Pear VC

Pear VC is an early-stage venture capital firm that partners with founders at the pre-seed and seed stages. Founded in 2013 as Pejman Mar Ventures by Pejman Nozad and Mar Hershenson, the firm was built around a founder-first approach and renamed Pear VC three years later. Its stated focus is finding promising founders early, including before a company is fully formed, and working alongside them as they build.

Pear invests across a range of sectors, including vertical AI, AI infrastructure, B2B, consumer, deep technology, fintech, biotechnology, and healthcare. Its early-stage team leads and co-leads investments, with stated check sizes of up to $10 million. The firm says its investors include former founders and operators, and that it aims to provide ongoing support beyond capital.

For pre-seed founders, Pear runs PearX, a 12-week accelerator that operates twice a year in small cohorts. The program is designed to help participants identify a market, find early customers, and establish foundations for building a venture-scale company. Pear describes typical PearX investments as ranging from $500,000 to $2 million, tailored to company needs, and says each cohort is limited to no more than 25 teams.

Founder support is a central part of Pear’s model. The firm says its teams help portfolio founders with hiring, go-to-market planning, marketing, public relations, fundraising preparation, and investor introductions. Pear also operates Pear Studio locations in San Francisco and Menlo Park, providing a base for founders and programming. Its public materials describe a community of hundreds of founders and programs, events, and university initiatives intended to connect with emerging builders.

Pear’s portfolio includes companies such as DoorDash, Gusto, Vanta, Guardant Health, Listen Labs, and Cognition, alongside many other startups. The firm reports investing in hundreds of companies at the pre-seed and seed stages. In October 2026, Pear announced its fifth fund, a $333 million vehicle, and said that the fund brought its assets under management to more than $1.1 billion.

The firm has offices in San Francisco and Menlo Park, California. Its history and investment approach emphasize close, hands-on partnerships with founders, including support during the uncertain early work of turning an idea into a company. Pear describes its broader ambition as becoming the best early-stage firm in the world, with its team of investors and company-building specialists working to help founders build enduring businesses.