed and get to Series A and beyond with velocity.
- Total investments:
- 89
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 53%
- Last fund:
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries focal invests in
Stages focal invests in
Countries focal invests in
Round sizes
Contacts
| Name | Phone | Socials | |
|---|---|---|---|
Round size
- Seed
- $2.8M–$9.7M
- Pre-Seed
- $750k–$3M
- Series A
- $10M–$20M
Investment Focus
Industry
- Software 13 (15%)
- Artificial Intelligence 13 (15%)
- SaaS 9 (10%)
- Information Technology 5 (6%)
- FinTech 4 (4%)
Stage
- Pre-Seed 34 (38%)
- Seed 15 (17%)
- Series A 2 (2%)
- Funding Round 1 (1%)
- Initial Coin Offering 1 (1%)
Country
- United States 30 (34%)
- Canada 4 (4%)
Team
| Name | Title | Investments | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Daniel Darling
Managing Partner
|
Managing Partner | Total investments: 62 | Find email | |
Pascal Unger
Managing Partner
|
Managing Partner | Total investments: 45 | Find email | |
Sydney Wasikowski
Head of Platform and Operations
|
Head of Platform and Operations | Total investments: 0 | Find email |
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI-driven, open-source IT & security platform reducing costs, automating operations, and empowering service providers. | $4.5M / Seed / Sep 02, 2026 | ||
| The AI-Native Operating System for CPA Firms: Maxed replaces the expensive, fragmented software stack CPA firms are locked into today with a single, flexible platform powered by AI agents. Maxed provides best-in-class infrastructure at a fraction of the cost - automating the manual work that buries firms every tax season, allowing them to leverageAI to outpace competitors and serve more clients without increasing headcount. | $850K / Pre-Seed / Apr 23, 2026 | ||
| Searcle AI builds AI-native marketing infrastructure that helps companies adapt to changes in how information is discovered online. | Pre-Seed / Jan 13, 2026 | ||
| On Me is a software company that develops digital gift cards to leverage hobbies and interests to strengthen relationships. | $6M / Seed / Dec 11, 2025 | ||
| AI-driven, open-source IT & security platform reducing costs, automating operations, and empowering service providers. | $2.2M / Pre-Seed / Oct 28, 2025 | ||
| Coworker.ai is an AI platform designed to automate tasks and streamline workflows within businesses. It integrates with over 40 enterprise applications, eliminating the need for custom coding. The platform focuses on providing context-aware assistance, enabling it to answer questions, plan, and execute tasks. | $13M / Seed / May 20, 2025 | ||
| BLNG is a Generative AI company providing design software and data products for the jewelry industry. | $3M / Seed / Apr 08, 2025 | ||
| HIPAA-compliant workflow automation platform. | $7.5M / Seed / Feb 12, 2025 | ||
| Kaiden AI provides immersive, voice-driven simulation training designed for law enforcement and public safety professionals. Through realistic, customizable scenarios, officers build confidence and refine critical skills like communication, decision-making, and de-escalation. The platform adapts in real time to user responses, delivering actionablefeedback to enhance preparedness for high-pressure situations. Trusted by police academies and agencies, Kaiden AI aligns with local protocols to ensure relevance and effectiveness. Learn more about how we’re redefining training for today’s challenges. | $1M / Pre-Seed / Jan 21, 2025 | ||
| Thoras.ai is an AI cloud management platform..It helps to detection, monitor performance, and manage costs. | $5M / Seed / Jan 14, 2025 | ||
| See all 89 investments → | |||
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FAQ
What does focal invest in?
focal invests primarily in Software, Artificial Intelligence and SaaS startups, most often at Pre-Seed and Seed stage. Most of the 89 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
What is focal's check size?
focal typically joins rounds of $2.8M–$9.7M at Seed, $750k–$3M at Pre-Seed and $10M–$20M at Series A. These ranges are 10th–90th percentile round sizes calculated from confirmed public funding rounds, so they are a realistic guide to the rounds focal participates in.
How do I contact focal?
Public channels for focal include LinkedIn and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.
Who are the partners at focal?
The team at focal includes Daniel Darling (Managing Partner), Pascal Unger (Managing Partner) and Sydney Wasikowski (Head of Platform and Operations). The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.
Is Shizune's investor data accurate?
Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Oct 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.
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