Chris McCann
InvestorPartner at Race Capital
Palo Alto, California
Writes $100K – $5M checks · typically $5M
About
Chris McCann, an early Solana angel and National Geographic Photographer of the Year who built a Solana NFT project, co‑founded Startup Digest, which grew to over one million subscribers.
Invests in
AI & Machine LearningCrypto & Web3Data & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFintech
Experience
- Race CapitalPartnercurrent2019 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- Kauffman FellowsKauffman Fellows - Class 30current2025 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- DatabricksInvestorcurrent2020 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- SolanaSeed Investorcurrent2018 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- VectaraLead Seed Investorcurrent2023 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- GroqInvestorcurrent2024 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- PlayLead Seed Investorcurrent2024 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- Clerk ChatLead Seed Investorcurrent2024 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- AirMDR, Inc.Lead Seed Investorcurrent2025 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- OpsinLead Pre-Seed & Seed Investorcurrent2024 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- GoodNotesLead Seed Investorcurrent2021 — presentLondon, England, United Kingdom
- OpenlayerLead Series A Investorcurrent2025 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- ShinamiLead Seed Investorcurrent2023 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- ScarfLead Seed Investorcurrent2021 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- Opaque SystemsLead Seed Investorcurrent2021 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- Lightning LabsSeed Investorcurrent2020 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- NotifiLead Pre-Seed & Seed Investorcurrent2022 — presentSeattle, Washington, United States
- Bundlr NetworkSeed Investorcurrent2022 — presentLondon, England, United Kingdom
- StartupDigestCo-Foundercurrent2009 — present
- HyperDXLead Seed Investor2023 — 2025San Francisco Bay Area
- Sematic (YC S22)Lead Seed Investor2022 — 2025San Francisco Bay Area
- Greylock PartnersCommunity Lead2014 — 2018Menlo Park
- The Thiel FoundationMentor2012 — 2015Palo Alto
- Singularity UniversityAdvisor2012 — 2013Palo Alto
- StartX.Advisor2010 — 2013Palo Alto
- TED ConferencesTEDx Silicon Valley2009 — 2011
- Innovation Quest Alumni FundCo-Founder2009 — 2010
- Geeks on a PlaneGeeks on a Plane - Tokyo 2009 Organizer2009 — 2010
- Plug and Play Tech CenterBusiness Relationship Associate2009
- Innovation QuestEntrepreneur in Residence2007 — 2009
- California Polytechnic State UniversityDirector of the Ray Scherr Business Plan Competition2007 — 2009San Luis Obispo, California Area
- SIFEVP Fundraising, Project Manager2006 — 2008
- ysn.comOperations Intern2007
- John Tracy ClinicGrant Writing Assistant2006
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Skills & more
Negotiation15Strategy99Management41Public Speaking13Mentoring6Strategic Thinking7Leadership8Information Technology6Operational Execution5Market Research3Product Launch2Product Design2
+12 more
EntrepreneurshipMarketingDistribution StrategiesPhilosophyGroup DynamicsSpeed ReadingEarly-stage StartupsVenture CapitalStart-upsSalesProduct ManagementBusiness StrategyLanguages English · Spanish
From Chris's professional profile.
Colleagues at Race Capital
Network11
Dalton CaldwellScout
Co-founder of Standard Capital; Partner Emeritus at Y Combinator
Alfred ChuangScout
General Partner at Race Capital
Amr AwadallahScout
Angel investor
Ana LevineScout
General Partner at E1 Ventures
Baek KimScout
Partner at Hashed
George GodulaScout
Investor at Life Biosciences
Steve JangScout
Managing Partner at Kindred Ventures
Yuri SagalovScout
Founder and Managing Partner at Wayfinder Ventures
Rick Yang
Partner, Head of Technology at New Enterprise Associates (NEA)
Sid Trivedi
Partner at Foundation Capital
Taro Fukuyama
Investor at SmartHR, Inc.
Investors connected to Chris in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Chris McCann?
- Chris McCann, an early Solana angel and National Geographic Photographer of the Year who built a Solana NFT project, co‑founded Startup Digest, which grew to over one million subscribers.
- Where does Chris McCann work?
- Chris McCann is Partner at Race Capital.
- What does Chris McCann invest in?
- Chris McCann invests in AI & Machine Learning, Crypto & Web3, Data & Infrastructure, Enterprise Software, Fintech.
- What check size does Chris McCann write?
- Chris McCann typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.
- Where did Chris McCann go to school?
- Chris McCann studied at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.
Same school
Also attended California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo92
Brent FellowsVice President, Finance and Tax at Menlo VenturesTravis BryantSales Leadership at Redpoint VenturesMax DavisSenior Accountant at HeavybitElizabeth PattersonOperating Partner at Sapphire VenturesRyan AzusFormer Chief Revenue Officer at Zoom Video Communications at Scale Venture PartnersJules GsellInvestor at IVP (Institutional Venture Partners)
+ 86 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Kauffman Fellows382
Jenny LeeSenior Managing Partner at Granite AsiaTobi CokerDeal Partner at Felicis VenturesRoi Bar-KatManaging Director at Intel CapitalAvi BharadwajInvestment Director at Intel CapitalNick WashburnSenior Managing Director, Intel Capital (North America)Vinnie LauriaFounding Partner at Golden Gate Ventures
+ 376 more
Also worked at Groq33
Jonathan RossFounder of Groq; inventor of Google's TPU — now at NvidiaJeannette zu FürstenbergPresident & Managing Director at General CatalystAbdo John HajjFounder of AJH Investments, a private investment office built for long-duration ownership.Tripp JonesInvestor at Uncork CapitalSunny DhillonFounder and Managing Partner at Kyber Knight CapitalJean WeillAssociate at C4 Ventures
+ 27 more
Also worked at Play7
Steve JangManaging Partner at Kindred VenturesNoah LeshanInvestor at Entrepreneur FirstStu GriffithsInvestor at NFXHammad SyedFounder at PlayAIOliver Wendell-BralyFounder/CEO at ClarusHuzaifa AhmadFounder at Parameter (fka Hex Security)
+ 1 more