K9 Ventures
Venture capitalPalo Alto · Pre-Seed–Seed · 1 people tracked
Also known as K9 VENTURES, LLC
Investment thesis
K9 Ventures is a technology-focused pre-seed fund that seeks to be the first institutional or professional capital raised by its portfolio companies, preferring to engage before any capital is raised or after only friends-and-family funding. It typically invests when the founding team is established and beginning to build the product, sometimes even at the idea stage. Initial checks range from $250K to $750K, with a sweet spot around $400K. The firm prefers to lead rounds, takes a board seat, and structures investments as priced equity rounds using Series Seed documents rather than convertible notes or SAFEs. K9 invests in only 4-6 companies per year to build deep founder relationships.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 1 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 15 of 73 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×8Enterprise Software ×8SaaS ×6Cloud Computing ×3Advanced Manufacturing ×2Construction Tech ×2Developer Tools ×2Biotech ×1
HQs:United States×19
Investments · 73 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathPalo Alto, US
Chris Urmson(Executive Officer, Director)James Andrew Bagnell(Executive Officer, Director)William Mouat(Executive Officer)Ian Smith(Director)Sterling Anderson(Executive Officer)
Connect corporate document and web apps to devices on-the-go without changing anything.
Twilio provides a cloud-based communications platform that enables businesses to integrate voice, messaging, and video into applications using APIs.
Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US
Jeff Lawson(Founder)inEvan Cooke(Director)Scott Raney(Director)Lee Kirkpatrick(Executive Officer)Roy Ng(Executive Officer)Karyn Smith(Executive Officer)
Compound Eye develops a perception platform for vehicles and machines that combines geometric and semantic understanding to enable high-context situational awareness, advanced driver assistance, and autonomous capabilities.
AI & Machine LearningHardwareRedwood City, US
Jason Devitt(Founder)Haoyang Wang(Founder)
BoardManu Kumar(Director)Sven Strohband(Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Los Altos, US
John Hastings Granbery(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Palo Alto, US
Andrew Daniel Parker(Director)Charly Kevers(Executive Officer)Manu Kumar(Director)Henry Shozen Ward(Executive Officer)Michael Chien Hsing Wu(Executive Officer)John Ward Buttrick(Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D · $41.5M raise · filed Oct 2017
Everlaw develops advanced software for e-discovery and litigation, helping organizations manage digital evidence and navigate complex legal proceedings.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingEnterprise SoftwareLegalTechNew York, US
Steven Sinofsky(Director)Ajeet Shankar(Executive Officer, Director)Jeff Friedman(Director)
BoardManu Kumar(Director)Tyler Sosin(Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Forethought builds self-improving AI agents for customer service, now integrated into Zendesk's platform.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Mateo, US
Deon Chris Nicholas(Founder)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Berkeley, US
Dave Samuel(Director)Arjun Singh(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardManu Kumar(Director)Sergey Karayev(Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Berkeley, US
Garett Wiley(Executive Officer, Director)Sean Lee(Director)Manu Kumar(Director)Sooinn Lee(Executive Officer, Director)Gunho Lee(Executive Officer)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D · $4M raise · filed Feb 2015
San Francisco, US
Anjali Menon(Executive Officer, Director)Brooke Krajancich(Executive Officer)Manu Kumar(Director)Asaf Zilberfarb(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D · $3M raise · filed Sep 2021
Boulder, US
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D · $15M raise · filed Jan 2018
San Francisco, US
Vivek Nair(Executive Officer, Director)Douglas Steven Safreno(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardManu Kumar(Director)Jett Fein(Director)Daniel Liem(Director)Kojo Osei(Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D · $237.5K raise · filed Jan 2025
Mountain View, US
Lewis Anderson(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Auth0 is an authentication and authorization platform that secures applications, AI agents, and internal tools by providing identity management, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and fine-grained access control capabilities.
CybersecurityDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareBellevue, US
Monica Enand(Director)Carlos Eugenio Pace(Executive Officer, Director)Sunil Nagaraj(Director)Jonathan I. Gelsey(Executive Officer, Director)Peter van Hardenberg(Director)Karan Mehandru(Director)
Carta is a cloud-based ERP platform for private capital markets that manages cap tables, equity administration, fund management, and valuations for startups, private companies, and venture funds globally.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS<UNKNOWN>
Henry Ward(Co-founder)Manu Kumar(Co-founder)Charly Kevers(Chief Financial Officer)Jeff Perry(Chief Revenue Officer)Nick Avery(Chief People Officer)Nicole Baer(Chief Marketing Officer)
DNAnexus is a cloud platform for precision health research that enables pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic organizations to process and analyze genomic and multi-omics data at scale.
BiotechCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureMountain View, US
HANNES SMARASON(Director)Richard Daly(Executive Officer, Director)MICHAEL GOLDBERG(Director)GEOFF DUYK(Director)STEPHEN THAU(Executive Officer)NATHANIEL GOLDHABER(Director)
Machine learning software platform that transforms unlabeled data into high-quality AI training data.
Integrated platform that helps you build and manage your full stack of fintech services.
Invisible AI develops computer vision and AI solutions for the manufacturing industry, with expertise in human body and motion tracking derived from autonomous vehicle technology.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine Learning
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 K9 Ventures invest at?
- K9 Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is K9 Ventures's typical check size?
- K9 Ventures typically writes checks of $250K – $750K.
- What sectors does K9 Ventures focus on?
- K9 Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Deep Tech, Enterprise Software, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is K9 Ventures located?
- K9 Ventures is headquartered in Palo Alto, US.
- Does K9 Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, K9 Ventures leads investment rounds.
Co-investors · 73
Andreessen Horowitz's Strategic Partnerships page describes collaborations that connect its portfolio companies with established institutions to help scale and deploy their technology.
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm known for backing bold, contrarian bets in world-class teams that can reshape entire industries.
Union Square Ventures is a venture capital firm based in New York City that invests in companies at the edge of large markets being transformed by technological and societal pressures.
Bessemer Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs from early stages through every stage of growth, publishing investment roadmaps across multiple technology sectors.
Techstars is a startup accelerator and early-stage investor that funds ambitious founders and provides capital, mentorship, and access to a global network of investors, operators, and corporate partners.
Menlo Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs transformative, early-stage technology companies reshaping how people live and work.
8VC is a technology investment firm that builds and invests in ambitious companies across sectors including life sciences, healthcare, manufacturing, enterprise, logistics, and defense.
Trinity Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in mission-driven entrepreneurs and their companies.
Foundry Group is a venture capital firm that describes its approach as network-driven investing. It maintains offices in New York and Boulder, Colorado.
TSV Capital (TSVC), formerly TEEC Angel Fund, is a Silicon Valley seed-stage venture firm that backs technical founders at the earliest stages, having invested in over 200 early-stage companies.
August Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in a small number of companies, providing hands-on support to entrepreneurs building their businesses.
GV (formerly Google Ventures) is a venture investment firm that backs founders across many industries, aiming to build long-term relationships and support companies across multiple stages and milestones.
▶61 more co-investors
Long Journey VenturesUncork CapitalSpark CapitalSapphire VenturesBling CapitalMadrona Venture GroupMeritech Capital PartnersUlu VenturesSierra VenturesLowercase CapitalVillage GlobalTribe Capital FirstlookOperator CollectiveCapitalGWorklife VenturesInspired CapitalBloomberg BetaH.I.G. Growth PartnersQuest Venture PartnersGeneral CatalystCraft VenturesAccelFelicis VenturesFirst Round CapitalKrakenB Capital GroupSound VenturesBalderton CapitalACME CapitalMayfield FundFreestyle CapitalPrecursor VenturesCaffeinated CapitalKapor CapitalObvious VenturesAfore CapitalFloodgateSouth Park CommonsPractical Venture CapitalHarrison MetalUpfront VenturesGaingelsChemistryAIX VenturesBaseline VenturesBedrockMucker CapitalReach CapitalFounders' Co-opXYZ Venture CapitalHouseRadical VenturesSpero VenturesThink+ Ventures Management, LlcAdams Street PartnersElefundTwelve BelowUbiquity VenturesFootPrint CoalitionBroadway Venture PartnersStanley Ventures
Firms observed investing alongside K9 Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with K9 Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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