Greylock caps new fund at $1.5 billion, saying it could have raised more

Greylock Ventures announced Tuesday that it raised a $1.5 billion 18th fund, a figure 50% larger than its $1 billion 2023 vehicle but well below what the firm says it could have collected. Partner Saam Motamedi told TechCrunch the partnership chose restraint over maximum capital, arguing that keeping the portfolio small lets its ten partners give each company the hands-on support that defines the firm's model. The firm's partners make only one or two new investments each per year, a pace Motamedi said will yield roughly 25 portfolio companies from this fund. Greylock will continue to focus on incubating companies from the earliest stages and leading seed and Series A rounds, the strategy behind successes such as Palo Alto Networks and Abnormal Security. The firm said it will still back select later-stage opportunities it may have missed earlier.