Highland Capital Partners is a venture capital firm founded in 1988 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with additional offices in San Francisco. The firm focuses on early-stage and growth-stage technology companies across consumer internet, software, and emerging technology sectors. Over more than three decades it has backed companies from seed through late-stage growth, operating primarily in the United States with selective exposure to European and Asian markets. Highland does not publicly disclose total assets under management.
The firm's entry into digital assets and blockchain has been measured. With a reported portfolio count of eight crypto and blockchain-related investments and two lead positions, Highland has approached the sector the same way it approaches technology broadly: backing companies that build infrastructure or consumer products with clear revenue models rather than speculative token protocols. Public information about the specific names of all eight crypto portfolio companies is limited, and Highland does not maintain a publicly updated portfolio page for this segment.
Notable investments
Highland's broader technology portfolio includes widely recognized names. Outside crypto, it backed Rent the Runway, Harmonix (creator of Guitar Hero), Lime (micro-mobility), and Ask Jeeves. These exits demonstrate a pattern of backing consumer-facing platforms in large addressable markets. In fintech and digital infrastructure, the firm has shown interest in payment rails and financial software. Full details of its current crypto holdings are not disclosed in public filings.
Sources that track venture activity, including Crunchbase, list Highland as an active investor but do not provide a complete breakdown of its blockchain-specific portfolio. CryptoRank and PitchBook partially overlap on reported deals, though deal sizes are rarely confirmed by the firm directly.
Team
Highland Capital Partners was co-founded by Bob Davis and Paul Maeder. Davis previously founded and led Lycos, the early internet search portal, before joining the investment side. Maeder has a background in engineering and has focused on deep technology and life sciences within the firm's portfolio. Other long-standing general partners include Dan Nova and Corey Mulloy, both of whom have led investments in consumer and enterprise software. Public information about which partners lead the firm's crypto-focused deals is limited.
Recent activity
Highland has maintained a quieter public profile in the 2024–2026 period compared to dedicated crypto-native funds. The firm has not announced major new crypto-focused funds or headline digital-asset deals in recent press coverage. This is consistent with a broader posture among multi-sector technology VCs that entered the space opportunistically rather than as primary focus areas. No high-profile portfolio failures in the crypto segment have been publicly reported, though the firm's exposure to the 2022 crypto downturn through any token-adjacent holdings is not publicly documented.
Highland Capital Partners remains an active institutional investor in technology. Its cautious, infrastructure-first approach to crypto investing positions it differently from pure-play crypto funds – it is less likely to lead token rounds but may continue to back regulated fintech, custody, and compliance-layer companies as the regulatory environment in the United States becomes clearer. Investors and founders seeking the firm's current thesis can review hcp.com or its Crunchbase profile for the most recent disclosed activity.