Samir Kaul
InvestorManaging Director at Khosla Ventures · Board director at Mariana Minerals · Board director at Traba · Board director at Mirvie
Menlo Park, California
Writes $500K – $50M checks · typically $25M
Find your path to Samir
3,487 people in our graph share verified history with Samir — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Deep NisharunlockedSamir: together at Harvard Business School (2000)
Samir: together at Coda
×9Samir: together at Harvard Business School
Samir: together at Mariana Minerals
About
Samir Kaul led an early, outsized bet called the first and largest check into OpenAI and applies genomics experience from Craig Venter’s Institute to evaluating biotech, health and deep-tech.
Contact· self-published, not guessed
Likely emails· guessed from name + firm domain, not firm-published
- s•••@khoslaventures.comreveal100% confident
- s•••@khoslaventures.comreveal90% confident
- s•••@khoslaventures.comreveal80% confident
- s•••@khoslaventures.comreveal70% confident
Invests in
AI & Machine LearningBiotechCleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareHealthtech
Beyond investing
- Founded
- He co-founded Helicos BioSciences with Stanford's Stan Lapidus and Steve Quake, a company developing single-molecule sequencing instruments. He was the founding CEO of Codon Devices, raising its Series A financing and building its technical and advisory teams.
- Education
- Studied at University of Michigan Studied at Harvard Business School (MBA)
- Boards
- He is a board member and chair of the Development Committee of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. He joined the Board of Directors of The Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2025. He was a longtime member of the Nominating and Leadership Committees of the Tipping Point Community, a nonprofit focused on poverty alleviation in the Bay Area. He served on the board of trustees for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. He serves on the Dean's Cabinet of Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
- Charities
- He is a founding donor to the Elevate Campaign for the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation. He endowed the directorship of the Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering at the University of Michigan. He established a Professorship of Biomedical Innovation and Translation between Harvard Medical School and Harvard Business School.
- Communities
- He remains deeply involved with his alma maters, the University of Michigan and Harvard University. He has expressed deep loyalty to the University of Michigan, from celebrating football championships to funding a new AI institute at the school.
- Hobbies
- He is dedicated to health optimization and sleep fitness, frequently posting his own recovery statistics from devices like Whoop and Eight Sleep.
- More
- He led the Arabidopsis Genome Initiative at Craig Venter's Institute for Genomic Research and published seven peer-reviewed papers in genomics, including a landmark Nature paper on the first complete genome of a flowering plant (Arabidopsis thaliana, 2000). He has backed repeat founder Gilad Almogy across four different companies.
From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.
Board director at Mariana Minerals
Intro paths
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In turn, Samir can intro founders to Mariana Minerals's investors below.
Mariana Minerals's investors · 8
Andreessen HorowitzMenlo Park · $500K – $50M checks · since 2025BEVBostonBreakthrough Energy VenturesBoston · $500K – $50M checksEarthshot VenturesSydney · $100K – $5M checksGreycroftNew York · $100K – $5M checksInception Studio CapitalSilicon Valley · $100K – $1.5M checksIndex VenturesSan Francisco · $540K – $10.8M checks · since 2025Khosla VenturesMenlo Park · $5K – $50M checks
Co-founders at Mariana Minerals
TC
Turner CaldwellExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
JL
Juan Lozano Van De VenExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
S(
Schuyler (Baker) TilneyExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
Board director at Traba
Intro paths
→
In turn, Samir can intro founders to Traba's investors below.
Traba's investors · 6
Abstract VenturesSan Francisco · $250K – $750K checks · since 2022Founders FundSan Francisco · $500K – $5M checks · since 2022Khosla VenturesMenlo Park · $5K – $50M checks · since 2022On DeckSan Francisco · since 2022Ravelin CapitalSausalito · since 2022Village GlobalCovina · $100K – $500K checks · since 2022
Co-founders at Traba
MS
Mike ShebatCofounder
AB
Akshay BuddigaExecutive Officer, Director
Board director at Mirvie
Intro paths
→
In turn, Samir can intro founders to Mirvie's investors below.
Mirvie's investors · 8
BlackRockWilmington · since 2022Decheng CapitalMenlo Park · since 2025Foresite CapitalWest Hollywood · since 2025General CatalystSan Francisco · $30M checks · since 2025GV (Google Ventures)Mountain View · $250K – $50M checks · since 2022Khosla VenturesMenlo Park · $5K – $50M checks · since 2025Mayfield FundCupertino · $500K – $12M checks · since 2025PortfoliaSan Mateo · $10K checks · since 2025
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Co-founders at Mirvie
MJ
Maneesh JainExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
SQ
Stephen QuakeDirector
Experience
- Khosla VenturesFounding General Partnercurrent2006 — present
- ReevoBoard Membercurrent2024 — present
- PrimerInvestorcurrent2021 — present
- Fortera CorporationBoard Membercurrent2019 — present
- RightwayBoard Membercurrent2021 — present
- TrabaBoard Membercurrent2022 — present
- HeadspaceBoard Membercurrent2023 — present
- Varda Space IndustriesBoard Membercurrent2021 — present
- FulfilBoard Membercurrent2020 — present
- StatespaceBoard Membercurrent2020 — present
- Scipher MedicineBoard Membercurrent2018 — present
- RaxiumInvestorcurrent2017 — present
- MirvieBoard Membercurrent2018 — present
- Eligo BioscienceInvestorcurrent2017 — present
- UkkoBoard Membercurrent2017 — present
- Siolta TherapeuticsBoard Membercurrent2017 — present
- Mojo Vision Inc.Investorcurrent2017 — present
- CodaInvestorcurrent2015 — present
- CadreInvestorcurrent2015 — present
- Iora HealthInvestorcurrent2015 — present
Skills & more
Private Equity12Venture Capital20
Languages English · French
From Samir's professional profile.
Deals · 5
TrabaLed round
via Khosla Ventures · filed Jun 2022
Impossible FoodsLed round
via Khosla Ventures · filed Mar 2020
HookLed round
via Khosla Ventures · filed Aug 2017
Guardant HealthLed round
via Khosla Ventures · filed Dec 2014
NutanixLed round
via Khosla Ventures
Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.
Other disclosed investments
Led
Connie HealthGranularIora HealthMainspringMirvieNanoH2OOpenAIOscar HealthPrimerQuantumScapeRaxiumReevoRhodaRightway HealthSLDSplit PayUltima GenomicsVarda Space Industries
Investor
EpitomeLS9Morphotek
Sources: the firm's website · curated public sources.
Colleagues at Khosla Ventures
Adina Tecklu
Investor at Khosla Ventures
Adrian Radu
Investor at Khosla Ventures
Alex Morgan
Investor at Khosla Ventures
Alice Brooks
Investor at Khosla Ventures
Amy Kalokerinos
Investor at Khosla Ventures
Anne Foor
Investor at Khosla Ventures
Austin Hay
Investor at Khosla Ventures
Avisha Mehra Naganath
Investor at Khosla Ventures
Network2
Edgar Bronfman Jr.
Chairman and General Partner at Waverley Capital
Eric Brook
Advisor at Ayuh Ventures
Investors connected to Samir in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Samir Kaul?
- Samir Kaul led an early, outsized bet called the first and largest check into OpenAI and applies genomics experience from Craig Venter’s Institute to evaluating biotech, health and deep-tech.
- Where does Samir Kaul work?
- Samir Kaul is Managing Director at Khosla Ventures and Board director at Mariana Minerals and Board director at Traba and Board director at Mirvie.
- What does Samir Kaul invest in?
- Samir Kaul invests in AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Deep Tech, Enterprise Software, Healthtech.
- What check size does Samir Kaul write?
- Samir Kaul typically writes checks of $500K – $50M.
- What companies has Samir Kaul invested in?
- Investments tracked here include Connie Health, Granular, Guardant Health, Hook, Impossible Foods, Iora Health, Mainspring, Mirvie, NanoH2O, Nutanix, OpenAI, Oscar Health, and 14 more.
- Where did Samir Kaul go to school?
- Samir Kaul studied at Harvard Business School (Master of Business Administration - MBA); University of Maryland (Master of Science - MS, Biochemistry).
- Does Samir Kaul lead rounds?
- Yes — Samir Kaul has led 23 tracked investments.
Same school
Also attended Harvard Business School2,000
Brad GerstnerFounder & CEO of Altimeter CapitalAileen LeeFounder & Managing Partner of Cowboy VenturesJim BreyerFounder & CEO of Breyer CapitalTim DraperFounder of Draper AssociatesMike Maples JrCo-founding Partner at FloodgateMamoon HamidPartner at Kleiner Perkins
+ 1,994 more
Also attended University of Maryland363
Katrina PagliaChief Legal Officer at Pantera CapitalSujal PatelStrategic Director at Madrona Venture GroupDaniel DemmerInvestor at OpenView Venture PartnersDan RochkindCFO at Lerer HippeauAaron EpsteinGeneral Partner at Y CombinatorKevin NiechenInvestment Team at 8VC
+ 357 more
