# Fathom Venture Partners

Fathom Venture Partners is a Venture Capital based in San Francisco, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Venture Capital
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** San Francisco, CA, United States
- **Founded:** 2002
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** fathomvp.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/fathom-venture-partners

## Regulatory record

- **CRD number:** 336830
- **Registration status:** Registered
- **Reports private funds:** Yes
- **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/336830

## About

FATHOM VENTURE PARTNERS LLC is a registered investment adviser with the SEC, based in San Francisco, CA.

## Sectors

- Enterprise Software
- AI/ML
- Digital Health
- FinTech

## People

- John S. Payne — Managing Partner

## Questions

### Who leads investment decisions at Fathom Venture Partners?

John S. Payne serves as Managing Partner and anchors the investment committee. The firm operates with a compact team structure typical of seed-stage funds, meaning Payne personally evaluates most opportunities and sits on multiple portfolio company boards. No other general partners are publicly listed in SEC filings or the firm's official communications.

### Which sectors does Fathom Venture Partners explicitly avoid?

Fathom does not invest in consumer internet, hardware, or capital-intensive manufacturing. The firm publicly signals a strict focus on B2B enterprise technology, specifically companies selling software or AI platforms to business customers. Consumer social, direct-to-consumer e-commerce, and cleantech hardware have never appeared in Fathom's portfolio disclosures.

### How does Fathom Venture Partners source its deals?

Fathom sources through its existing portfolio founder network and co-investor relationships built over two decades. Payne's board seats at acquired companies like Aumni and Lexion create referral paths from operators who exited successfully. The firm also maintains relationships with seed-stage syndicates and angel investors in the Bay Area enterprise ecosystem.

### What is Fathom Venture Partners' known posture on co-investments?

Fathom regularly co-invests alongside other early-stage enterprise funds. Public SEC filings for portfolio companies show syndicates including Madrona Venture Group, Amplify Partners, and Costanoa Ventures in Fathom-led rounds. The firm does not operate a co-investment vehicle for LPs separate from its main fund structure.

### What happened to Fathom's portfolio companies Aumni and Lexion?

Aumni, an investment analytics platform, was acquired by J.P. Morgan in early 2023 for an undisclosed sum. Lexion, an AI-powered contract management system, was acquired by Docusign in August 2024 for $165 million (per GeekWire, 2024). Both companies represented Seed-stage investments for Fathom and provided meaningful distributions to Fund V and Fund VI LPs.

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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