About Symphonic Capital

Symphonic Capital is an early-stage VC firm investing in the next generation of institutions serving overlooked and underserved communities. Our mission is to change the venture game by investing in companies that are dedicated to making a more equitable future for all.

We invest in industries that have historically excluded marginalized communities, including healthtech and financial services, because we believe everyone should have access to reliable healthcare and financial freedom – regardless of their race, gender or ethnicity.

What We Believe

Symphony (n.) – means coming together of different types of instrumentalists, craftspeople at the top of their game, to create beautiful harmonies and movements.

We take an abundance mindset to investing. That’s because we believe there’s enough room for everyone to succeed and when we pool our collective resources we all win. We want to collaborate with our peers to help elevate the voices and visions of founders who are on a mission to do good. The more we work together, the better our chances of success. 

Our Story

2022

Sydney Thomas, our founder and GP, has been a vanguard of Pre-Seed investing. After 7 years of investing and being in the trenches with founders, she launched Symphonic Capital in 2022.

Symphonic was envisioned and designed from bold principles. Sydney’s collection of insights on the inner workings of top companies – as well as the most painful struggles – inspired her to build a firm that serves as a true partner to founders.

In forming Symphonic, she pulled in experts who were already dedicated to solving nascent companies’ problems in their respective fields in People/Talent, Business Operations, etc. Building a startup requires constant, effective collaboration, and it’s no different for us.
Builders will always want to work with other builders, and we’re here to help you succeed.

Our Team

More powerful, together. We’re a small but mighty team dedicated to helping founders reach their highest ambitions and become the best leaders they can be. 

Sydney Thomas
Founding General Partner
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Shruti Shah
Partner
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Our Community

We’re building a diverse community that reflects the change we want to see in the world. The current venture capital industry doesn’t represent the world around us. Instead, it’s been operated by the perspectives of a select few. Symphonic is on a mission to elevate the perspectives of founders, investors and LPs who have a diverse set of lived experiences and are dedicated to solving problems that impact the majority of people.

We are backed by leading institutions like Known, Candide, Illumen Capital, Bank of America, and Sweater Ventures. We’re also backed by founders like Wayee Chu of REACH Capital, Laura Spiekerman of Alloy, David Whelan of Town Hall Ventures and Michael Siebel of YC. Here’s what they have to say about our work:

What our founders
have to say

“At Symphonic, Sydney intentionally thinks about what is working in venture capital and what needs to change. She’s not focused on finding the two unicorns that will return a fund. Instead, she’s looking for broader, more sustainable success across an entire portfolio of companies. That’s because she believes this will drive the most impact and outsized returns in the long run.”
Thaddeus Fair
Managing Director
“What drew me to Symphonic was their background and experience. The fact that Shruti was a founder before felt unique. Many fund managers have worked at large banks or companies, but it’s different when you’ve worked at a startup and built a company yourself. They understand what it takes to build and scale and that’s part of what makes them great partners.”
William Cherniak
CEO & Founder
“Having worked with hundreds of investors over the course of my career, I can say without reservation that Sydney consistently rises above the rest.”
Sari Azout
Founder and CEO
"Sydney is a steady hand and calm voice through the storm. In the earliest stages of company building, it's easy to get overwhelmed, frustrated, and at times discouraged. Sydney brings a level of clarity needed to make it out to the other side. I couldn't be more grateful to have her on team Aidaly."
Maggie Norris
Founder and CEO
“The support and services offered by Symphonic are powerful. I have worked with Sydney for years, and she deeply understands what it takes to build a successful venture-backed startup.”
Kelly Ifill
Founder and CEO
“Sydney was my first call when I started fundraising. As an ex-VC myself, I have a network of every VC in Silicon Valley, but she was the one I wanted. I want a real relationship with my investors, and Sydney is someone who jumps into the trenches with entrepreneurs.”
Kara Egan
Founder and CEO
Ellen Pao
CEO
Project Include
Malcolm Robinson
Executive Director
Black Venture Capital Consortium
Marlon Nichols
Co-Founder and Managing General Partner
MaC Venture Capital
Ed Zimmerman
Founding Partner
First Close Partners
Mike Smith
Co-Founder and General Partner
Footwork
Laura Spiekerman
Co-Founder
Alloy
Michael Seibel
Managing Director and Group Partner
Y Combinator
Andy Weissman
Managing Partner
Union Square Ventures
Will Bondurant
Former CFO
Apree Health & Castlight Health
Wayee Chu
General Partner
Reach Capital
Bank Of America
Illumen Capital
Aarti Chandna
Partner of SV2 and Trustee of Case Western University
SV2
David Whelan
Founder and General Partner
Town Hall Ventures
Sweater Ventures
Propel Capital
NextGen VP
Aduro Advisors
ACME
Better Ventures

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