Villi Iltchev
VCFounder & Managing Partner, Category Ventures
Founded $160M enterprise software seed fund
Background
Villi Iltchev is the Founder and Managing Partner of Category Ventures, a $160M pre-seed and seed fund focused on enterprise software he launched in 2024. Prior to Category, he was Managing Director at Two Sigma Ventures, overseeing the San Francisco office and investing in SaaS, infrastructure, and developer tools. Before that, he was a General Partner at August Capital, where notable investments included GitLab. He also held operating roles at Box, LifeLock, and Salesforce, where he led investments and acquisitions teams backing companies like HubSpot, Gusto, and MuleSoft. Category Ventures focuses on infrastructure, developer tools, applications, and AI.
Investment Thesis
Backing category-defining enterprise software companies at pre-seed and seed stage, with a focus on infrastructure, developer tools, and AI.
Investment Focus
Stages
Typical check: $500K–$5M (Category Ventures pre-seed/seed)
Sectors
Based in: San Francisco, CA, USA (North America)
Notable Investments
GitLab
Invested at August Capital; $20M investment returned over $900M; IPO 2021
SendBird
Invested at August Capital Series A; in-app chat and messaging platform
Workona
Invested at August Capital; browser tab and workspace management
HubSpot
Invested while at Salesforce; CRM and marketing platform
Gusto
Invested while at Salesforce; payroll and HR for SMBs
Zapier
Invested while at Salesforce; no-code workflow automation platform
Airtable
Invested since 2013; low-code database and collaborative app builder
Remote
Board member; global HR and payroll platform for distributed teams