Founders
Venture capitalActively deployingSan Francisco · Pre-Seed–Seed · 11 people tracked
Also known as Adamo Capital Family Office Llc · Founders Principals
Investment thesis
Founders, Inc positions itself as the first check for founders tackling hard problems in emerging domains, backing bold ideas across AI, AR/VR, B2B, hardware, content creation, and robotics regardless of sector. Beyond capital, it emphasizes providing physical space, community, and support that helps founders experiment, fail, recover, and persist. Operating from a 42,000 sq ft campus at Fort Mason in San Francisco, the firm cultivates a community of builders and invites founders to campus, offers a first check, and connects them with a network of top founders.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 11 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 9 of 12 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×4Consumer ×2Deep Tech ×2Enterprise Software ×2Gaming ×2Healthtech ×2Social ×2Advanced Manufacturing ×1
HQs:United States×7United Kingdom×1
Investments · 12 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Gym Class is a social gaming platform featuring sports games like basketball, baseball, boxing, football, paintball, and soccer available on Meta Quest VR and mobile.
ConsumerGamingSocial
Paul(Product Leader)Erik(CTO)
HealthtechNew York, US
Kareem Zaki(Director)Arel Lidow(Director)Ken Howery(Director)Florian Otto(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatKen Howery· per SEC Form D · $13M raise · filed Jan 2017
Gecko Robotics builds robots equipped with sensors and cameras to inspect industrial structures like boilers for structural defects, replacing dangerous manual inspections at height.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningDeep TechRoboticsPittsburgh, US
Jake Loosararian(Founder/CEO)Troy Demmer(Founder/COO)Gaetano Crupi(Director)Andrew Davis(Director)Trae Stephens(Director)
Board seatTrae Stephens· per SEC Form D · $139.9M raise · filed Jun 2025
San Francisco, US
Board seatTrae Stephens· per SEC Form D · $9M raise · filed Jan 2021
RigUp (operating under Workrise) provides vendor management, staffing and payroll, and bid management software for the energy industry in the US and Canada.
EnergyEnterprise SoftwareSaaSUnknown, US
David George(Director)Napoleon Ta(Director)Ying Xuan Yong(Executive Officer, Director)Jeffrey A. Harris(Director)Michael Witte(Executive Officer, Director)Geoff Lewis(Director)
Board seatNapoleon Ta· per SEC Form D · $300M raise · filed May 2021
New York, US
Ken Howery(Director)Cyrus Massoumi(Executive Officer, Director)David Weiden(Director)Netta Samroengraja(Executive Officer, Director)Oliver Kharraz(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatKen Howery· per SEC Form D · $1.5M raise · filed Apr 2015
Headlight provides mental health services in the Western U.S., offering therapy and medication management delivered by licensed clinicians through a care coordination model that emphasizes personalized matching and integrated care.
Digital HealthHealthtechMental Health<UNKNOWN>, US
Dr. Manish ShethJason Shen(Executive Officer, Director)Wayne Gerard(Executive Officer, Director)
Hoxton Farms grows cultivated fat, a biomanufactured ingredient for food companies to use in plant-based and alternative meat products.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechFoodTechLondon, GB
Vítor Espírito Santo(Chief Scientific Officer)in
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Founders invest at?
- Founders invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is Founders's typical check size?
- Founders typically writes checks of $250K.
- What sectors does Founders focus on?
- Founders focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Consumer, Creator Economy, Crypto & Web3, Developer Tools, Enterprise Software, Gaming, Hardware, Robotics, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Founders located?
- Founders is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
- Does Founders lead rounds?
- Yes, Founders leads investment rounds.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
from their channelhe built a new type of electric vehicle
Founders, Inc.
He invented a "microfactory"
Founders, Inc.
he built self driving fork lifts
Founders, Inc.
Canopy Festival - 24 Teams Live from Fort Mason
Founders, Inc.
they made an AI model that finds tumors
Founders, Inc.
he discovered a new way to make metals
Founders, Inc.
Images
Co-investors · 21
Soma Capital is a venture capital firm that partners early with founders, emphasizing close relationships and running a fellows program for those just getting started.
Alumni Ventures (AV) is a venture firm that gives accredited individual investors access to professionally managed, diversified venture portfolios by co-investing alongside leading lead VC firms. It offers annual funds, syndicate deal-by-deal investing, and various investor clubs.
Founder Collective is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on seed and pre-seed investments across all sectors.
DST Global is a global internet-focused investment firm that backs fast-growing, high-value internet companies. It does not solicit or accept retail investors.
Pioneer Fund is a venture capital firm investing in the top Y Combinator startups.
Goodwater Capital is a consumer technology investment firm backing entrepreneurs building companies across sectors such as housing, healthcare, food delivery, financial services, education, entertainment, and transportation.
BITKRAFT Ventures is a global investment platform focused on gaming, interactive media, and related technologies, investing at the intersection of physical and digital worlds it calls 'Synthetic Reality.'
TQ Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm whose team invests from first principles and commits deeply to the founders it backs.
__Twitter.png)
Gaingels is a large venture investor that co-invests alongside lead VCs in companies committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, while advocating for LGBTQ+ representation and equity of access in venture capital.
Unusual Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs enterprise founders from initial insight through market leadership, providing a proprietary playbook for finding product-market fit.
Work-Bench is a New York City-based seed-stage venture fund backing early-stage founders building enterprise, SaaS, and infrastructure software, with hands-on go-to-market support.
Nyca Partners is a fintech-focused venture capital firm that invests primarily in early-stage financial services and technology companies, offering founders strategic support and access to a large advisor network.
▶9 more co-investors
foobar.vcPreston-Werner VenturesMakers FundCurious CapitalG20 VenturesMoonfire VenturesMysten LabsBackend CapitalGamegroove Capital
Firms observed investing alongside Founders, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Founders's recorded portfolio.
Similar investors
Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders globally, supported by a community of founders and operators as LPs.
MPG Fund is an early-stage venture investor backing technology startups.
OMERS Ventures is the venture capital arm of the OMERS pension plan, investing in early-stage technology founders building solutions across North America and Europe.
Alumni Ventures (AV) is a venture firm that gives accredited individual investors access to professionally managed, diversified venture portfolios by co-investing alongside leading lead VC firms. It offers annual funds, syndicate deal-by-deal investing, and various investor clubs.
Flucas Ventures is a venture capital firm with a portfolio of 265 companies spanning fintech, crypto, space/defense, AI, biotech, marketplaces, and emerging markets, with numerous exits via acquisition and IPO.