Palo Alto · Pre-Seed–Seed · 2 people tracked
Also known as K9 VENTURES, LLC
Find your way into K9 Ventures
1,139 people in our graph share verified history with the K9 Ventures team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
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 Sep 15, 2026.
Team · 2 people
from the firm's website & public directories
Founder mafia
2 people who came through K9 Ventures went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 37 of 67 portfolio companiesSaaS ×19Enterprise Software ×14AI & Machine Learning ×13Developer Tools ×8Cloud Computing ×5EdTech ×5Consumer ×4Cybersecurity ×4
HQs:United States×33South Korea×1New Zealand×1Thailand×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 30 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×72 founders×153 founders×64+ founders×2
Where their founders studiedfrom 42 founders with education data
Stanford University ×5University of California, Berkeley ×5Carnegie Mellon University ×4Massachusetts Institute of Technology ×4University of Michigan ×3Montana State University-Bozeman ×2Seoul National University ×2The Wharton School ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 43 founders with field-of-study data
Computer Science ×27Engineering ×15Business & Management ×3Finance & Accounting ×3Life Sciences ×2Mathematics & Statistics ×2Physics ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 46 founders with career history
Bridger Photonics ×4Carnegie Mellon University ×3Lyft ×3Brightcove ×2Locomotive Labs ×2Luminar Technologies ×2NCsoft ×2Okta ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
11 founders hold a PhD · 4 hold an MBA (of 45 with degree data)
Investments · 67 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 22024 · 22022 · 42021 · 22018 · 52017 · 22016 · 22015 · 221 dated
Aurora Innovation develops the Aurora Driver, a self-driving technology platform designed to operate across multiple vehicle types including trucks, passenger vehicles, and commercial delivery vehicles, targeting trucking, ride-hailing, and local goods delivery markets.
Palo Alto, US
Chris Urmson(Executive Officer, Director)James Andrew Bagnell(Executive Officer, Director)Sterling Anderson(Executive Officer)William Mouat(Executive Officer)Ian Smith(Director)David Maday(Chief Financial Officer)in
Co-investorsIndex VenturesSequoia Capital
Dropbox provides cloud storage, file synchronization, and collaboration software for individuals, teams, and organizations to create, organize, share, and access content from any device.
Arash FerdowsiDrew Houston(Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder, and Chair)Ross Tennenbaum(Chief Financial Officer)William Yoon(Chief Legal Officer)Ali Dasdan(Chief Technology Officer)Eric Webster(Chief Business Officer)
Lyft is an on-demand ridesharing platform that connects passengers with drivers for various ride types, including standard rides, premium options, and other transportation services.
ConsumerEnterprise SoftwareMarketplacesMobility & TransportationSaaSSan Francisco, US
Logan Green(Co-founder & CEO)inJohn Zimmer(Co-founder & President)inDavid Risher(CEO)in
Co-investorsAglae VenturesAllied Venture PartnersAlpha Wave GlobalAndreessen HorowitzAutotech VenturesBling Capital+43 more
Okta provides identity and access management products designed to protect the identities of workforce and customer users.
Cloud ComputingCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
Todd McKinnon(Co-Founder, Chairperson of the Board and Chief Executive Officer)inFrederic Kerrest(Co-founder)inJ. Frederic Kerrest(Co-Founder and Vice Chairperson of the Board (former Chief Operating Officer, 2009–2023))inEric Kelleher(President and Chief Operating Officer)inBrett Tighe(Chief Financial Officer)inJon Addison(Chief Revenue Officer)in
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzFloodgateGlynn Capital ManagementGreylock PartnersJuniperoKhosla Ventures+5 more
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(Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer)inEvan Cooke(Director)John WolthuisinLee Kirkpatrick(Chief Financial Officer)inRoy Ng(Executive Officer)inKaryn Smith(Executive Officer)in
Co-investors500 GlobalBessemer Venture PartnersDraper AssociatesFounders Circle CapitalFounders FundIcon Ventures+16 more
Dealkit (formerly Docasaurus) was a transaction management platform for venture capital financings, serving founders, investors, and legal teams by managing the workflow from term sheet to close.
FintechLegalTechSaaS
James AlonsoinJeff SmitinAdam Zolyakin
Co-investorsCraft Ventures
Workona is a browser-based workspace tool that organizes tabs into project-based spaces, with autosave, tab syncing across devices, tab suspension, and search to switch between work contexts.
Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaS
Quinn(Leads product and marketing)Alma(Leads engineering and UX design)
Co-investorsAugust Capital
Compound Eye builds camera-based sensing and perception technology (VIDAS) that combines AI with classical computer vision to give autonomous machines depth measurement, scene understanding, and positioning without LiDAR or radar.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareRoboticsRedwood City, US
Jason Devitt(Founder)inHaoyang Wang(Founder)in
BoardManu Kumar(Director)inSven Strohband(Director)in
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsKhosla Ventures
Los Altos, US
John Hastings Granbery(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
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
Ajeet Shankar(Executive Officer, Director)inAJ Shankar(Founder & CEO)in
BoardManu Kumar(Director)inSteven Sinofsky(Director)inTyler Sosin(Director)inJeff Friedman(Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzCapitalGH.I.G. CapitalH.I.G. Growth PartnersMenlo VenturesMudita Venture+2 more
Forethought builds self-improving AI agents for customer service, now integrated into Zendesk's platform.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Mateo, US
Deon Nicholas(Founder)inSami Ghoche(Founder)in
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Co-investors8VCCleo CapitalFrontline VenturesGeodesic CapitalInspired CapitalNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)+4 more
Gradescope is a web platform for administering and grading assessments—paper-based, digital, code, and bubble-sheet assignments—with flexible rubrics, AI-assisted grouping of similar answers, and per-question analytics.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechSaaSBerkeley, US
Arjun Singh(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardDave Samuel(Director)Manu Kumar(Director)inSergey Karayev(Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsGSV VenturesBloomberg BetaFreestyle CapitalHouseReach Capital
Twindo converts iPhone/iPad scans, floor plans, and point clouds into accurate, editable CAD and BIM files for architectural and construction professionals.
Construction TechDeep TechSaaSBoulder, US
Kevin Albert(Founder)in
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsTechstarsTrilogy Equity PartnersFoundryIntel Capital
Mountain View, US
Lewis Anderson(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatDr. Manu Kumar· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsHomebrewCollaborative Fund
Agenda Hero offers an AI-powered tool that converts text, images, and PDFs into calendar events for Google, Apple, Outlook, and its own platform, and lets users build shareable, printable, and digital calendars.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerSaaS
Caren Cioffi(Founder)inTim Walling(Founder)in
Co-investorsUpfront VenturesPrecursor Ventures
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
Carlos Eugenio Pace(Executive Officer, Director)Matias Woloski(Director)inEugenio P.(Founder)inJonathan I. Gelsey(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardSunil Nagaraj(Director)inKaran Mehandru(Director)in
Co-investorsBessemer Venture PartnersEndeavor CatalystFounders Circle CapitalFUSENTT DOCOMO VenturesNXTP+11 more
Avoma is a meeting intelligence platform that automatically captures, transcribes, and analyzes meetings, delivering summaries and key takeaways to Microsoft Teams channels to keep teams aligned.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSales TechPalo Alto, US
Albert Lai(Founder)in
Co-investorsHubSpot VenturesInvariantes FundStorm VenturesTSVCTwin Ventures
BackType provides analytics tools for monitoring and understanding social conversations and content performance across the web.
Data & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Christopher Golda(Founder)inMike Montano(Founder)in
Co-investors500 GlobalY CombinatorFounder CollectiveTrue Ventures
Card Munch publishes practical technology content including app roundups, how-to guides, gaming setup advice, product reviews, and technology news.
Media & Entertainment
Bowei GaiSid Viswanathan
BoardManu Kumarin
Co-investors500 Global
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 SoftwareFintechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Henry Ward(Co-founder)inManu Kumar(Co-founder)inCharly Kevers(Chief Financial Officer)inJeff Perry(Chief Revenue Officer)inNick Avery(Chief People Officer)inNicole Baer(Chief Marketing Officer)in
Co-investorsA*Align VenturesAmity VenturesAndreessen HorowitzAnthemis VentureDraper Associates+36 more
Crave provides one-click cloud infrastructure and containerized "Devspaces" — unified remote dev environments that let engineering teams onboard, build, debug, and run CI consistently.
Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsSaaSSanta Clara, US
Alvin C.(Founder)inYuvraaj Kelkar(Founder)in
Co-investorsSignalFire
A resource and inspiration site for building stable careers and managing work-life balance, offering job search resources, career development tips, work-life management strategies, training programs, and an online community for professionals in Thailand.
EdTechHR Tech
DNAnexus operates a cloud platform for managing, analyzing, and collaborating on multiomic and clinical data, supporting bioinformatics workflows, AI/ML analytics, and cohort analysis.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureMountain View, US
Andreas Sundquist(Executive Officer, Director)inRichard Daly(Executive Officer, Director)inGeorge Asimenos, PhD(Chief Product Officer)in
BoardMichael Goldberg(Director)Geoff Duyk(Director)Krishna Yeshwant(Director)in
Co-investorsClaremont Creek VenturesForesite CapitalGV (Google Ventures)Uncork CapitalWireframe Ventures
Ello builds an AI-powered 1:1 reading tutor for children using a custom low-latency AI stack for real-time teaching decisions.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechSan Francisco, US
Tom Sayer(Co-founder, CEO)inDr. Elizabeth Adams(Co-founder, CXO)Catalin Voss(Co-Founder, CTO)inTom S(Founder)
Co-investorsGoodwater CapitalHomebrewKhosla VenturesProject A VenturesReach CapitalVisible Ventures+2 more
Enuma, based in South Korea, makes game-based learning software for young children.
EdTech
Gunho LeeinSooinn Lee(Founder)in
Co-investors500 GlobalK3 VenturesKakao VenturesLG Technology VenturesSamsung Next
Machine learning software platform that transforms unlabeled data into high-quality AI training data.
Co-investorsCanvas VenturesCheyenne VenturesGen CapitalPromus VenturesThe Perkins FundTrinity Ventures
HiHello provides an enterprise platform for digital business cards, email signatures, and video-call branding, letting companies deploy and control brand-consistent contact identities across every employee's devices and platforms.
ConsumerEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkMarketing TechSaaSPalo Alto, US
Manu Kumar(Co-founder & CEO)inHari Ravi(Co-founder)in
Co-investorsAugust CapitalFoundryLux CapitalTenOneTen Ventures
HighlightCam is a free iOS and Android app that continuously buffers the last 15 seconds of video so users can capture a sports highlight after it happens by tapping to save the preceding footage.
ConsumerSocialSports Tech
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
Eric Danziger(Founder)inPrateek Sachdeva(Founder)in
Co-investorsFraser McCombs CapitalSierra Ventures8VCClear VenturesSilent VenturesSlow Ventures
Lucidchart is a diagramming and visualization platform that enables teams to create process maps, org charts, technical diagrams, and system architecture visualizations using AI-powered features, data linking, and automation.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Karl Sun(Founder)inDave Growin
Co-investorsBling CapitalGlynn Capital Management
Meld operates a network for onboarding users to stablecoins and digital assets, offering onramp/offramp orchestration, multi-chain token support, and KYC/bank-linking tools accessible via API.
Crypto & Web3Developer ToolsFintechSan Francisco, US
Pankaj Bengani(Founder)in
Co-investorsCoatue ManagementFactionYolo InvestmentsLightspeed Faction
Aurora develops self-driving technology for autonomous vehicles.
AI & Machine LearningHardwareLogistics & Supply ChainMobility & TransportationPittsburgh, US
Chris Urmson(CEO)inDrew BagnellinSterling AndersoninRandy R. Reibel(Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer)inStephen Crouch(Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer)inTrenton Berg(Senior Hardware Engineer (listed as a founder on Crunchbase))in
Co-investorsGeodesic CapitalGreylock PartnersIndex VenturesKhosla VenturesMillennium New HorizonsMillennium Technology Value Partners+7 more
Nexkey provides a cloud-based access control system for gyms and fitness studios, enabling 24/7 door access, scheduled entry for trainers and vendors, remote unlocking, and tracking of occupancy and space utilization.
CybersecurityHardwareIoTPropTechSaaSAddison, US
Co-investorsUpfront VenturesStanley Ventures
Occipital's Twindo turns iPhone/iPad scans, floor plans, and point clouds into accurate, editable CAD and BIM files for architecture, design, and construction professionals.
Construction TechPropTechSaaS
Co-investorsGrishin RoboticsFoundryIntel CapitalShea Ventures, LLC
Osmo makes hands-on educational games that combine physical, tactile pieces with technology to teach children subjects such as music, coding, and math.
EdTechGamingHardware
Co-investorsAccelUpfront VenturesXG VenturesBain Capital VenturesCollaborative FundMVP Ventures
OtterTune was a database tuning service, originally a start-up spun out of Carnegie Mellon University.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsPittsburgh, US
Dana Van Aken(Founder)inAndy Pavlo(Executive Officer, Director)Dan Van Aken(Director)in
Co-investorsAccelIntel Capital
Pesto Mastercard offers affordable credit for people with poor or limited credit history, positioning itself as an alternative to high-cost pawn loans.
FintechSan Francisco, US
James Savoldelli(Founder)in
Co-investorsActivant CapitalCommerce VenturesCore Venture CapitalTruStage VenturesY CombinatorHeadline+5 more
Row Zero is a cloud spreadsheet built for large-scale enterprise data, scaling to billion-row datasets and connecting directly to data warehouses like Snowflake, Databricks, and Redshift with two-way SQL connections.
Data & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSeattle, US
Nick End(Executive Officer, Director)inBreck Fresen(Founder)inGrant B. Fresen(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsLudlow VenturesTrilogy Equity PartnersIA Ventures
Teleo provides a remote command center solution that enables a single operator to supervise multiple machines, improving site productivity and workforce attraction through enhanced safety and comfort, while offering real-time analytics for operational visibility.
Advanced ManufacturingConstruction TechRoboticsSan Francisco, US
Rom Clément(Co-founder and CTO)inVinay Shet(Co-founder and CEO)in
BoardAdam Grosser(Director)inRoger Fradin(Director)
Co-investorsTrousdale VenturesTrucks VCUP PartnersY Combinator
Torbit sells a cloud-based service for speeding up websites.
Developer Tools
Jon FoxJosh Fraser
Co-investors500 Global
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
ESharesLocomotive LabsMindset LabsPragliAidaAuroraCoinCrave.io Inc.CrowdFlowerDisheroDivebell, Inc.ForethoughtHighlightCamHiHelloHit StartIndexTankKidAdmitLucidChartLytroMobileSpanNimble VRTapCanvastbhValet parking on demand
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.
Exits · 9
5 IPOs · 4 acquisitions · showing 5Aurora InnovationNASDAQ: AURDropboxNASDAQ: DBXLyftNASDAQ: LYFTOktaNasdaq: OKTATwilioNYSE: TWLO
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Carta · techcrunch.com · Sep 16, 2026
Aurora Innovation · quiverquant.com · Aug 26, 2026
Okta · TheFly / StockAnalysis.com · Aug 19, 2026
Lyft · investing.com · Aug 10, 2026
Osmo · trysignalbase.com · Aug 5, 2026
Twilio · fundraiseinsider.com · Jul 19, 2026
Pesto · startupintros.com · Jul 13, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has K9 Ventures made?
- K9 Ventures has 67 tracked investments, 9 of which have exited, including 4 dated in the last 24 months.
- 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.
- Who does K9 Ventures co-invest with?
- K9 Ventures most often shares deals with 500 Global, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, among 133 tracked co-investors.
Co-investors · 73
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, known for pioneering the platform model with a large team of operators supporting founders across stages.
Union Square Ventures is a venture capital firm based in New York City that invests at the edge of large markets undergoing transformation from technological and societal pressures.
Upfront Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that positions itself as a long-term partner to founders, with a presence bridging the Los Angeles and Bay Area startup ecosystems.
Bessemer Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs across enterprise, consumer, and healthcare sectors from early stages through growth.
Accel is a venture capital firm that partners with exceptional teams, positioning itself as a first partner to founders globally.
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 invests in transformative, early-stage AI companies across every layer of the modern AI stack, from applications and middleware to data infrastructure and foundation models.
Bling Capital is a seed-stage venture firm that backs entrepreneurs seeking to find and scale product-market fit, supported by its Bling Product Council of over 100 product leaders.
Floodgate is a venture capital fund that backs founders at the earliest stages, positioning itself as their first true believers.
8VC is a venture capital firm investing across logistics, life sciences, healthcare, IT infrastructure, and government/defense, guided by its Smart Enterprise thesis focused on data integration and platform network effects.
Trinity Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in mission-driven entrepreneurs and their companies.
▶61 more co-investors
FoundryVillage GlobalTSVCCapitalGAugust CapitalReach CapitalGV (Google Ventures)Craft VenturesLong Journey VenturesUncork CapitalFelicis VenturesSpark CapitalSapphire VenturesMayfield FundFreestyle CapitalPrecursor VenturesMadrona Venture GroupMeritech Capital PartnersUlu VenturesSierra VenturesLowercase CapitalTribe Capital FirstlookOperator CollectiveWorklife VenturesInspired CapitalHouseBloomberg BetaH.I.G. Growth PartnersTwelve BelowQuest Venture PartnersStanley VenturesGeneral CatalystFirst Round CapitalKrakenB Capital GroupSound VenturesBalderton CapitalACME CapitalCaffeinated CapitalKapor CapitalObvious VenturesAfore CapitalSouth Park CommonsPractical Venture CapitalHarrison MetalGaingelsChemistryAIX VenturesBaseline VenturesBedrockMucker CapitalFounders' Co-opXYZ Venture CapitalRadical VenturesSpero VenturesThink+ Ventures Management, LlcAdams Street PartnersElefundUbiquity VenturesFootPrint CoalitionBroadway Venture Partners
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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