Bessemer Venture Partners
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Venture capital, private equity |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Area served | United States, India, Israel, Hong Kong, United Kingdom |
| Products | Venture capital funds, private equity funds |
| Parent | Bessemer Securities |
| Website | bvp |
Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) is a United States-based firm specializing in venture capital and private equity, with its main office located in San Francisco and additional branches in India, Israel, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. In 2024, Venture Capital Journal placed BVP as the third largest venture capital firm based on total funds raised during the previous five years.
History
The origins of Bessemer date back to 1911 when Henry Phipps Jr., a co-founder of Carnegie Steel, founded Bessemer Trust in New York to oversee his family’s financial holdings. That same year, he launched Bessemer Securities as a distinct entity managing $20 million in assets, with investments spanning venture capital, public equities, and real estate.
By 1974, Bessemer Trust began admitting external investors, while Bessemer Securities continued focusing exclusively on the Phipps family portfolio, allowing for higher-risk investments in private technology and healthcare firms. The following year, 1975, saw Bessemer Securities establish a presence in Silicon Valley to enhance its venture capital activities.
Although the company faced considerable real estate setbacks during the 1970s, by 1986 Bessemer Securities had grown its assets under management to $950 million and expanded its venture capital division. Eventually, the venture capital operations were separated into what is now known as Bessemer Venture Partners, with Bessemer Securities remaining as the parent organization providing capital and operational support.
Beginning in 2000, BVP extended its reach internationally with offices opening in India, Israel, Latin America, and Europe; it briefly maintained a China office before its closure in 2006. In 2007, BVP launched its first fund open to external investors—Bessemer Venture Partners VII—marking a shift from solely utilizing capital from the Phipps family and Bessemer Securities.
In 2021, BVP introduced a private equity division named BVP Forge. By September 2022, this unit closed its inaugural buyout fund at $780 million concurrently with the firm’s twelfth early-stage fund totaling $3.85 billion.