What Shine Capital does

Shine Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2020 by Mo Koyfman, headquartered in New York with additional offices in San Francisco and a venture partner presence in Austin. The firm manages approximately $570-575 million in assets under management across three early-stage funds and one opportunities fund, and is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC. Shine invests across seven thematic categories — Consumer, Enterprise, AI/ML, Frontier, Crypto, Fintech, and Healthcare — and explicitly positions itself as willing to write first checks, often leading rounds at the seed and Series A stages. Its investment approach, branded as "Lateralist," applies non-linear, first-principles analysis at the intersection of technology, markets, and culture, structured around three principles: Creative Reconstruction, Ultimate Alignment, and Humanity Elevated. As of 2026, the portfolio comprises roughly 50 companies, with notable positions including Notion, Antares (nuclear microreactors), Audioshake, Zenskar, Numerai, and Turnout.

The firm operates a "team of us" model: four general partners (Mo Koyfman, Alex Hartz, Ethan Daly, Amanda Niu, who also serves as CFO), plus a venture partner (Elie Seidman, former Tinder/OKCupid CEO), supported by a small operating team (Head of IR, Chief of Staff, EA/Office Manager) and three named advisors. In March 2026, Shine launched the Luminaries program, an apprenticeship-style initiative that recruits young builders as quasi-investors who source deals and build internal AI tooling, receiving stipends and carry economics in return. Revenue is generated through standard VC fund economics: management fees on committed capital and carried interest on profitable exits. Capital is sourced from institutional LPs, whose identities are not publicly disclosed. The firm is privately held, independently operated with no parent company, and is actively investing from its third early-stage fund.

Name

Shine Capital

Legal name

Shine Capital LLC

Website

https://shine.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shine Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2020, managing $570-575 million across three early-stage funds and one opportunities fund, investing as first check in consumer, enterprise, AI/ML, frontier, crypto, fintech, and healthcare startups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Finance and Insurance (52)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

Keywords

• Early-stage venture capital
• Venture fund management
• Seed-stage investing
• Startup capital investment
• Thematic venture investing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Fund Management: Shine Capital generates revenue as a venture capital firm by managing approximately $570–575 million across three early-stage funds and one opportunities fund; income derives from typical VC fund economics — management fees on committed capital and carried interest on profitable exits — earned from institutional LPs and investors. The firm invests early (often as first check) and 'backs partner companies as they continue to perform.'

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Shine Capital manages approximately $570-575 million across three early-stage venture capital funds and one opportunities fund, deploying pre-seed, seed, and Series A equity into startups across consumer, enterprise, AI/ML, frontier, crypto, fintech, and healthcare themes. The firm positions itself as a lead investor and frequently writes the first institutional check, then provides board-level strategic partnership to help portfolio founders build teams and enduring brands. The Shine Luminaries program supplements fund activity by enlisting young builders who source deals and develop AI tooling in exchange for stipends and carry on sourced investments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shine Luminaries: Shine Capital's program to collaborate with young builders as investors; luminaries provide insight into fresh ideas, facilitate relationships with emerging talent, and build new AI tooling, in exchange for access to investor thinking, networks, a stipend, and shared economics on investments they source.

Products and services

• Shine Capital Early-Stage Venture Funds (Fund I, II, III) Shine Capital's three early-stage venture capital funds, through which the firm invests in pre-seed, seed, and Series A startups across consumer, enterprise, AI/ML, frontier, crypto, fintech, and healthcare themes. The firm embraces writing the first institutional check and acting as lead investor.
• Shine Capital Opportunities Fund Shine Capital's opportunities fund, a follow-on vehicle that allows the firm to back partner companies as they continue to perform in subsequent rounds, complementing the three primary early-stage funds.
• Shine Luminaries Program An apprenticeship-style collaboration program in which young builders serve as quasi-investors, sourcing deals, facilitating relationships with emerging talent, and building AI tooling to help scale Shine's investment efforts. Luminaries receive a stipend, share economics on investments they source, and gain access to Shine's networks and the full venture investment process.

Quantifiable outcome

• $570–575 million raised across three early-stage funds and one opportunities fund
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers50 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship strategic program and advisor.

• Shine Luminaries Program (Alvin Zhang, Sidhant Bendre, Rohan Desai, Thomaz Bonato)flagship strategic programStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Shine's apprenticeship program that brings in young builders as quasi-investors; Luminaries source deals, facilitate relationships with emerging talent, and build new AI tooling to help scale Shine's investment efforts. In return, Luminaries receive a stipend, share economics on investments they source, and gain visibility into the full venture investment process. Current Luminaries include Alvin Zhang, Sidhant Bendre, Rohan Desai, and Thomaz Bonato.
• Joe Quenqua (Strategic Advisor)advisorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoe Quenqua serves as a Strategic Advisor on Shine's team page, supporting the firm on strategic matters and portfolio engagement.
• Adam Hanft (Operating Partner)advisorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdam Hanft serves as an Operating Partner on Shine's team page, providing operating support to portfolio companies.
• Carl Tremblay (Operating Partner)advisorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarl Tremblay serves as an Operating Partner on Shine's team page, providing operating support across the portfolio.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lerer Hippeau Ventures: NYC-based early-stage VC investing across consumer, enterprise, and frontier categories; has directly co-invested with Shine on MOTHER.tech, making it one of the most operationally comparable peers in stage, geography, and sector overlap.
• BoxGroup: NYC-focused seed/early-stage fund investing in consumer and enterprise software; co-invested alongside Shine on MOTHER.tech, mirroring Shine's lead-investor, thematic, first-check posture at the same stage.
• Inspired Capital: Early-stage NYC VC founded by a former operator (Alexa von Tobel) investing in consumer/fintech; co-led Remark's Series A with Shine Capital participation, indicating close stage, geography, and lead-investor alignment.
• Forerunner Ventures: Early-stage consumer-focused VC known for leading rounds in iconic consumer brands; comparable to Shine in stage, consumer emphasis, and lead-investor posture across consumer/AI deals.
• Floodgate Fund: Early-stage VC investing in consumer, enterprise, and frontier with a thesis-driven, lead-investor approach; closely comparable to Shine's lateralist, thematic early-stage model and willingness to take first checks.
• Cowboy Ventures: Early-stage VC led by Aileen Lee focused on consumer, enterprise, and frontier; similar size, stage, and lead-investor profile to Shine, with comparable thematic investing approach.
• Eniac Ventures: NYC-based seed-stage VC investing across AI, consumer, and mobile; comparable in stage, geography, and lead-investor posture, with thematic overlap to Shine's AI/consumer portfolio (Notion, etc.).
• Base10 Partners: Early-stage VC investing in automation and AI-enabled businesses; co-led Denki's seed round with Shine, comparable in stage, AI focus, and lead-investor behavior.

Broad incumbents

• First Round Capital: Established early-stage VC with much larger AUM and a longer track record; comparable to Shine in lead-investor, first-check posture but operates at meaningfully greater scale and with broader sector reach.
• Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): Large multi-stage VC with broad consumer, enterprise, AI, crypto, and bio exposure; comparable in thematic breadth across Shine's categories but vastly larger in AUM, team size, and stage range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ShineCapitalNYC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=PsQVSu32IKM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shinecapital

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments81 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Shine Capital