Firms

Vermilion Cliffs Ventures

Vermilion Cliffs Ventures

New York, New York, United States

vermilion.fundlinkedin.comvermilioncliffs.substack.com

Vermilion Cliffs Ventures is an operator-led venture manager founded by Ashley Smith in 2023, investing in technical founders building developer tooling, AI infrastructure, data systems and security software. It backs companies at pre-seed and seed and supports their go-to-market strategy, technical marketing, community, launch preparation and early hiring. Its public portfolio includes CopilotKit, Freeplay, Argilla, cognee, Keycard, Catio and other developer-focused startups. The firm reports a $13.1 million first fund, whose final close occurred in September 2024, and a $25 million second fund announced closed on July 8, 2026. Current named operational leadership is Ashley Smith, Founder and General Partner, and Meghan Murphy, Chief of Staff and Head of Platform. Its AI relevance is software infrastructure and agent security; biomedical training of its founder is not evidence of a neuroscience investment mandate.

Founded
2023
Type
Venture capital

Funds2

  • Vermilion Cliffs Ventures Fund II$25M

    Second venture fund announced actually closed at USD25M July8,2026, backing technical founders in AI infrastructure, security and developer tools. Exact legal LP suffix not established. Institutional LP anchors named by founder: LGT Capital, Screendoor and GEM. LP contributions and cumulative fund totals are not separate company raises.

  • Vermilion Cliffs Ventures Fund I, LP$13M

    First venture fund for technical founders. Founder explicitly reports USD13.1M raised, with final close in September2024 (day undisclosed); announcedAt is the February6,2025 public announcement, not an invented closing day. Original USD10M target not counted as additional capital. Later USD13M summary is rounded.

Team

Operations and support

Ashley SmithAshley SmithFounder and General Partner
Meghan MurphyMeghan MurphyChief of Staff and Head of Platform

Co-investing

Investments