The Perkins Fund
Venture capitalPre-Seed–Late Stage · 7 people tracked
Investment thesis
The Perkins Fund invests in people and companies solving unmet market needs through a mix of technology, marketing savvy and hard work. Founded by industry veteran Sonja Hoel Perkins, the fund typically takes minority positions of less than 10% of a round and only selectively takes board seats, instead adding value in fundraising, market positioning and business strategy. It emphasizes long-term relationships with high-character entrepreneurs, and notably over half of its founders are women. It invests across all stages, from seed and startup through late-stage deals.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 7 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 32 of 49 portfolio companiesConsumer ×13Direct to Consumer ×11Enterprise Software ×9E-commerce ×8SaaS ×7AI & Machine Learning ×6Data & Infrastructure ×3Fintech ×3
HQs:United States×21
Who they back
founder profiles across 25 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×172 founders×64+ founders×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 13 founders with career history
Benchmark ×2G20 Ventures ×2MaiaEdge ×2Shopping.com ×2
Investments · 49 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2022 · 12021 · 12020 · 12019 · 14 dated
Neighborhood social network; IPO 2021
AdTechSan Francisco, US
Nirav Tolia(Co-Founder, CEO, President & Chairperson of the Board)inSarah Leary(Co-Founder, Chief of Marketing, Community & Business Operations)inPrakash Janakiraman(Co-Founder & Chief Architect)inDavid Wiesen(Co-Founder (Engineering))inIndrajit Ponnambalam(Chief Financial Officer)Sarah Friar(Former CEO, President & Chairperson)in
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsAxel Springer Digital VenturesCoatue ManagementComcast VenturesCota CapitalDag VenturesDragoneer Investment Group+18 more
Burlington, US
Andrew D. Ory(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Patrick J. MeLampy(Mr. MeLampy is the Chief Operating Officer of the Issuer.)Patrick MeLampy(Mr. MeLampy is the Chief Operating Officer of the Issuer.)
BoardRobert C. Hower(Director)Sonja Perkins(Director)in
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsG20 Ventures
Video platform company acquired by Cisco Systems.
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsDCM VenturesLuminari Capital
Alethea provides an AI risk management platform that monitors online narratives and threats to help organizations identify and mitigate risks to their reputation, operations, and personnel before they escalate into crises.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise Software
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsBallistic VenturesOwl Capital
Argent Work is a women's professional apparel brand that sells workwear and offers style content aimed at working women.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceNew York City, US
Sali Christeson(Founder)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsPortland Seed FundFuel CapitalSugar Capital
Bitsight provides cyber risk intelligence and asset management software that maps enterprise vulnerabilities, prioritizes threats, and measures cyber resilience across an organization's supply chain and extended attack surface.
CybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Stephen Boyer(Founder)in
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsWarburg Pincus
Bitwise provides professionally managed crypto investment funds and exposure, serving individuals, financial advisors, and institutions.
Crypto & Web3FintechSan Francisco, US
Hong Kim(Executive Officer, Director)Hunter Horsley(Founder & CEO)inKatherine Dowling(Executive Officer)Matt Hougan(Executive Officer)Teddy Fusaro(Executive Officer)
BoardCorey Mulloy(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsBlockchain CapitalCastle Island VenturesChorus OneCoinbase VenturesCraft VenturesDria Ventures+5 more
Carbon38 is a wellness and lifestyle brand that offers apparel and products for fitness and active living.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceWellness & FitnessLos Angeles, US
Katie Warner Johnson(Co-Founder)Caroline Gogolak(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardTodd Kimmel(Director)Deborah Benton(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsEvolution VC PartnersHalogen Ventures Management Company Llc
Chronicled operates MediLedger, a blockchain-based platform for data alignment and transaction settlement among pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, GPOs, and health systems.
Crypto & Web3Enterprise SoftwareHealthtech
Samantha Radocchia(Cofounder)Susanne Somervillein
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsEmery CapitalNewtown PartnersPantera CapitalPortfoliaPortland Seed FundR/GA Ventures+4 more
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsGreen Park & Golf VenturesDolby Family Ventures
Ditto builds a distributed database that lets applications sync and access data across mobile and edge devices via a peer-to-peer mesh, without requiring a centralized server or internet connection.
Cloud ComputingData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise Software
Adam Fish(Founder & CEO)in
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsAdvance Venture PartnersAugust CapitalTech Square VenturesAmity VenturesCraft VenturesFriends Family Capital+4 more
Ellevest is a women-founded, women-led SEC-registered investment advisor offering wealth management and financial planning services designed for women and their families.
FemTechFintechImpact & Social Good
Sallie Krawcheck(Founder)in
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsAloft VCAltra VentureAmplifica CapitalAstiaCleo CapitalContour Venture Partners+15 more
Expectful offers guided meditation and wellness content covering fertility, pregnancy, and labor for people trying to conceive and expecting parents.
FemTechMental HealthWellness & Fitness
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsBreak Trail VenturesJoyance PartnersIndicator VenturesPowerhouse Capital
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Machine learning software platform that transforms unlabeled data into high-quality AI training data.
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsCanvas VenturesCheyenne VenturesGen CapitalK9 VenturesPromus VenturesTrinity Ventures
Goalfive designs and sells women's athletic apparel, including workout shorts, sports bras, tops, leggings, and joggers.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerce
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsAmrock VenturesLong Way VenturesCascade Seed Fund
GoldieBlox makes construction toys designed for children, aimed at encouraging building and STEM-style play.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerce
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsMaywic Select InvestmentsQVenturesRivet VenturesGingerbread Capital
GridGain provides an enterprise-grade in-memory computing platform built on Apache Ignite, enabling real-time data processing, analytics, and AI/ML workloads for mission-critical applications.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise Software
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsR136 VenturesSilver Lake PartnersAlmaz Capital
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsAsset Management CompanyGreat Oaks Venture Capital
Healthy Roots Dolls manufactures dolls designed to celebrate children's beauty and promote self-love.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerDetroit, US
Yelitsa Jean-Charles(Executive Officer, Director)in
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsBackstage CapitalLightship Capital
Hint makes zero-sugar, unsweetened flavored water sold in a range of fruit flavors, available directly to consumers through one-time purchase or subscription.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Informed provides AI-powered employment and income verification solutions for lenders, using document intelligence and historical lending data to automate applicant verification, reduce fraud, and accelerate loan approvals.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechTiburon, US
Justin Wickett(Executive Officer, Director)Jatin Agrawal(Founder)inJames Ramsey(Director)
BoardMagdalena Yesil(Director)Steve Krausz(Director)inJeremy Solomon(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsAspect VenturesNycaNyca PartnersOwl CapitalUS Venture Partners
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
KETOS develops an automated water quality and monitoring platform combining hardware, connectivity, software, and services to test water safety and efficiency for cities and businesses.
AI & Machine LearningCleantechData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareIoTMilpitas, US
Meena Sankaran(Executive Officer, Director)Veery Maxwell(Director)
BoardHeidi Patel(Director)inOllen Douglass(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsRethink ImpactBetter Ventures Central LlcMotley Fool VenturesPlum Alley InvestmentsAccenture Ventures
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Mercy develops blood-based tests for early cancer detection using its patented Mercy Halo platform, which applies qPCR technology and extracellular vesicles to identify combinations of cancer-associated biomarkers.
BiotechHealthtechMedical Devices
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsHatteras Venture PartnersiSelect FundMindshift CapitalNovalis LifeSciencesPortfoliaSozo Ventures
San Francisco, US
Mariam Naficy(Executive Officer, Director)inBrady Wood(Executive Officer)Melissa Kim(Executive Officer)inMateo Bryant(Executive Officer)Sarah Wallis(Executive Officer)Spencer Lee(Executive Officer)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsNorwest Venture PartnersMenlo VenturesRidge VenturesSlow Ventures
Stable operates an AI-powered platform and virtual business address service that digitizes physical mail, automatically routes it, and integrates mail data into a company's existing tools.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Olivela is an online fashion and jewelry retailer that donates 20% of net proceeds from purchases to a choice of 30+ cause partners across education, nature/environment, and health.
Direct to ConsumerE-commerceImpact & Social GoodRetail TechSan Francisco, US
Stacey Boyd(President)Caprice Young(Director)Andrew Trader(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsNeythri Futures Fund
Owlet develops baby sleep monitoring devices and software that provide real-time wellness insights for infants.
ConsumerHealthtechIoTLehi, US
KURT WORKMAN(Executive Officer, Director)JORDAN MONROE(Director)Kurt Workman(Founder)inJordan Monroe(Founder)inSPENCER TAYLOR(Executive Officer)
BoardLIOR SUSAN(Director)in
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsEniac VenturesIPD CapitalOwl CapitalR/GA VenturesTechstarsTrilogy Equity Partners+4 more
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
WRITER is an enterprise AI platform that deploys AI agents to handle execution work, enabling teams to focus on strategic and creative tasks while maintaining brand consistency and compliance standards.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsAspect VenturesUpfront Ventures
Brooklyn, US
Frederique Harrel(CEO, President)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsFemale FoundersBBG Ventures
Raftr builds community management platforms to help organizations create inclusive spaces where members can connect and engage.
EdTechSaaS
Sue Decker(Founder & CEO)in
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsJavelin Venture PartnersLauder PartnersOwl Ventures
Rocksbox is a jewelry brand offering demi-fine, stackable and personalized styles designed in gold vermeil and lab-grown diamonds.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerce
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsMucker Capital
Sarah Flint is a luxury footwear and accessories brand offering shoes handcrafted in Italy with a focus on fit, comfort features like arch support and padding, and timeless design.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceHouston, US
Sarah Flint(Founder & Designer)Tony Naimo(Executive Officer)Mary Beech(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardDeborah DeCotis(Director)Jonathan Flint(Director)RoAnn Costin(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsHalogen Ventures Management Company Llc
Saysh is a footwear brand that designs performance sneakers built specifically for the anatomy of women's feet using its FemiformityFIT technology.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerSports TechCulver City, US
Allyson Felix(Founder)Paul Wesley Felix(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardMontse Suarez(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsBlack Founders MatterRedpoint VenturesThe BFM Fund
StyleRow is a project management platform built for interior designers that includes budgeting, invoicing, client dashboards, moodboards, and order tracking features.
Future of WorkSaaSBeverly Hills, US
Erinn Valencich(Executive Officer, Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsEntrada VenturesHalogen Ventures Management Company LlcFounders Fund
Seattle, US
Jeffrey Hussey(Executive Officer, Director)Sarab David Mattes(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardJohn Connors(Director)inStuart Bailey(Director)Erik Swan(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
The RealReal is an online marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment, allowing consumers to buy and sell pre-owned designer clothing, accessories, jewelry, watches, and home goods.
Circular EconomyConsumerE-commerceMarketplacesSan Francisco, US
Julie Wainwright(Executive Officer, Director)Matt Gustke(Executive Officer)Henry V. Barry(Executive Officer)Henry V Barry(Executive Officer)
BoardMathias Schilling(Director)inCynthia Ringo(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsAcrew CapitalAspect VenturesBright Pixel CapitalCanaan PartnersDBL PartnersGreycroft+10 more
True Tickets provides a secure digital ticket delivery platform for arts and cultural venues, using continuously-refreshing dynamic QR codes to reduce fraud and duplicate scans, along with rules-based ticket sharing and resale controls.
Marketing TechMedia & EntertainmentSaaSBoston, US
Matthew Zarracina(Executive Officer, Director)Steven Dobesh(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardStuart Halberg(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsWalnut Venture Associates
Unagi sells electric scooters, including refurbished Model One units, and offers a scooter membership subscription program as an alternative to ownership or ride-sharing.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerHardwareMobility & Transportation
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsPure VenturesStructural CapitalMenlo Ventures
UniKey provides mobile credential technology for lock and access control manufacturers, enabling integration with Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, and Bluetooth.
HardwareIoTSaaSOrlando, US
PHIL DUMAS(Executive Officer, Director)STEVEN FISKE(Director)
BoardJOHN FRANKEL(Director)inRICHARD SIMONI(Director)MANUEL KADRE(Director)
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsAkkadian VenturesAsset Management CompanyKombo VenturesLauder PartnersFf Venture CapitalSamsung Next
UrbanSitter operates a marketplace platform where families book childcare, tutoring, pet sitting, housekeeping, and senior care services, while caregivers access flexible job opportunities with transparent pay and client reviews.
ConsumerFuture of WorkMarketplacesSan Francisco, US
Lynn Perkins(Co-founder)Andrea Barrett(Co-founder)Jessica Steel(Executive Officer, Director)Rob Hayes(Director)Neal Hansch(Director)
BoardVincent Caruso(Director)in
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Co-investorsAdvance Venture PartnersAspect VenturesCanaan PartnersDBL PartnersOwl CapitalRoyal Street Ventures Management Company, Llc+1 more
PartnerSonja Perkins· solo GP
Exits · 3
IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolioNextdoor (NYSE: 2021)NYSE: NXDR128 Technologyacq. by Juniper Networks1Mainstreamacq. by Cisco Systems
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesThe Real Real x-tech-robotics · ca.investing.com · Aug 6, 2026
Ellevest · investmentnews.com · Jul 24, 2026
Bitwise · bitcoinworld.co.in · Jul 13, 2026
Ditto · htworld.co.uk · May 12, 2026
Raftr · datacenterdynamics.com · May 7, 2026
Informed · fintechfutures.com · Dec 18, 2025
Mercy BioAnalytics · trial.medpath.com · Sep 5, 2025
Nextdoor (NYSE: 2021) · TechCrunch · Jul 15, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has The Perkins Fund made?
- The Perkins Fund has 49 tracked investments, 2 of which have exited via acquisition or IPO.
- What stage does The Perkins Fund invest at?
- The Perkins Fund invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Late Stage stages.
- What sectors does The Perkins Fund focus on?
- The Perkins Fund focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Enterprise Software, SaaS.
- Does The Perkins Fund lead rounds?
- The Perkins Fund typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does The Perkins Fund co-invest with?
- The Perkins Fund most often shares deals with Owl Capital, Aspect Ventures, Halogen Ventures Management Company Llc, among 134 tracked co-investors.
Co-investors · 21
Owl Capital is an investment firm run by experienced entrepreneurs and investors who leverage their network to support portfolio companies, citing a track record of 10 IPOs, 26 M&A exits, and over 600 financings.
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VC Firm committed to standing in their founder's corner, not their kitchen.
Greylock Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that partners with founders building novel companies, providing deep engagement, network, and resources to each investment.
True Ventures is a venture capital firm established in 2005 that focuses on early-stage technology companies, with operations based in Silicon Valley.
Great Oaks Venture Capital is a New York-based early-stage investor that partners with founders at the earliest stages of company building across the United States.
Ulu Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm focused on finding and funding early-stage founder teams, emphasizing diversity and data-driven investment decisions.
Acrew Capital is a venture capital firm that emphasizes a team-based approach to investing, offering portfolio companies access to its full team.
Ballistic Ventures is a venture capital firm focused exclusively on backing cybersecurity entrepreneurs, drawing on the operating experience of investors who have founded, funded, and operated over 90 companies.
Javelin Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in unique ideas, people and business models across companies it would personally want to join.
Quiet Capital is an early-stage venture firm run by builders who back founders from day zero.
SciFi is the venture fund of Max and Nellie Levchin, an early-stage generalist firm partnering with founders tackling hard problems, with emphasis on fintech, artificial intelligence, and science.
Fifth Wall is an investment firm focused on technology for the built environment (PropTech), backing startups that make the spaces where people live, work, and play smarter, safer, and more energy efficient.
▶9 more co-investors
Inspired CapitalDraper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ)ICONIQ CapitalWildcat Venture PartnersTransmedia CapitalBDC Venture CapitalRethink Capital PartnersFabric VCClearstone Venture Partners
Firms observed investing alongside The Perkins Fund, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with The Perkins Fund's recorded portfolio.
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