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Key people at KohFounders.
KohFounders operates as a pre-seed fund, partnering with entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of company formation. The firm invests across sectors like healthcare, education, climate, agriculture, financial technology, and frontier tech. KohFounders provides both capital and strategic guidance, integrating with founders to build their ventures.
Established by Bong Koh, Investment Partner, and Doh Koh, Technology Partner, the firm originated from the insight that entrepreneurial talent is often overlooked in domestic emerging ecosystems beyond tech hubs. This understanding guides their selection of mission-driven founders possessing deep domain expertise and a comprehensive market understanding.
KohFounders primarily supports early-stage, mission-driven founders developing companies within non-traditional tech markets across the United States. The company's vision is to empower these entrepreneurs, transforming concepts into successful businesses. By fostering growth from the ground up, KohFounders aims to cultivate a resilient network of impactful ventures.
Key people at KohFounders.
KohFounders is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2013 that partners with mission-driven founders before they raise institutional capital. The firm focuses on investing in emerging ecosystems across the United States, targeting sectors such as healthcare tech, ed tech, climate tech, ag tech, fintech, future of work, prop tech, and frontier tech, with a particular emphasis on blockchain and cryptocurrency projects. Their investment size typically ranges from $50,000 to $500,000, supporting pre-seed, seed, and early-stage startups. KohFounders aims to back scrappy, passionate founders with deep domain expertise and strong skills in product, design, development, sales, and marketing, helping build companies that address significant problems and create lasting impact[1][5].
Founded in Los Angeles, KohFounders has expanded its reach to cities including Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. The firm has built a portfolio of over 100 companies with a combined equity value exceeding $500 billion in exits. Their investment philosophy centers on identifying promising entrepreneurs in emerging ecosystems rather than traditional tech hubs, emphasizing early engagement and support at the formation stage. The founder or key partner has experience from prior roles in venture capital and tech accelerators, contributing to a strong network and deal flow sourced from scouts, advisors, fund LPs, accelerators, and entrepreneurs[1][3][4][5].
KohFounders rides the trend of decentralizing venture capital investment beyond traditional hubs like Silicon Valley, focusing on emerging ecosystems across the U.S. This timing aligns with increasing startup activity in secondary cities and the rise of blockchain and frontier technologies. By investing early in mission-driven founders tackling complex problems in sectors like climate tech and healthcare, KohFounders helps catalyze innovation in areas critical to societal and economic transformation. Their approach supports diversification of the startup ecosystem geographically and sectorally, influencing broader venture capital trends toward inclusivity and early-stage engagement[1][5].
Looking ahead, KohFounders is poised to deepen its influence by continuing to back early-stage startups in emerging tech sectors and geographies. Trends such as the growing importance of blockchain, climate solutions, and digital health will likely shape their portfolio evolution. Their commitment to supporting founders before institutional rounds positions them well to capture high-potential startups early, potentially increasing their impact and returns. As the startup ecosystem continues to decentralize, KohFounders’ model of localized, mission-driven investing may become increasingly relevant and influential in shaping the future of venture capital[1][3][5].
