# Kickstart

> Kickstart is a pre-seed and seed venture firm in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, that has spent since 2008 writing the region's earliest checks. Founded by Gavin Christensen as the Mountain West's first dedicated seed fund, it now manages roughly $500 million across six funds and more than 150 companies, backing SaaS, fintech, healthtech, marketplace and consumer founders across Utah, Colorado and the surrounding states.

- **Founded:** 2008
- **Headquarters:** Cottonwood Heights, Utah, United States
- **Founders:** Gavin Christensen (Founder & General Partner), Dalton Wright (General Partner)
- **Team size:** 37
- **Products:** Pre-seed & seed investment, Follow-on / Series A participation, Portfolio & founder support, Campus Founders Fund
- **Notable:** Founded the Mountain West's first dedicated seed fund in 2008, during a recession., Named the most active venture investor in Utah for many years running., Grew from an $8M debut fund to roughly $500M in assets under management across six funds.

## Products & services

- **Pre-seed & seed investment** — First-check capital for early-stage founders in the Mountain West, typically the earliest institutional money into a company.
- **Follow-on / Series A participation** — Reserved capital to continue backing breakout portfolio companies into later rounds.
- **Portfolio & founder support** — Hands-on support, regional network access, and mentorship for portfolio companies across Utah and Colorado.
- **Campus Founders Fund** — Program launched to support university-connected and student founders in the region.

## Achievements

- Founded the Mountain West's first dedicated seed fund in 2008, during a recession.
- Named the most active venture investor in Utah for many years running.
- Grew from an $8M debut fund to roughly $500M in assets under management across six funds.
- Oversubscribed $230M Fund VI closed in March 2023 - the largest in firm history.
- Portfolio of 150+ companies with 27+ exits, including Cotopaxi, Podium and Angel Studios.

## Latest updates

- **2023-03** — Closed an oversubscribed $230M Fund VI and announced a Colorado office led by GP Dalton Wright, bringing AUM to roughly $500M.
- **2023-02** — Latest funding event recorded, with the newest fund earmarking about half its capital for Utah startups.

## Links

- Website: https://kickstart.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/kickstartfund
- Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/@kickstartfund

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kickstart
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-15