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§ Venture Capital · San Francisco, CA, USA
venture capital firm backing pre-seed and seed-stage companies for tech for happiness and well-being, focused on neuroscience and digital.
Joyance Partners is a San Francisco, California-based venture capital firm that invests in pre-seed and seed-stage companies leveraging science and technology to enhance well-being and daily life through "Delightful Moments." The firm focuses on tech vectors of happiness, targeting early-stage consumer and enterprise companies across sectors such as neuroscience, food science, sports, and digital health, prioritizing personal experiences over traditional medical approaches. With team members in New York and Tokyo, Joyance Partners invests globally, engaging entrepreneurs across various geographies. Its investment team includes Managing Partner Mike Edelhart, Venture Partner Charles C. Smith, and Investment Partners Bradley Welch and Jun Deng. The firm was established in 2017 as an outgrowth of the Social Starts fund family, managed by Mike Edelhart and others.
Key people at Joyance Partners.
Joyance Partners was founded in 2017 by William Lohse (Founder).
Joyance Partners has more than 26 tracked investments across 26 companies. The latest tracked deal is $25.0M Series B in Lucky Energy in November 2025.
Joyance Partners is a venture capital firm founded in 2017 that invests in early-stage companies leveraging science and technology to cultivate joy and improve human well-being. Their mission centers on enhancing how we live by supporting startups primarily in the health and consumer sectors, including personal health, techbio, beauty, food and beverage, and sustainability. They focus on pre-seed to Series A investments across North America, Europe, and Asia, managing over $20 million in assets and backing companies like Lark Health and Lazarus, which use digital health coaching and AI for early cancer detection, respectively[1][4].
The firm was established by key partners including Managing Partner Mike Edelhart and Investment Partners such as Bradley Welch and Jun Deng, with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo. Joyance Partners evolved with a clear focus on companies that deliver “delightful moments” — small but powerful experiences of joy and well-being enabled by new technologies and scientific advances. This philosophy underpins their investment approach and portfolio selection[1][5][6].
Joyance Partners rides the growing trend of integrating science and technology to enhance human well-being, a market increasingly driven by consumer demand for personalized health, sustainability, and joyful experiences. The timing is favorable due to advances in biotech, AI, and digital health, alongside rising societal focus on mental and physical wellness. By investing early in companies that innovate at this intersection, Joyance influences the startup ecosystem by accelerating solutions that blend technology with emotional and physical health benefits, shaping future consumer and healthcare markets.
Looking ahead, Joyance Partners is well-positioned to capitalize on expanding interest in tech-enabled well-being and sustainability. Trends such as personalized health, AI-driven diagnostics, and consumer demand for joyful, meaningful experiences will likely shape their investment focus. Their influence may grow as they continue to back transformative startups that redefine how science and technology improve everyday life, reinforcing their mission to cultivate joy through innovation.
This forward-looking approach ties back to their core mission: investing in companies that use science and technology not just to solve problems, but to enhance the quality and joy of human life globally[1][4][5].
Joyance Partners was founded in 2017 by William Lohse (Founder).
Key people at Joyance Partners.
