What K5 Global does

K5 Global is a venture capital firm and incubation studio founded in 2018 by Michael Kives and Bryan Baum and headquartered in San Francisco. The firm operates through two affiliated U.S. LLCs: K5 Global Advisor LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser that manages pooled investment vehicles offered exclusively to accredited investors and qualified purchasers, and K5 Studio, LLC, an in-house incubation studio that conceives, launches, and operates consumer and technology brands end-to-end. K5 Global reports 300 direct investments and 32 portfolio exits on its homepage, with portfolio exposure spanning consumer, enterprise, AI, fintech, biotech, aerospace, and defense.

The investment platform targets companies from inception through IPO and has co-invested alongside tier-1 venture firms in marquee outcomes including the SpaceX IPO (mid-2026) and earlier listings of Uber, Coinbase, Lyft, Gemini, ServiceTitan, and Vicarious Surgical. Recent disclosed co-investments include Synchron ($200M Series D, Nov 2025), HistoSonics ($250M growth round, Oct 2025), Night Media ($70M, Feb 2026), Adaptive Security ($43M Series A led by a16z and the OpenAI Startup Fund), Liquid ($18M seed), Automat ($15.5M Series A led by Felicis), and Kled ($5.5M+ seed). The K5 Studio incubation engine has launched 818 Tequila (2021), Sprinter vodka soda (2024) with its k2o functional hydration extension (April 2026), Khloud protein snacks (2025), Parrot (2019, acquired by Filevine), The Expert (2021, acquired by Havenly), Coram AI (video intelligence, Series B), and Aux (talent matching).

K5 Global generates revenue through investment advisory and fund management fees on pooled vehicles plus carried interest and returns from successful exits and IPO'd holdings. Pricing and fund terms are not publicly disclosed; access is restricted to qualified purchasers via definitive offering documents. The 13-person team includes co-founders, a General Partner (ex-Looker, acquired by Google for $2.6B), a CFO, General Counsel, CCO, Head of IR, EVP BD, and operational staff.

Name

K5 Global

Legal name

K5 Global Advisor LLC

Website

https://k5global.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

K5 Global is a venture capital firm and incubation studio founded in 2018 that backs category-defining technology companies from inception to IPO and launches consumer brands in-house through K5 Studio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital and Incubation

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & Software Growth Equity (FSANACAA)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Company incubation studio
• Early-stage technology investing
• Growth equity funds
• Founder network capital

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment advisory and fund management fees: As an SEC-registered investment adviser (K5 Global Advisor LLC), the firm generates recurring revenue from managing pooled investment vehicles and providing investment advisory services to qualified investors.
2. Carried interest and investment returns: Performance-based revenue from successful exits of portfolio company investments, including 32 exits to date, with continued returns from IPO'd holdings (Uber, Coinbase, Lyft, Gemini, ServiceTitan, Vicarious Surgical) and acquired companies.
3. Direct investment returns (incubated companies): Returns from direct equity stakes in K5-incubated brands and companies including 818 Tequila, Khloud Foods, Sprinter/K2O, Parrot (acquired by Filevine), and The Expert (acquired by Havenly).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Core offering

K5 Global is a venture capital firm and incubation studio that invests in technology companies across all funding stages from inception to IPO, with 300 direct investments and 32 exits to date. The firm also operates K5 Studio, LLC, an in-house incubation engine that conceives, launches, and operates category-defining consumer and technology brands end-to-end, including 818 Tequila, Khloud protein snacks, Sprinter vodka soda and K2O hydration, Coram AI video intelligence, and Aux talent matching.

Product overview

K5 Global is a venture capital firm and incubation studio founded in 2018 by Michael Kives and Bryan Baum, and it operates as a platform-plus-incubated-brands architecture: at the firm level it invests across 300+ direct investments with 32 exits, while its in-house incubation studio launches and builds consumer and technology brands from inception. The launched companies listed in the products array (818 Tequila, Khloud, Sprinter / k2o by Sprinter, Parrot, The Expert, Coram AI, and Aux) are the individual brands conceived and built by K5 Global, spanning consumer goods (tequila, protein snacks, functional beverages), legal technology (Parrot), home design (The Expert), video intelligence (Coram AI), and talent matching (Aux).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K5 Global Investment Funds Pooled investment vehicles managed by K5 Global Advisor LLC (SEC-registered investment adviser) that invest in technology companies across all funding stages from inception to IPO. Available exclusively to U.S. accredited investors and qualified purchasers as defined under federal securities laws, with investments structured through definitive offering documents. K5 Global reports 300 direct investments and 32 exits across its funds.
• K5 Studio Incubation K5 Studio, LLC is K5 Global's in-house incubation studio that conceives, launches, and operates category-defining consumer and technology brands end-to-end. Studio companies are distributed through direct-to-consumer websites, TikTok Shop, iHerb, Amazon, and retail channels, and span consumer goods, legal technology, home design, video intelligence, and talent matching verticals.
• 818 Tequila 818 Tequila is an award-winning, hand-crafted tequila brand launched by K5 Global's incubation studio in 2021, produced using traditional methods in Jalisco, Mexico, and sold directly to consumers at drink818.com.
• Khloud Khloud is a brand of protein snacks made with real ingredients, launched by K5 Global's incubation studio in 2025 and sold directly to consumers at khloudfoods.com.
• Sprinter Sprinter is a ready-to-drink vodka soda brand founded by K5 Global's incubation studio in 2024, made with real fruit juice, premium vodka, and sparkling water, and sold directly to consumers at drinksprinter.com. The K2O by Sprinter line extends the brand into functional hydration, distributed via TikTok Shop, iHerb in 180 countries, and Amazon.
• Coram AI Coram AI is a video intelligence platform founded by K5 Global's incubation studio that builds video intelligence systems for businesses of all sizes. It is currently at Series B stage as a K5-incubated company.
• Aux Aux is a talent platform founded by K5 Global's incubation studio that pairs A+ talent with business leaders and promising startups across the globe.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32 portfolio company exits
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major strategic relationship.

• Yahoomajor strategic relationshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichael Kives, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of K5 Global, serves on the board of Yahoo.
• Mari Groupmajor strategic relationshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichael Kives, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of K5 Global, serves on the board of Mari Group, the live events business.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Betaworks: Venture studio and seed-stage investor that builds and backs companies end-to-end, making it the closest structural peer to K5 Global's K5 Studio incubation model, though Betaworks operates at a smaller scale and earlier stage focus.

Direct peers

• StepStone Group: Private markets investment platform that led Night Media's $70M round with K5 Global, comparable as a capital partner to venture-backed growth companies, though StepStone is a multi-strategy allocator rather than a pure venture firm.
• Felicis Ventures: Multi-stage venture capital firm that co-led Automat's $15.5M Series A with K5 Global, comparable in early-to-growth stage AI and enterprise software investing with a similar founder-friendly approach.
• Khosla Ventures: Multi-stage venture firm that co-invests with K5 Global in Synchron and Automat, comparable in deep-tech, AI, and life sciences coverage and a willingness to take concentrated, thesis-driven positions.
• Andreessen Horowitz: Tier-1 venture capital firm that co-invests with K5 Global (e.g., Adaptive Security's $43M Series A led by a16z and the OpenAI Startup Fund), operating a similar multi-stage, full-lifecycle platform model.
• Founders Fund: Tier-1 venture capital firm co-investing with K5 Global in deals like HistoSonics and Night Media, sharing a deep-tech/defense thematic focus and a similar multi-stage, founder-led investment style.
• Left Lane Capital: Growth-stage venture capital firm that co-led Liquid's seed round with K5 Global, comparable in consumer, fintech, and marketplace investing with a similar focus on founder-led, high-growth companies.
• Neo (Neo Ventures): Multi-stage venture capital firm that co-led Liquid's $18M seed round with K5 Global, sharing exposure to consumer crypto, fintech, and AI categories and a similar early-to-growth stage mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Wellington Management: Large institutional asset manager that participated in HistoSonics' $250M growth round with K5 Global, comparable only at the portfolio-investor level; Wellington is a broad incumbent in private growth equity, not a venture specialist.
• Sequoia Capital: Tier-1 incumbent venture capital firm comparable in scale, brand, and lifecycle coverage; a logical competitive benchmark for fundraising, talent, and LP relationships, though Sequoia operates at materially larger AUM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/k5global

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments370 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about K5 Global