Investor Profile: Kapor Capital — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Kapor Capital is one of the United States' best-known impact venture firms, investing in early-stage startups that, in its own words, "close gaps of access for all". The Oakland-based firm's guiding belief is that positive impact does not have to come at the cost of financial returns. If you are researching Kapor Capital funding — how to get funding from Kapor Capital — this profile covers its thesis, cheque size and application route.

Investment thesis and sectors

Kapor Capital backs tech-driven early-stage companies working in the US to close gaps of access, opportunity and outcome for low-income communities and communities of colour, particularly African-American and Latinx communities. The firm says it is open to investing across every sector, including education, work, finance, justice, environment, food and health. Its investment criteria are explicit: it only writes cheques at pre-seed, seed or Series A — anything later is out of scope.

Fund size and cheque size

The firm's third fund, Fund III, closed at $126 million in September 2022 — Kapor Capital's largest fund to date and its first raised from outside investors rather than the founders' own capital. On cheque size, the firm has stated publicly that it has written cheques "as small as $250K, and as large as $3M", investing primarily in pre-seed and seed rounds, with average cheques described at around $250K for pre-seed up to $3M for Series A.

Notable portfolio companies

Kapor Capital's homepage features portfolio companies including Promise, Lumi (Colin Kaepernick's venture), Newsela, interviewing.io, Thrive Market and ChargerHelp. Fund III investments reported by TechCrunch include the LGBT+ digital banking platform Daylight and the credit-building card TomoCredit, alongside Cayaba Care.

Partners and programmes

Kapor Capital was founded in 2011 by Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein, with Brian Dixon serving as managing partner. The firm runs several community programmes: the Founders' Commitment, a G.I.V.E. (Goals, Invest, Volunteer, Educate) pledge on diversity, equity and inclusion that every portfolio founder signs; the Summer Associates programme demystifying venture capital for people underrepresented in the industry; the Kapor Capital Fellows programme, with 70+ students graduated since 2011; and the Kapor Capital Talent Network. The firm does not advertise a startup credits or perks programme.

How to apply for funding from Kapor Capital

Kapor Capital runs a public online Funding Application. Founders complete a five-minute multi-step form at kaporcapital.com/pitch: Intro, Basic Details, Open Response and Upload Pitch. The page asks applicants to review the firm's investment criteria first — pre-seed to Series A only — before submitting.