Footwork
Venture capitalActively deployingSan Francisco · Seed–Series A · 2 people tracked
Investment thesis
Footwork invests in consumer technology and enterprise software companies undergoing consumer-driven transformation, targeting those with early signs of product-market fit at the Seed and Series A stages. The firm believes in backing founder-led teams building category-defining companies and combines world-class investment expertise with operational experience to support portfolio companies through growth.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 21, 2026.
Team · 2 people
from the firm's websiteMike Smith was President and Chief Operating Officer of Stitch Fix from its inception through IPO and beyond. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Walmart.com and currently sits on the public company boards of MillerKnoll and Ulta Beauty.
Nikhil Basu Trivedi was a Managing Director at Shasta Ventures, where he invested in companies including Athelas, Brigit, Canva, ClassDojo, Color Health, Frame.io, Imperfect Foods, Lattice, and The Farmer's Dog. He previously worked at Insight Partners and served on the founding team at Artsy.
What they invest in
from 4 of 22 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×4EdTech ×2Enterprise Software ×2SaaS ×2Data & Infrastructure ×1Developer Tools ×1
HQs:United States×4
Investments · 22 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathGPTZero develops AI detection technology to identify artificially generated text, serving over 10 million users across education, publishing, and enterprise sectors. The company provides safeguards for responsible AI deployment at scale.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechEnterprise SoftwareNew York, US
<UNKNOWN>
A platform that converts text into mobile apps, websites, tools, and products using code generation and integrations including GPT-5 and 40+ third-party services.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsSaaS
Elicit is an AI-powered research assistant that helps users discover, analyze, and synthesize scientific literature and research findings. The platform serves researchers, academics, and professionals in life sciences, healthcare, and related fields who need to conduct evidence-based analysis at scale.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Andreas Stuhlmüller(Co-founder)Jungwon Byun
Protege aggregates and curates real-world data from diverse sources to create AI-ready datasets for model developers. The platform serves AI model builders, foundation model developers, and in-house AI teams across healthcare, video, audio, motion capture, and other domains while enabling data providers to monetize their assets through standardized licensing.
AI & Machine LearningData & Infrastructure
Board seats · per SEC filings · 3
what is this? ⓘ$15M raise · filed May 2024 · via Nikhil Basu Trivedi, Nikhil Trivedi
$13M raise · filed Jan 2024 · via Nikhil Basu Trivedi
$8.1M raise · filed Nov 2021 · via Nikhil Basu Trivedi
Inferred from directors named on each company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Footwork invest at?
- Footwork invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Footwork's typical check size?
- Footwork typically writes checks of $1M – $15M.
- What sectors does Footwork focus on?
- Footwork focuses on Consumer, Enterprise Software.
- Where is Footwork located?
- Footwork is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
- Does Footwork lead rounds?
- Yes, Footwork leads investment rounds.
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