Kauffman Fellows

We are proud to announce the 66 new Kauffman Fellows selected as part of Class 30, marking 30 years of impact and growing the network to 1,000+ Fellows.  Class Highlights include: 🔹 $102 Billion combined AUM 🔹 1,000+ venture deals led combined 🔹 76% in senior leadership roles 🔹 53% are GPs or key decision-makers 🔹 44% are women 🔹 20% are LPs 🔹 20 countries represented across 6 continents What began as a path for top operators to enter venture capital, Kauffman Fellows has evolved in its 30 year history and grown into the premier and most selective fellowship for emerging managers, partners at leading firms, CVCs, LPs, and ecosystem players. The 2-year core program offers relevant, curated small group sessions, meeting fellows where they are in their individual career journeys. This year marked a new strategic initiative with Class 30 intentionally designed to include our highest number of LPs to date, showcasing Kauffman Fellows commitment to investing in the future of LPs and redefining how GP and LP relationships are built. Learn more and meet the class here: https://lnkd.in/gN8wE8kx Please join us in congratulating KF30! Alana Ackerson Ali Nahm Althea Wishloff Aly El Shalakany Andrea Gurnari Anita Sonawane, CFA Ashley Lewis Ashlie Tyler Ashtan Jordan Ben Grabiner Brendan Marshall Bukie Adebo Umeano Carli Sapir Carlos Murguia Charlie March Charlie Graham-Brown Charlotte Palmer Chris McCann Christine Giam Christopher Nakutis Taylor Colleen E. Heidinger Danny Brown Denise Miller Devon Gethers Dina el-Shenoufy Dylan Ketcham Emily Zhen Fernando Carranza Haroon Saqib Heeeun Park Hyun Koo Igor Piquet Jack Taylor Jeff Todd Jianfeng Liu Juan Diego Briceño Julian Fialkow Julian von Eckartsberg Kalsoom Lakhani Kanishk Walia Konstantin Vinogradov Kotai Gen Kristine Harjes Lauri Kokkila Lina Lisbona Lisa Pallweber Manish Patel Marcin Nowak Marianna Bonechi Mehreen Malik Nicole Jang Nora Alsarhan Pedro Santos Vieira Pocket Sun Rodrigo Baer Ryan Fitzpatrick Sanja Partalo Sayiddah McCree Simon Sharp Susan Moring Tim Lynch Timothy Krysiek Tomas Denecken Valentina Kirr Zach Ellis #KF30 #KauffmanFellows

Navigating fundraising in the current landscape? We’re hosting a live virtual conversation with unlock VC (previously WVC:E) for women in VC featuring: 🔹Gal Noyman - Veksler, PhD, KF Class 28, LionBird 🔹Adrianna Samaniego (she/her/ella), KF Class 28, Cherryrock Capital 🔹Brian Hollins, KF Class 26, Collide Capital They’ll break down what it really takes to raise in 2025 with: — Firsthand fundraising war stories — Practical strategies for today’s environment  — An understanding of evolving LP expectations — Valuable insights into what’s working (and what’s not) When: 📅 Friday, May 30 🕐 1.30PM - 2.30PM UK | 2.30PM - 2.30PM CET | 8.30AM - 9.30AM ET 📍 Virtual 🔗 Sign up: https://lu.ma/por20u32

In this Harvard Business Review article, 🌱🤝🌍 Nicolas Sauvage (KF Class 28), President of TDK Ventures, outlines a 4-step framework for venture capitalists to develop a winning, space-specific investment thesis. Learn more here:

Miami is the place to be for Venture Capital in March! We’re excited to see Fernando Fabre, (CEO of Kauffman Fellows, KF Class 14), speaking at #VCLatamSummit2025! The event brings together 350+ GPs and LPs from across Latin America and Miami, making it a key gathering for investors in the region. Fernando brings 20 years of working with entrepreneurs and VCs around the world. Prior to becoming the CEO of Kauffman Fellows, he co-founded MatterScale Ventures, which supports LatAm startups, and is an adjunct professor at Columbia University. As the former President of Endeavor, he helped drive global expansion and the launch of Endeavor Catalyst. He’ll share insights about the venture capital opportunity for LatAm within the global context and how the region can leapfrog if it makes the right decisions. 📅 March 26-27 | 📍 Miami Beach Convention Center 🌎 Part of Miami Tech Week + eMerge Americas 🔐 Exclusive to members of 12 leading VC associations across LatAm Looking forward to seeing you there! Details in the comments.👇 #VentureCapital #MiamiTech #LATAMVC #KauffmanFellows

Kauffman Fellows are taking the stage at #SXSW2025 and driving important conversations across the venture capital landscape. We saw Kara Egan (KF Class 23) lead a powerful conversation on designing with women to end cervical cancer, while Idris Ayodeji Bello (KF Class 28) shared his perspective on mobility transformation and scaling solutions across Africa. Sydney Paige Thomas (KF Class 26) brought her lens to innovative models that support social impact founders, and Maggie Sprenger (KF Class 26) spoke on a panel about AUKUS and its future. Brady F. (KF Class 22) hosted Ignite Talks, where presenters had only 5 minutes and 20 slides to enlighten the audience on the game industry and music & tech. Using their industry expertise, Fellows evaluated cutting-edge startups during the Pitch Competitions, including Brian Dixon (KF Class 21) for Smart Cities, Transportation & Sustainability, Noramay Cadena (KF Class 23) for AgTech & Food, and Maggie Sprenger (KF Class 26) for Security, GovTech & Space. Claire England (KF Class 21) and Samantha Lewis (KF Class 27) offered guidance to the next generation of innovators by holding mentor sessions. The energy at SXSW has been electric! We’re looking forward to seeing what the rest of the week brings. #KauffmanFellows #VentureCapital #SXSW #Innovation

🚨Applications for KF Class 30 close on Friday at 11:59 p.m. PT! Still on the fence about whether or not you should apply? See what a few of our Fellows had to say about the Kauffman Fellows program. Apply today 🔗https://lnkd.in/gTqUs5iD #vc #venturecapital #investors

In an increasingly competitive VC landscape, the right network isn't just an advantage—it's everything. Kauffman Fellows opens doors you didn't even know existed! Why the top 15% of unicorn funders are Kauffman alums: ✅ Unparalleled Deal Flow: Tap into 940 Fellows across 61 countries ✅ Track Record: $329B exit value from Fellow-backed companies ✅ Industry Shapers: 55% of Fellows founded their own firms ✅ Career Acceleration: 81% at Partner-level or above Beyond the impressive stats, you're joining a curated ecosystem of: ◾ Pre-eminent co-investment opportunities ◾ Trusted due diligence networks ◾ Access to untapped markets and emerging trends Our two-year program is about: ◾ Becoming a better leader ◾ Becoming a better investor ◾ Building a great firm Post-program, you join a lifelong network of VCs built on trust, collaboration, and shared growth. Together, Fellows: ◾ Discover and support visionary founders ◾ Build meaningful connections with LPs and peers ◾ Exchange insights to navigate and shape the future of venture Applications for the 30th Class are are OPEN UNTIL JAN 10! For more information and to apply, visit https://lnkd.in/gTqUs5iD 🚨 Final Deadline: January 10 at 11:59pm PT Questions? Send us a message! #KauffmanFellows #VentureCapital #DealFlow

We're excited to celebrate the Kauffman Fellows featured in Forbes Middle East’s Top Venture Capitalists 2024! Cheers to Dany Farha (KF Class 24), Abdulrahman (AIT) Tarabzouni (KF Class 22), Amal Dokhan (KF Class 27), Mohammed Almeshekah (KF Class 25), Sonia Weymuller (KF Class 24), Shane Shin (شين شن) 유근 (KF Class 24), Rakan AlRashed (KF Class 28), and Noor Sweid (KF Class 26) on their recognition. Full list link: https://lnkd.in/d9HYAb_4 #Forbes #VentureCapital #VC

2024 was a transformative year for fintech. Alexandre Lazarow (KF Class 19) highlights crypto's resurgence, a quiet IPO market, and emerging market resilience. https://lnkd.in/gB_UESup Crypto rebounded with Bitcoin Inc. reaching $100K, fueled by institutional interest, macro shifts, and U.S. election dynamics. Stablecoins gained traction in ecommerce and remittances, with their market cap hitting $1.3B. IPOs were rare, but M&A activity thrived. Notable deals included Capital One’s $35B bid for Discover Financial Services and Stripe’s acquisition of Bridge for over $1B. Emerging markets excelled with innovations like real-time money transfers in India and Brazil and global expansions by powerhouses like Nubank and Jio. Fintech is evolving—2025 will bring new surprises. #fintech #crypto #venturecapital #emergingmarkets

Calm/Storm continues to make waves in the HealthTech and FemTech investment space! Recognized as Europe's most active early-stage HealthTech investor for the third consecutive year by Financial Times and Sifted, Calm/Storm is shaping the future of digital health innovation. The firm closed 33 deals in 2024 alone (10 new, 23 follow-on), showcasing its commitment to driving impactful healthcare solutions. Additionally, PitchBook has named Calm/Storm as one of the world's top 10 most active FemTech investors. With 11 FemTech investments since 2020, Calm/Storm is a European leader in advancing women's health innovation, focusing on fertility, intimate health, and AI-powered healthcare. Notable 2024 investments include: -Béa Fertility (UK): Revolutionizing fertility treatments. -Meela (Sweden): A platform for therapist bookings. -Univa (UK): Developing digital care tools for eating disorders. Operating out of Vienna, Calm/Storm is investing from its second fund, having exceeded its €20M target and aiming for a final close of €40M in Q1 2025. With a ticket size of €250k–1M, the firm is empowering startups to bridge the gender health gap. Congratulations to Lucanus ⛵️ Polagnoli (KF Class 27) and Ekaterina Gianelli (KF Class 25) for driving change in health innovation! #VentureCapital #HealthTech #FemTech #KauffmanFellows