Greylock

Greylock is older than Sand Hill Road's reputation. It was founded in Massachusetts in 1965, seven years before Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia opened in Menlo Park. It spent its first decades investing mostly from the East Coast. Around the turn of the century it began shifting west. Today it is a Bay Area firm with offices on Sand Hill Road and in San Francisco, known for early bets on consumer and enterprise software companies such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Workday.

This profile is a neutral explainer for visitors and founders. It draws on Greylock's website and reporting from Bloomberg and other outlets, with fund sizes tied to dated sources. For background on how venture funds work, see our venture capital guide.

Founding in 1965

Bill Elfers and Dan Gregory founded Greylock in 1965 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, part of the Boston area's early technology and finance scene. Charlie Waite joined soon after. Elfers and Waite had both worked at American Research and Development Corporation, one of the first modern venture firms. Greylock's first $10 million came from six families.

Greylock describes itself as one of the oldest venture capital firms. Few firms from the 1960s are still investing under their original name. The partnership model it used, with professional managers investing money from outside backers, is the one nearly every firm in this guide follows today. Our history of venture capital on the Peninsula explains how the partnership structure spread west.

The move west

As more of the country's software and internet companies started in the Bay Area, Greylock followed them. It opened its first Silicon Valley office in 1999 and moved its headquarters there in 2009. A separate Israel team, once called Greylock IL, became an independent firm named 83North in 2015.

The timing put Greylock close to the social media companies that grew up in and around Palo Alto in the 2000s. Facebook, then working from offices in downtown Palo Alto, is on its portfolio list from the Series B stage. Our page on Facebook's Palo Alto years covers that period.

Consumer deals

Greylock's portfolio page lists about 160 companies with the stage at which the firm first invested. Its best known consumer investments include:

Enterprise deals

Greylock is just as active in business software and security, often at the very first round.

• Workday. Listed as a seed investment. The human resources and finance software company is now public.
• Palo Alto Networks. Also a seed investment. Greylock's website says the security company started from a desk in Greylock's office.
• Figma. Greylock invested at the Series A, when the design software company had about seven people, according to its website. Figma is now public.
• Abnormal. A seed investment in the email security company.

The website also points to investments in AI infrastructure companies made before ChatGPT launched, part of the firm's argument that it tries to find new categories early.

A deliberately small model

Greylock keeps its funds modest by today's standards. Since 2013 most of its flagship funds have been about $1 billion. The website says each partner makes only one or two new investments a year, a pace meant to leave time for board work and company building.

• 2013: 14th fund, $1 billion.
• 2016: 15th fund, $1 billion.
• 2020: 16th fund, $1 billion, plus $500 million added in 2021 for seed deals.
• 2023: 17th fund, $1 billion.
• July 2026: 18th fund, $1.5 billion for early-stage startups, as reported by Bloomberg.

In 2014 Greylock also started regular gatherings for product managers, engineers and other specialists in areas such as design, data and security. Many firms now run similar programs for their portfolio companies.

Greylock timeline

1. 1965: Bill Elfers and Dan Gregory found the firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with $10 million from six families. Charlie Waite joins soon after.
2. 1999: Greylock opens its first Silicon Valley office.
3. 2005: Its 12th fund closes at $500 million.
4. 2009: The headquarters moves to Silicon Valley. The 13th fund starts at $575 million and is later raised to $1 billion.
5. 2014: The firm starts regular gatherings for specialists across its portfolio.
6. 2015: The Israel team becomes the independent firm 83North.
7. 2023: The 17th fund closes at $1 billion.
8. 2026: Bloomberg reports an 18th fund of $1.5 billion.

Reading the portfolio list

The page is public and free to browse. Greylock's portfolio page is useful for founders because it shows the stage at which the firm first invested. Many of its best known companies were seed or Series A deals, which fits its description of itself as an early partner. Others, such as Roblox and Pandora, were later rounds. If you are raising a seed or Series A round, the companies listed at those stages give the clearest picture of what the firm looks for. If you are further along, the later-stage entries show that it will still consider a company it did not back at the start.

Offices as published

Greylock's contact page lists two offices:

1. Silicon Valley: 2550 Sand Hill Road, Suite 200, Menlo Park
2. San Francisco: 140 New Montgomery Street, Suite 2600

Bloomberg described the firm in July 2026 as based in San Francisco, while its Sand Hill Road office remains on its website. That reflects a broader pattern. Many firms now split time between Menlo Park and the city, as our Sand Hill Road guide explains.

Visiting and getting a meeting

Greylock's website lists founding and emeritus partners, including Henry McCance as chairman emeritus. It groups its current team by role. Read which partners focus on your area before reaching out. Because each partner makes so few new investments, a clear and well-targeted introduction matters even more than usual. The best ones come from founders the firm has backed or angels and lawyers the partner trusts.

Our guides to pitching investors and seed funds explain how to prepare. If you are flying in, compare hotels near Sand Hill Road or see our where to stay guide. With meetings in both Menlo Park and San Francisco, a rental car often beats rideshare.

Frequently asked questions