About
Serene Papenfuss, a Utah-based VC raised in Tokyo, connects with global founders and Mountain West outsiders, advising whether to pursue VC and working hands-on on SaaS and marketplace go‑to‑market growth.
Invests in
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechHealthtechSaaS
Board director at Donde
Intro paths
→
In turn, Serene can intro founders to Donde's investors below.
Donde's investors · 4
Co-founders at Donde
AD
Aaron DeRoseDirector
TC
Thomas CompagnoExecutive Officer, Director
RB
Rilee ButtarsExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
TC
Thomas CurritExecutive Officer
OF
Owen FullerDirector
Experience
- PDQVP of Growth & Operationscurrent2025 — presentSalt Lake City, Utah, United States
- PDQVP of Growth2025Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- PDQSenior Director of Operations & Strategy2023 — 2025Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- CareCarBoard Member2023Denver, Colorado, United States
- CareCarBoard Observer2021 — 2023Denver, Colorado, United States
- ShopDotInvestor2022 — 2023Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area
- Rook CapitalBoard Observer2022 — 2023Boulder, Colorado, United States
- DóndeBoard Member2022 — 2023Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- PeopleKeepBoard Member2021 — 2023Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- KickstartPrincipal2021 — 2023Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- Susquehanna Growth Equity (SGE)Portfolio Value Creation2018 — 2021Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Cicero GroupConsultant2016 — 2018Salt Lake City, UT
Education
- Brigham Young UniversityBachelor's degree, Political Science and Japanese
Skills & more
Statistical Data Analysis8Legal Research1Database Administration4Legal Writing1Research3Academic Tutoring6Political Polling5Internet Troubleshooting7Business Strategy1Data Analysis1Teamwork5Team Leadership11
+11 more
Public SpeakingLeadershipStrategic PlanningJapaneseMicrosoft OfficeStataLexisNexisMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft WordPowerPointTableauLanguages English · Japanese
From Serene's professional profile.
Deals · 1
Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.
Colleagues at Kickstart
Alex Soffe
General Partner & CFO at Kickstart Fund
Anna Sophia Rowe
Associate at Kickstart Fund
Brandon Beck
Principal at Kickstart Fund
Curt Roberts
General Partner at Kickstart Fund
Dalton Wright
General Partner at Kickstart Fund
Gavin Christensen
Founder & General Partner at Kickstart Fund
Karen Zelnick
Senior Director of Platform at Kickstart Fund
Kat Kennedy
General Partner at Kickstart Fund
Frequently asked questions
- Where does Serene Papenfuss work?
- Serene Papenfuss is Principal at Kickstart and Founder at Donde.
- What does Serene Papenfuss invest in?
- Serene Papenfuss invests in AI & Machine Learning, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Healthtech, SaaS.
- What check size does Serene Papenfuss write?
- Serene Papenfuss typically writes checks of $500K – $3M.
- What companies did Serene Papenfuss found?
- Serene Papenfuss founded Donde.
Same school
Also attended Brigham Young University226
Jake StormDeal Partner at Felicis VenturesJen ArdManaging Director, Head of Investment Operations at Intel CapitalNathan MickelsenVice President of Tax at RevolutionJohn SabinChief Financial Officer; President, Revolution Places at RevolutionDiogo MyrrhaPartner at Peak VenturesSid KrommenhoekPartner at Album
.avif)
+ 220 more
Shared employers
Also worked at PDQ1
Also worked at CareCar4
Also worked at PeopleKeep1
Also worked at Kickstart19
Gavin ChristensenFounder & General Partner at Kickstart FundKat KennedyGeneral Partner at Kickstart FundDalton WrightGeneral Partner at Kickstart FundAlex SoffeGeneral Partner & CFO at Kickstart FundTanner PotterPartner at Kickstart FundKristin GonzalezDirector of Finance at Kickstart Fund
+ 13 more