Samir Kaul

Founding Partner and Managing Director, Khosla Ventures

Samir Kaul is a founding partner and managing director at Khosla Ventures, which he joined at its start in 2006. He invests in AI, advanced technology, health, sustainability and food, and led the firm's investments in Guardant Health, Nutanix, Oscar and QuantumScape. Before that he was a partner at Flagship Ventures, the founding CEO of Codon Devices and a genome researcher.

Venture capital
Khosla Ventures
Health
Sustainability
Genomics

Now: Founding Partner and Managing Director, Khosla Ventures1
Focus: AI, advanced technology, health, sustainability and food1
Based: Menlo Park, California, United States2
Education: MBA, Harvard Business School2

In their words

Investing in great people trying to disrupt large markets with technology.
2

Experience

Khosla Ventures2006 – now

Founding Partner and Managing DirectorJan 2006 – now
Led the firm's investments in Guardant Health, Nutanix, Oscar and QuantumScape, which went public, and in Granular, SLD, NanoH2O, Iora Health and Raxium, which were acquired by DuPont, Kyocera, LG Chem, One Medical and Google respectively.1

Reevo2024 – now

Board memberApr 2024 – now
Led the seed and Series A investments.2

Headspace2023 – now

Board member2Jul 2023 – now

Traba2022 – now

Board memberJun 2022 – now
Invested in the seed round and led the Series A.2

Primer2021 – now

InvestorOct 2021 – now
Led the Series A investment.2

Varda Space Industries2021 – now

Board member2Sep 2021 – now

Rightway2021 – now

Board member2Mar 2021 – now

Fulfil2020 – now

Board member2Oct 2020 – now

Statespace2020 – now

Board member2Feb 2020 – now

Fortera2019 – now

Board member2Jun 2019 – now

Scipher Medicine2018 – now

Board member2Jul 2018 – now

Mirvie2018 – now

Board member2Jul 2018 – now

Ukko2017 – now

Board member2Jul 2017 – now

Siolta Therapeutics2017 – now

Board member2Feb 2017 – now

Flagship VenturesFive years, until 2005

PartnerNov 2005
Promoted to partner at the Cambridge, Massachusetts firm.5
Early-stage biotech investorFive years, until 2005
Started and invested in early-stage biotech companies, and helped co-found Helicos BioSciences, a single-molecule sequencing company.1

Codon DevicesBy 2005

Founding CEOBy Nov 2005
The start-up was backed by Flagship Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, Alloy Ventures and Vinod Khosla.5

The Institute for Genomic ResearchLate 1990s

Led the Arabidopsis Genome InitiativeLate 1990s
Ran the group at Craig Venter's institute that sequenced Arabidopsis thaliana, the first complete genome of a flowering plant.6

Education

Harvard Business School2000 – 2002

MBA2

University of Maryland, College Park1995 – 1997

MS, Biochemistry2

University of Michigan1991 – 1995

Bachelor's degree, Biology2

Recognition

First complete genome of a flowering plant (Arabidopsis Genome Initiative)Dec 2000

Publication · Nature4

Milestones

1995Graduates from the University of Michigan in biology2
1997Finishes an MS in biochemistry at the University of Maryland2
Dec 2000The Arabidopsis Genome Initiative he led publishes the first complete flowering-plant genome in Nature4
2002Finishes an MBA at Harvard Business School2
Nov 2005Promoted to partner at Flagship Ventures5
Late 2005Vinod Khosla invites him and David Weiden to co-found Khosla Ventures6
Jan 2006Starts at Khosla Ventures as a founding general partner2
2012Joins the Leadership Council of Tipping Point Community2
2018Joins the board of the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals Foundation2
2025Joins the board of The Michael J. Fox Foundation3

Skills

Venture capital
Start-ups
Private equity
Cleantech
Entrepreneurship
Angel investing
Corporate development
Mergers & acquisitions
Strategic partnerships
Business strategy
Executive management

Volunteering

Board member2025 – now

The Michael J. Fox Foundation3

Board member2018 – now

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals Foundation2

Leadership Council2012 – 2024

Tipping Point Community2

Trustee (former)

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association1