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Kicker Ventures

Venture capital

San Francisco · Pre-Seed–Series A · 30 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Kicker seeks technology companies that transform healthcare through breakthroughs in biosignal detection, data science pattern recognition, and AI-driven personalization. The firm prioritizes solutions that extend beyond traditional pharmaceutical models, leverage cutting-edge digital technology, and measurably improve patient outcomes and access to care in ways that are more advanced, equitable, and empowering than existing alternatives.

Source: firm website, verified Sep 26, 2026.

Stage
Pre-Seed–Series A
Check
$100K – $1M
HQ
San Francisco, PA, US
Leads rounds
Leads
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2020
Tracked investments
34
Unicorns
2
Acquisitions
2

Team · 30 people

from the firm's website & curated & public directories
Tomoko Ishikura· Partnerin

Founder mafia

3 people who came through Kicker Ventures went on to found or lead other companies.

What they invest in

from 21 of 34 portfolio companies

AI & Machine Learning ×12Healthtech ×12Digital Health ×9Biotech ×8Mental Health ×6SaaS ×5Deep Tech ×3Wellness & Fitness ×3

HQs:United States×10United Kingdom×1Japan×1

Who they back

founder profiles across 16 portfolio companies
38%
solo founders
6 of 16 mapped founding teams
28%
repeat founders
of 18 founders with career history

Founding team size:solo founder×62 founders×63 founders×34+ founders×1

Where their founders studiedfrom 18 founders with education data

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ×3Harvard Business School ×2Harvard Medical School ×2University of British Columbia ×2University of Oxford ×2Yale University ×2

What their founders studiedfrom 17 founders with field-of-study data

Computer Science ×5Engineering ×4Life Sciences ×3Business & Management ×2Economics ×2Physics ×2

Where their founders worked beforefrom 18 founders with career history

Cornell ×2Spring Care ×2

Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program

Techstars ×2

Investments · 34 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2024 · 12022 · 12021 · 22018 · 12016 · 16 dated

Aniseanisehealth.coin

Anise Health offers culturally-responsive online therapy and health coaching designed for the Asian American community, matching adults with licensed therapists and certified coaches trained in cultural sensitivity.

Digital HealthHealthtechMental Health

Alice Zhang(Co-Founder & CEO)inNisha Desai(Co-Founder & COO)inRandy Wong(Chief Technology Officer)

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investors37 AngelsCeltic House Asia PartnersDelight VenturesHow Women InvestLotus Venture PartnersNextblue+2 more

Beaconbeacon.bio

Beacon Biosignals develops AI-powered EEG analytics technology to improve diagnosis and treatment of neurological, psychiatric, and sleep disorders.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthMedical DevicesBoston, US

Jacob A. Donoghue, M.D., Ph.D.(Executive Officer, Director)Jacob Donoghue(CEO & Co-Founder)inJarrett Revels(CTO & Co-Founder)in

BoardCaitlin Donovan(Director)Pavel Raifeld(Director)Naveen Rao(Director)in

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsGeneral CatalystAlumni VenturesCatalio Capital Management, LPGV (Google Ventures)Iaso VenturesCasdin Capital+3 more

Behavidencebehavidence.com

Behavidence Enterprise is a clinical decision support platform that uses digital biomarkers to help healthcare professionals make diagnostic and treatment decisions.

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMental Health

Roy Cohen(Founder)in

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsFusion VCGoAhead VenturesLongevity Venture PartnersWelltech Ventures

Benchlingbenchling.comin𝕏Apr 2016

Benchling provides a cloud-based R&D platform for life sciences, combining a collaborative electronic lab notebook, structured scientific data modeling, automated workflows, and AI tools.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US

Sajith Wickramasekara(Founder)inAshutosh Singhal(Founder)Ashu Singhal(Founder)inCheng Kang(Founder)Cornelius Chen(Founder)

BoardMiles Grimshaw(Director)in

Co-investorsAlkeon InnovationAndreessen HorowitzArtisanal VenturesBalaji SrinivasanDraper AssociatesEnsemble Labs+30 more

Bolt Threadsboltthreads.comDefunct

Bolt Threads was a manufacturer of biomaterials for personal care formulations.

BiotechNew MaterialsFoxboro, US

Ethan Mirsky(Founder)David Breslauer(Founder)Daniel Widmaier(Executive Officer, Director)Dan Widmaier(Founder)

BoardJerry Fiddler(Director)Steven Vassallo(Director)in

Co-investorsKyber Knight CapitalMission Bay CapitalMission Biocapital8VCBaillie GiffordCPT Capital+6 more

CareX AIcarex.ai

CareX.Ai develops video-based software that turns camera-equipped devices into passive vital signs monitoring systems.

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsAIX VenturesAlesta YatırımGreen Sands EquityHealthX VenturesStreamlined Ventures

Colabracolabra.ai

Colabra is an AI workspace for M&A due diligence that converts sell-side document dumps into a clause-linked risk register, entity map, and live gap analysis.

AI & Machine LearningFintechSaaS

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsJude GomilaVillage GlobalBuilders VCDuro VenturesInovia Capital

Dosukasudosukasu.co

A company that measures, evaluates, and trains visual-cognitive abilities using VR and tablet-based applications, enabling cost-effective assessment compared to traditional fMRI approaches.

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHardwareHealthtechHR TechImpact & Social Good

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Elsafertilityelsafertility.com

Mello builds AI agents that automate back-office healthcare operations, working across EMRs, payer portals, labs, and faxes to read, decide, and complete tasks like insurance authorizations and documentation.

AI & Machine LearningHealthtechSaaS

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsTau VenturesValia Ventures

Gravel AIgravelai.comin

Gravel AI is an AI-powered beauty market intelligence platform that tracks ingredient trends, analyzes formulations, and benchmarks competitors across millions of beauty products.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureLogistics & Supply ChainSaaSLondon, GB

To Hong Chan(Founder)in

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsJoyance PartnersOctopus VenturesTechstarsSupernode Ventures

Jonajona.healthin𝕏

Jona provides an AI-powered gut microbiome analysis that interprets scientific literature to generate personalized health insights and recommendations for consumers.

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthWellness & Fitness

Leo Grady, PhD(Founder)in

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesArgon VenturesCity LightConnecticut InnovationsDefy Partnersmark vc+3 more

Kanvas Biokanvasbio.comin𝕏

Kanvas Bio operates a platform for discovering, developing, and manufacturing live biotherapeutics based on the human gut microbiome.

BiotechDeep TechHealthtechMonmouth Junction, US

Matthew Cheng(Executive Officer, Director)inHao Shi(Executive Officer, Director)inIwijn De Vlaminck(Executive Officer, Director)in

BoardJason Pontin(Director)inJustin Smithline(Director)in

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesBascom VenturesBoutique Venture PartnersDCVC (Data Collective)FemHealth VenturesGermin8 Ventures+4 more

Nanostringnanostring.com𝕏acquired by Bruker · Apr 2024 · $392.6M

NanoString (part of Bruker Spatial Biology) develops instruments and assays for spatial biology and gene expression analysis, including single-cell and subcellular spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, and multiomics.

BiotechDeep TechHealthtechMedical Devices

Co-investorsAspect VenturesForesite CapitalOwl Capital

One Bioone.bio

One.bio develops food products designed to provide beneficial molecular signals to support health and address chronic inflammatory disease.

BiotechFoodTechHealthtechWellness & Fitness

Matt Amicucci(Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer)Matt Barnard(Co-Founder & CEO)in

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsAcre Venture PartnersAlpha EdisonBetter Ventures Central LlcCollaborative FundDoon CapitalE12 Venture Capital, Llc+6 more

Pulse Labspulselabs.aiin𝕏Jan 2018

Pulse Labs provides AI-powered user research and feedback analysis tools for product teams to test features, gather insights, and make data-driven product decisions.

AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsIoTMarketing TechSaaSSeattle, US

Dylan Zwick(Founder)inAbhishek Suthan(Founder)inAkansha Mehta(Executive Officer, Promoter)in

BoardMaria Karaivanova(Director)

Co-investorsTechstarsMadrona Venture GroupAlexa FundAmazon Alexa FundBezos Expeditions

Quartet Healthquartethealth.comin𝕏

Quartet Health provides a value-based behavioral healthcare solution that identifies, engages, and cares for patients with behavioral health needs, including serious mental illness.

Digital HealthHealthtechMental HealthNew York, US

Arun Gupta(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardAnn Lamont(Director)inSteve Shulman(Director)

Co-investorsF-Prime CapitalNat TurnerOak HC/FTR7 PartnersThree Fields Capital Management LLCGV (Google Ventures)

Rubyrubybio.com

Ruby Bio develops biosynthesis technology and scale-up solutions for specialty chemicals, biofuels, and alternative proteins.

BiotechDeep TechFoodTechNew Materials

Charlie Silver(CEO/Co-founder)inPavan(Co-founder)Mark(Executive (role not specified))Ana(Executive (role not specified))Harshal(Executive (role not specified))Colin(Executive (role not specified))

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesEarth Venture CapitalFusionJoyance PartnersSocial StartsThe Venture Collective+4 more

Seed Healthseed.comin𝕏Apr 2021

Seed develops clinically studied probiotic and prebiotic formulations designed to support digestive health and overall wellness through proprietary delivery technology that protects beneficial bacteria through the digestive tract.

HealthtechWellness & FitnessVenice, US

Ara Katz(Executive Officer, Director)inRajat Dhir(Executive Officer, Director)Andy Bradley(Executive Officer)

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesArtis VenturesBold Capital PartnersBoxGroupCollaborative FundColor Capital+15 more

Spring Healthspringhealth.comin𝕏

Spring Health is an AI-native platform delivering personalized mental health support through self-guided tools, coaching, therapy, medication management, and specialty care for employers, health plans, and individuals.

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMental Health

April Koh(Founder)inAdam Chekroud(Founder)inAbhishek Chandra(Founder)

Co-investorsAble PartnersBBG VenturesCrew CapitalEQUIAMGingerbread CapitalKinnevik+7 more

Swing TherapeuticsinJun 2022Acquired

Digital therapeutics developer behind Stanza, an FDA-authorized smartphone behavioral therapy for fibromyalgia symptoms.

BiotechHealthtechSan Francisco, US

Michael Rosenbluth(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardAndrew Firlik(Director)inZack Lynch(Director)inCorey McCann(Director)

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesAME Cloud VenturesAsahi Kasei Corporate VenturesGaingelsJAZZ Venture PartnersMana Ventures+1 more

Talofa Gamestalofagames.com𝕏

Jenny Xu(Founder)

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsChamaeleonFusionBasis Set VenturesInsight Partners

Woebotwoebot.ioin𝕏Jul 2021

Woebot Health builds chat-based AI wellness tools to provide mental health support to individuals and organizations.

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthMental Health

Alison Darcy(Founder & CEO, PhD)in

Co-investorsJAZZ Venture PartnersOwl VenturesSDVAI FundAlumni VenturesGaingels+3 more

Woebot Healthwoebothealth.comin𝕏

Woebot is a chat-based mental health support app for adolescents that uses conversational AI informed by cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based approaches.

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMental Health

Dr. Alison Darcy(Founder)Alison Darcy(Founder)

PartnerMasashi Kiyomine· solo GP

Co-investorsAI FundAlumni VenturesAurum Venture PartnersGiant LeapKhosla VenturesNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)+4 more

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

AACCIChemSpeed TechnologiesFitStudioImmersive CognitionMindstrongOvum AIPanateaPlace GenomicsQore TechnologiesTalofa

Exits · 2

2 acquisitions · showing 1

Nanostringacq. by Bruker

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Kicker Ventures made?
Kicker Ventures has 34 tracked investments, 2 of which have exited.
What stage does Kicker Ventures invest at?
Kicker Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
What is Kicker Ventures's typical check size?
Kicker Ventures typically writes checks of $100K – $1M.
What sectors does Kicker Ventures focus on?
Kicker Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Data & Infrastructure, Digital Health, Healthtech, Longevity, Medical Devices.
Where is Kicker Ventures located?
Kicker Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
Does Kicker Ventures lead rounds?
Yes, Kicker Ventures leads investment rounds.
Who does Kicker Ventures co-invest with?
Kicker Ventures most often shares deals with Alumni Ventures, Collaborative Fund, F-Prime Capital, among 120 tracked co-investors.

Images

Kicker Ventures photoKicker Ventures photoKicker Ventures photoKicker Ventures photo

Co-investors · 7

DCVC (Data Collective)

DCVC (Data Collective) is a deep tech venture capital firm that backs entrepreneurs using computational approaches to solve large-scale real-world problems across many industries.

Both backed · 2
$5M – $25M
Basis Set Ventures

Basis Set Ventures is an AI-native venture firm that uses a modern machine learning stack and foundation models to find and support AI companies, positioning itself as a hands-on partner to founders.

Both backed · 2
TalofaTalofa Games
$1M – $3M
Fusion

Fusion Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm backing startups with technical or data advantages in healthcare, enterprise AI, and industrial technology.

Both backed · 2
RubyTalofa Games
$500K – $1M
Chamaeleon

Chamaeleon is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley that invests globally in transformative companies, using a proprietary AI and quantitative engine to inform its investment decisions.

Both backed · 2
TalofaTalofa Games
$1M – $5M
Bain Capital Ventures

BCV Labs is the platform and hands-on support arm of Bain Capital Ventures, providing portfolio founders with go-to-market strategy, brand development, hiring assistance, and customer introductions.

Both backed · 1
$1M – $100M
Village Global

Village Global is an early-stage venture capital firm that leads pre-seed and seed rounds globally and across sectors, backed by a network of prominent tech founders and operators who serve as LPs.

Both backed · 1
$500K – $3M
AIX Ventures

AIX Ventures is an AI-focused venture fund that backs founders building companies in artificial intelligence.

Both backed · 1
CareX AI
$1M – $5M

Firms observed investing alongside Kicker Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Kicker Ventures's recorded portfolio.

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