seed-fund
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The Fund That Bet on Utah Before Utah Was a Thing
Kickstart wrote the Mountain West's first seed checks in the middle of a recession. Sixteen years and roughly $500 million later, it is still the region's most active early-stage investor - and still betting the frontier is wide open.
The Little Fund That Turned $44 Million Into a $1.15 Billion Habit
It started as a modest state bet on Rhode Island's innovation economy. Twenty-five years and 144 companies later, Slater is the quiet engine underneath the state's startup scene - and it keeps recycling its wins.
Brian Cho
Brian Cho is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Patron, a San Francisco seed-stage venture firm investing at the intersection of games, consumer software, and emerging technology. A former founding member of Andreessen Horowitz's investment team and the long-time head of corporate development, ventures, and M&A at Riot Games, Cho launched Patron in 2021 with Jason Yeh and closed a $100M Fund II in September 2024.
Sharon Chang
Sharon Chang is an Operating Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), where she manages fund and deal operations across the Venture, Seed, and speedrun funds. A seasoned operator with over 15 years in product marketing and product management, she previously led marketing at Rockmelt (acquired by Yahoo), directed Yahoo's Digital Magazines initiative, and honed her craft at Opsware and NEC. At a16z she's published definitive playbooks on product marketing and co-hosted podcasts with Ben Horowitz. Beyond the portfolio, she chairs the board of trustees at Woodland School in Portola Valley, runs half marathons, and is deeply rooted in the Bay Area community.