# Jim Kim

> Jim Kim is the Founder and General Partner of Builders VC, a San Francisco-based venture firm deploying capital into the unglamorous corners of the economy - agriculture, industrial technology, healthcare IT, and real estate - where pen and paper still govern billion-dollar decisions. A product of MIT and Columbia Business School, Kim has logged stints at GE Capital (where he built the company's venture arm), Khosla Ventures, and Formation 8 before launching Builders with a thesis that the most interesting returns live in sectors most investors won't touch. Three funds and $368M+ later, his portfolio spans synthetic biology (Bolt Threads), precision cattle data (Performance Livestock Analytics), construction tech (Fieldwire), and de-extinction biotech (Colossal). He practices kung fu, tends a Cabernet vineyard, and has been waiting his whole career for the U.S. soccer team to win a World Cup.

- **Role:** Founder and General Partner at Builders VC
- **Organizations:** Builders VC, Formation 8, Khosla Ventures, CMEA Capital, GE Capital
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Computer Science & Electrical Engineering; B.S. Political Science, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Master's Degree in Quantitative Data Analysis, Columbia University, MBA, Columbia Business School
- **Known for:** Founded GE's Venture Capital division from scratch, Co-founded Formation 8, raising $450M across two funds with a pioneering cross-border US-Asia investment strategy, Founded Builders VC, closing Fund I at $175M and growing total AUM to $368M+

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Co-founded a venture-backed Internet infrastructure startup with fellow MIT Course 6 students
- **1990s** — Co-founded a clothing e-commerce company during the first tech bubble
- **Late 1990s** — Joined GE Capital's Structured Finance Group, building its IT practice
- **2000s** — Founded GE's Venture Capital division; led investments in China High Speed Transmission and ComScore
- **2008-2012** — General Partner at Khosla Ventures; led investments across IT, hardware, energy, and consumer products
- **2013** — Co-founded Formation 8, raising Fund 1 and Fund 2 (totaling $450M); built teams across Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, and Korea
- **2015** — Formation 8 decided not to raise Fund 3; Kim chose to launch separate investment platforms
- **2016** — Co-founded Builders VC with Paul Lee; filed for $200M Fund I target
- **2018** — Builders VC closed Fund I at $175M; began Series A investments in agriculture, industrial tech, real estate, and healthcare
- **2019** — Builders VC portfolio grew to ~30 companies; Kim articulated 'nonsexy industries' thesis publicly
- **2022** — Led investment in Carbon Health Series A ($4M)
- **2024** — Builders VC announced Fund III fundraise; Mike Rosengarten joined as General Partner
- **2024-2025** — Builders VC expanded team with new GPs and MENA regional partner; Fund III targeting ~$500M

## Achievements

- Founded GE's Venture Capital division from scratch
- Co-founded Formation 8, raising $450M across two funds with a pioneering cross-border US-Asia investment strategy
- Founded Builders VC, closing Fund I at $175M and growing total AUM to $368M+
- Built a portfolio spanning synthetic biology (Bolt Threads), agtech (Performance Livestock Analytics, SomaDetect), construction (Fieldwire - acquired), biotech (Notable Labs, Checkerspot), and real estate (Bowery Valuation)
- Co-founded a venture-backed startup at MIT before graduation
- Mentored by Vinod Khosla and Pierre Lalomond (Sequoia), carrying their approaches into his own firm

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — Builders VC active with five General Partners including Jim Kim, Mike Rosengarten, Jocelyn Doe, Amit Mehta, and Alex Kinnier, plus MENA regional expansion
- **2024-01** — Builders VC announced plans to raise Fund III, targeting approximately $500M, described as 'nearly half-a-billion in fresh capital'
- **2024-01** — Mike Rosengarten (founding CTO of OpenGov) joined Builders VC as General Partner to lead enterprise and AI practice; Jim Kim had co-invested with him in 25+ companies
- **2022-02** — Led Carbon Health Series A investment ($4M) as part of digital health portfolio expansion

## Links

- Website: https://builders.vc
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-kim-1754b359
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/its_jimkim
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/buildersvc

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/jim-kim
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18