Fundraising Fox
🦊/People
Sign in

Spencer Foust

Investor

Managing Director at Sozo Ventures · Board director at SPARROW LENDING PBC · Board director at Kargo

San Francisco, California

Writes $100K – $5M checks · typically $1.5M

Kauffman Fellow · Class 2830 Under 30 2021 · Venture Capital

Find your path to Spencer

1,205 people in our graph share verified history with Spencer — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Mischa VaughnunlockedSpencer: together at Carta (2020)
×4Spencer: together at Kauffman Fellows
Spencer: together at Flexport
Spencer: together at Saronic

About

Spencer Foust joined Sozo Ventures in June 2016 and leads investments from seed to pre-IPO. He previously worked at Apple and on the B61 Nuclear Weapon program at Sandia National Labs. He holds a Master's in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2020.

Contact· published on Spencer's own website

Board director at SPARROW LENDING PBC

Intro paths

→

In turn, Spencer can intro founders to SPARROW LENDING PBC's investors below.

SPARROW LENDING PBC's investors · 1

Sozo VenturesRedwood City · since 2022

Board director at Kargo

Intro paths

→

In turn, Spencer can intro founders to Kargo's investors below.

Kargo's investors · 9

AvenirNew York · since 2025Avenir Growth CapitalNew York · since 2021Evolution VC PartnersNew York · since 2021Hearst VenturesTel Aviv · $2M – $5M checks · since 2025Industrious VenturesDenver · since 2021LightbankChicago · $500K – $5M checks · since 2025Linse CapitalSan Juan · since 2025Matter Venture PartnersSilicon Valley · since 2025Sozo VenturesRedwood City · since 2025

Co-founders at Kargo

SLSam Lurye
Sam LuryeFounder

Experience

  1. Sozo VenturesManaging Directorcurrent2021 — presentPalo Alto, California / Tokyo, Japan
  2. Sozo VenturesPartner2016 — 2021Palo Alto, California / Tokyo, Japan
  3. Kauffman FellowsKauffman Fellowcurrent2023 — present
  4. InvestorAngel / LP / Advisorcurrent2019 — present
  5. GensparkInvestorcurrent2025 — present
  6. MaintainXInvestorcurrent2025 — present
  7. HydrolixInvestorcurrent2025 — present
  8. LambdaInvestorcurrent2025 — present
  9. Saronic TechnologiesInvestorcurrent2024 — present
  10. Ema UnlimitedInvestorcurrent2024 — present
  11. Molten IndustriesInvestorcurrent2024 — present
  12. WorkeraInvestorcurrent2023 — present
  13. StordInvestorcurrent2022 — present
  14. SparrowBoard Membercurrent2022 — present
  15. SmartHopBoard Membercurrent2022 — presentMiami, Florida, United States
  16. Viz.aiInvestorcurrent2021 — present
  17. KargoBoard Membercurrent2021 — present
  18. Anduril IndustriesInvestorcurrent2021 — present
  19. project44Board Observercurrent2020 — present
  20. CartaInvestorcurrent2020 — present
  21. CohesityInvestorcurrent2020 — present

Skills & more

Written Communication7Venture Capital42Supply Chain Operations29Operations Management22Start-ups10Microsoft Office22Microsoft Excel12Matlab14Data Analysis10Leadership11Mechanical Engineering8PowerPoint7
+8 morePrecisionTreeSolidWorksPublic SpeakingResearchGlobal Business DevelopmentGlobal StrategyMicrosoft WordValue Investing

Languages Japanese · Spanish

From Spencer's professional profile.

Deals · 2

Logistics ExchangeBoard seat

via Sozo Ventures · filed Feb 2022 · $37M raise

SPARROW LENDING PBCBoard seat

via Sozo Ventures · filed Jan 2022 · $5.8M raise

Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.

Other disclosed investments

Board seats

Kargo

Investor

HydrolixKargoLeaf LogisticsSmartHop

Sources: SEC Form D filings · curated public sources.

Colleagues at Sozo Ventures

Aantorik Ganguly
Associate at Sozo Ventures
Alaina N. Watts
Assistant Controller at Sozo Ventures
Bob Roe
VP, Narrative Development at Sozo Ventures
Charles A.D. Kern
Analyst at Sage Capital
Clay Gary
Venture Partner at Sozo Ventures
Edwin Ong
Chief of Staff at Sozo Ventures
Elena Winefeld
CFO at Sozo Ventures
Jack Freeman
Partner at PeakSpan Capital Partners

Frequently asked questions

Who is Spencer Foust?
Spencer Foust joined Sozo Ventures in June 2016 and leads investments from seed to pre-IPO. He previously worked at Apple and on the B61 Nuclear Weapon program at Sandia National Labs. He holds a Master's in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2020.
Where does Spencer Foust work?
Spencer Foust is Managing Director at Sozo Ventures and Board director at SPARROW LENDING PBC and Board director at Kargo.
What check size does Spencer Foust write?
Spencer Foust typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.
What boards does Spencer Foust sit on?
Spencer Foust holds tracked board seats at Kargo, Logistics Exchange, SPARROW LENDING PBC.
What companies has Spencer Foust invested in?
Investments tracked here include Hydrolix, Kargo, Leaf Logistics, SmartHop.
Where did Spencer Foust go to school?
Spencer Foust studied at Stanford University (Master of Science (MS), Management Science and Engineering); Middlebury Language Schools (Japanese Language Program - Summer); University of Arkansas (Bachelor of Science (BS), Mechanical Engineering).

Same school

Shared employers