Kevin Hartz
VCCo-Founder & General Partner, A* Capital
Serial founder turned seed-stage technology investor
Background
Kevin Hartz co-founded Xoom (acquired by PayPal in 2015) and Eventbrite (NYSE: EB), bringing deep operator experience to venture investing. In 2020, he co-founded A* Capital with Bennett Siegel and Gautam Gupta, focused on seed and Series A technology investments. A* closed its third fund at $450 million in May 2026, following a $315 million Fund II in 2024. The firm is known for high-conviction, concentrated bets and has invested in companies including Ramp, Mercor, and Decagon. Hartz has a noted focus on backing teenage and young founders, with over 20% of portfolio companies founded by entrepreneurs under 20.
Investment Thesis
High-conviction, less-is-more seed investing with concentrated positions; strong interest in young founders and founder-market fit in fintech, AI, and consumer internet.
Investment Focus
Stages
Typical check: $100K–$10M, sweet spot ~$3M
Sectors
Based in: USA (North America)
Notable Investments
Ramp
Fintech unicorn; early A* investment
Mercor
AI hiring and workforce intelligence platform
Decagon
AI customer support agents; A* led $130M Series C
Notion
Productivity platform; early angel/A* investment
Faire
B2B wholesale marketplace; Fund I portfolio
Paraform
Recruiting marketplace; A* led seed round
Krea
AI creative tools platform; A* portfolio