# Kate McAndrew

> Kate McAndrew is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Baukunst, a San Francisco-based venture firm managing a $100M inaugural fund that backs creative technologists at the intersection of technology and design. With over a decade of pre-seed investing experience - including nearly eight years at Bolt where she was the first employee and rose to Partner - she has invested in 100+ companies and leads every round she enters, targeting 15%+ ownership at pre-seed. She is also the founder of Women in Hardware, the largest network for technical women in the hardware ecosystem, and co-author of 'The Goddess Guide to Branding.'

- **Role:** Co-Founder and General Partner at Baukunst
- **Organizations:** Baukunst, Women in Hardware, Bolt (former), Lightspeed Venture Partners (former), Social Capital (former), The Iron Yard Ventures (former), Habitat for Humanity International (former AmeriCorps)
- **From:** Pasadena, California, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Cultural Studies and Art History, McGill University, Industrial and Product Design, Advertising, ArtCenter College of Design
- **Known for:** Co-founded Baukunst and closed a $100M inaugural fund during a challenging fundraising market, First employee at Bolt VC, grew into Partner role across two successful funds, Invested in 100+ pre-seed companies over a decade at Bolt

## Career timeline

- **2005-2008** — Graduated from McGill University with B.A. in Cultural Studies and Art History
- **~2008-2009** — One-year sabbatical as AmeriCorps Service Member with Habitat for Humanity International
- **~2009-2011** — Associate roles at Lululemon and in consulting
- **2012** — Met angel investors at Habitat for Humanity; was invited to help launch The Iron Yard Ventures accelerator program
- **2012-2014** — Program Director at The Iron Yard Ventures, running accelerator modeled on Y Combinator
- **~2014** — Relocated to San Francisco; began first formal venture role
- **2014-2022** — Joined Bolt as first San Francisco employee on a $32M pre-seed fund; rose from associate to Partner over ~8 years; invested in 100+ pre-seed companies across two funds
- **2019** — Founded Women in Hardware, the largest network for technical women in the hardware ecosystem
- **2022** — Co-founded Baukunst with Axel Bichara, Matt Thoms, and Tyler Mincey; closed inaugural $100M fund
- **2022-10** — Baukunst publicly announced $100M fund to back creative technologists at pre-seed stage
- **2025** — Baukunst opened new studio and McLuhan Reading Room in Bernal Heights, San Francisco; hosted 2025 Creative Technologist Conference

## Achievements

- Co-founded Baukunst and closed a $100M inaugural fund during a challenging fundraising market
- First employee at Bolt VC, grew into Partner role across two successful funds
- Invested in 100+ pre-seed companies over a decade at Bolt
- Founded Women in Hardware, the largest and longest-running network for technical women in the hardware ecosystem
- Led Bobbie Baby's pre-seed round in 2018 (founder 8 months pregnant); Bobbie became a major consumer brand
- Co-authored 'The Goddess Guide to Branding' with sister Jane McCarthy
- Sourced two-thirds of Baukunst's LP capital from personal relationships and board connections
- Regular podcast guest and speaker on pre-seed investing, frontier tech, and women in VC
- Appeared as investor judge on The Pitch Show Season 13 (8 episodes)

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Featured on Life Self Mastery podcast (Ep 382) discussing pre-seed investing and empowering founders
- **2025-01** — Baukunst opened new studio space and McLuhan Reading Room in Bernal Heights, San Francisco
- **2025** — Baukunst hosted its 2025 Creative Technologist Conference in San Francisco
- **2024-10** — Baukunst hosted study groups on manufacturing and AI
- **2022-10** — Publicly launched Baukunst and announced $100M inaugural fund

## Links

- Website: https://baukunst.co
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kateprestonmcandrew
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/katepmcandrew
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1dlIkbplQ8
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kate__mcandrew/

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