Fundraising FoxKern Capital, LLC
Family officeLarkspur · Seed–Late Stage · 1 people tracked
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Investment thesis
Kern Capital invests in a diversified range of companies from new ventures to established, profitable businesses across many industries, with an emphasis on life sciences. It makes concentrated investments of $5 to $15 million in only a few companies per year and partners with strong management teams for the long term, typically taking board seats without involvement in daily operations. The firm adopts a long-term liquidity approach that is not tied to any single exit path, remaining opportunistic about returning capital via M&A, IPO, recapitalization, dividend, or otherwise. Its capital comes from high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and foundations, and principals typically serve as the largest personal investors in each portfolio company.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 1 people
from public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 8 of 21 portfolio companiesBiotech ×5Healthtech ×3SaaS ×2Consumer ×1Data & Infrastructure ×1Enterprise Software ×1Fintech ×1Gaming ×1
HQs:United States×8
Investments · 21 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 12024 · 22022 · 12019 · 15 dated
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Data & InfrastructureFintechSales TechConcord, US
Darr Aley(Director)inG. Thomas Aley(Director)Juliana Spofford(Executive Officer)inThomas C. Rauker(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardMatthew Conway(Director)John Kern, Jr.(Director)
PartnerJay Kern· solo GP
GPN Vaccines is a clinical-stage company developing vaccines against bacterial pathogens, including a vaccine to prevent pneumococcal disease.
BiotechHealthtechNew York, US
Timothy Hirst(Executive Officer, Director)James Selkirk(Executive Officer)in
Co-investorsForepont Capital PartnersShearwater Capital
Latigo Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing non-opioid pain medicines designed to stop pain transmission without addiction risk.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesThousand Oaks, US
Nima Farzan(Executive Officer, Director)Tim Lugo(Executive Officer)
BoardBeth Seidenberg(Director)inJim Tananbaum(Director)inDeborah Palestrant(Director)inKevin Raidy(Director)
PartnerJay Kern· solo GP
Co-investors5AM VenturesAccess BiotechnologyAscenta CapitalForesite CapitalSanofi VenturesWestlake Village BioPartners
Mido Lotto is a mobile app that acts as a digital courier for buying official state lottery tickets from licensed retailers, letting users order tickets, join group pools, and collect smaller winnings into an in-app wallet.
ConsumerGamingSaaSSan Francisco, US
Kevin Kramer(Executive Officer)
PartnerJay Kern· solo GP
Co-investorsSand Hill Angels
ProService Hawaii provides payroll, employee benefits, HR, and compliance solutions to employers in Hawaii.
Enterprise SoftwareHR TechSaaSKailua-Kona, US
Ben Godsey(President & CEO)in
PartnerJay Kern· solo GP
Co-investorsFFL PartnersSilver Lake Partners
Ribo Science is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel ribose-based molecules for treating human cancers and viral diseases.
BiotechHealthtech
PartnerJay Kern· solo GP
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
4J TherapeuticsApton BiosystemsArcadia CommunicationsConcentric AnalgesicsDiscoviaInvestCloudIonetixISIPallet Logistics of AmericaPGDxProvider SynergiesReata PharmaceuticalsShopatron Inc.Tab ProductsTech Lighting
Exits · 3
3 acquisitionsApton Biosystemsacq. by Pacific BiosciencesPGDxacq. by LabcorpReata Pharmaceuticalsacq. by Biogen
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesRiboscience · trysignalbase.com · May 26, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Kern Capital, LLC made?
- Kern Capital, LLC has 21 tracked investments, 3 of which have exited, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Kern Capital, LLC invest at?
- Kern Capital, LLC invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What is Kern Capital, LLC's typical check size?
- Kern Capital, LLC typically writes checks of $5M – $15M.
- What sectors does Kern Capital, LLC focus on?
- Kern Capital, LLC focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, Biotech, Fintech, Healthtech, Medical Devices, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Kern Capital, LLC located?
- Kern Capital, LLC is headquartered in Larkspur, US.
- Does Kern Capital, LLC lead rounds?
- Yes, Kern Capital, LLC leads investment rounds.
- Who does Kern Capital, LLC co-invest with?
- Kern Capital, LLC most often shares deals with 5AM Ventures, Foresite Capital, Samsung Catalyst Fund, among 18 tracked co-investors.
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