Karlin Ventures
Venture capitalLos Angeles · Seed–Series A · 2 people tracked
Investment thesis
Karlin Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund in Los Angeles, affiliated with Karlin Asset Management. It focuses on enterprise software, commerce platforms, and marketplaces while remaining open to other verticals. The firm targets U.S.-based companies, preferably on the West Coast, that have proof-of-concept in place (post-revenue or with secured contracts) and need less than $5 million and three years to reach break-even. It typically writes checks of $250,000 to $2,000,000, prefers co-investor roles, and participates in follow-on rounds. Karlin positions itself as a value-add partner supporting entrepreneurs who take contrarian approaches to solving large, interesting problems.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 31, 2026.
Team · 2 people
from the firm's websiteCo-founder, CEO, and CIO of Karlin Asset Management (founded 2005) with over 30 years of principal investing experience across public and private securities, real estate, and private equity. His background spans investment banking at Lazard Freres and senior roles at large investment firms.
An advisor to Karlin Ventures who has been active in startups since college, having founded an online textbook retailer, served as CFO of EV startup Lit Motors, and worked at seed-stage fund Innovation Endeavors and McKinsey & Co. He holds an MBA from Stanford and a BA from Wesleyan.
Investments · 6 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathFrequently asked questions
- What stage does Karlin Ventures invest at?
- Karlin Ventures invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Karlin Ventures's typical check size?
- Karlin Ventures typically writes checks of $250K – $2M.
- What sectors does Karlin Ventures focus on?
- Karlin Ventures focuses on E-commerce, Enterprise Software, Marketplaces, SaaS.
- Where is Karlin Ventures located?
- Karlin Ventures is headquartered in Los Angeles, US.
- Does Karlin Ventures lead rounds?
- Karlin Ventures typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
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