# Samir Kaji

> Samir Kaji is the co-founder and CEO of Allocate, a private markets platform that helps wealth advisors and family offices build and manage institutional-quality portfolios. Before founding Allocate, he spent about 22 years in venture banking at Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank, where he advised more than 700 venture and private equity firms. He also hosts Venture Unlocked, a widely followed podcast and newsletter about how venture capital firms are built and scaled.

- **Role:** Co-founder, CEO and President at Allocate
- **Organizations:** Allocate, Venture Unlocked, First Republic Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, Kauffman Fellows
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Finance, San Jose State University, MBA, Santa Clara University, Fellowship (venture program), Kauffman Fellows Program
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Allocate, a private markets platform with $5B+ in assets, 375+ wealth advisory firms and 1,500+ asset manager relationships., Advised more than 700 venture capital and private equity firms across 22 years of venture banking., Evaluated over 800 VC fund managers during his banking career.

## Career timeline

- **1999-2012** — Spent roughly 13 years at Silicon Valley Bank, focused for a decade on early-stage growth and working-capital financing for software and hardware companies including LinkedIn, Aruba Networks, Meraki, Yodlee and Shutterfly.
- **2012-2020** — Senior Managing Director at First Republic Bank, where he started and built a 40+ person group serving private funds and venture-backed startups, working with 700+ VC and PE firms.
- **2020** — Launched the Venture Unlocked podcast and newsletter about building and scaling venture capital firms.
- **2021** — Co-founded Allocate with Hana Yang to build a private markets operating system for wealth advisors and family offices.
- **2025-09** — Allocate closed a $30.5M Series B led by Portage, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, M13 and Fika Ventures.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Allocate, a private markets platform with $5B+ in assets, 375+ wealth advisory firms and 1,500+ asset manager relationships.
- Advised more than 700 venture capital and private equity firms across 22 years of venture banking.
- Evaluated over 800 VC fund managers during his banking career.
- Built and led a 40+ person private funds group at First Republic Bank.
- Graduate of the Kauffman Fellows Program.
- Host of Venture Unlocked, a top venture podcast and newsletter with thousands of subscribers.
- Personally invested in 80+ funds and companies.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Allocate raised a $30.5M Series B led by Portage, expanding coverage beyond venture capital into private equity and private credit and investing in private-market AI and workflow automation.
- **2026-07** — Allocate reports $5B+ in assets on the platform, 375+ wealth advisory firms and 1,500+ private asset manager relationships.

## Links

- Website: https://allocate.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samirkaji
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/samirkaji

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/samir-kaji
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-29