Spark Capital Raises $360M Fund

From the Spark website:

It takes guts to invest in early stage companies. They are risky and require lots of energy. We are not afraid of the risk. Nor are we afraid to put in the effort required to help our companies win and win big. We have no problem with risk as long as the potential return is giant.

Focus on the Conflux

At Spark, we are focused on convergence and disruption — they generate each other. We like convergence because this is where major opportunities arise. The status quo breaks down and the traditional market leaders are vulnerable. We like to invest in the disrupters. These are the companies led by the entrepreneurs who see the cracks in the markets and the weaknesses of the incumbents. We have a name for the convergence and the opportunity created by the accompanying disruption. We call it the Conflux. This is where we hang out and this is where we find the very best entrepreneurs seeking the most outrageous market opportunities.

We invest in companies whose opportunities exist in our sweet spot. Companies ready to meet the rapid transformation of media and content, companies that are driven by innovative technologies and evolving business models.

We also use our expertise and insight gained in this molten core of innovation to pursue companies whose potential lies outside. Here our perspective and experience are just as vital. They are what give us the ability to make the connects and establish the synergies.

This sweet spot is not something we stumbled upon; we came up in this confluence. We have been instrumental in the development of new markets and market leaders. It is the natural home of the impassioned entrepreneur, the frontier, the place of the most promise. Therefore it is the natural home for Spark. It is the core of our strength, from which we make every investment decision.

SPOT ON

The makeup of the Spark team and our attitude toward risk and opportunity make us uniquely qualified to exploit the opportunities presented by this intersection. In our hallways you will find former entrepreneurs, experienced investors and industry executives with experience in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, media and technology. Akamai Technologies, Qtera, Aether Systems, Novatel Wireless, Twitter, 5Min, AdMeld, Verivue, Tumblr are just a few of the companies backed by the Spark team.

As a firm we are stage-agnostic; no idea is too green for us. We look for experienced entrepreneurs who combine revolutionary ideas with a vision for how their products will change or create markets with potential for explosive growth.

The key to our many successes is our desire to take an active role in the companies we back, most often taking a seat on the board of directors, and working to ensure that the vision of the entrepreneur reaches its fullest potential.

Transforming groundbreaking ideas into market-leading companies is our passion. We have the vision, knowledge, relationships and creativity to give our partner companies the advantage they need to win.