Kickstart
Kickstart is a Salt Lake City-based venture capital firm founded in 2008 as the Mountain West's first seed fund, leading pre-seed, seed, and occasional Series A rounds in startups across Utah, Colorado, and surrounding states with checks of $250K-$3M. The firm has raised $424M across six successive funds and supports portfolio founders via its Kickstart Collective community, Perfect Pitch podcast, and Campus Founders Fund.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersSalt Lake City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Kickstart does
Kickstart is a Salt Lake City-based venture capital firm founded in 2008 by Gavin Christensen as the Mountain West's first seed fund, with a secondary office opened in Denver in 2022. The firm leads pre-seed, seed, and occasional Series A rounds in startups across Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico, writing initial checks of $250K-$3M and reserving follow-on capital for portfolio companies. Across Funds 2 through 6 (2012-2022), the firm has raised $424M in primary fund commitments plus a $50M co-invest vehicle, demonstrating a sustained cadence of capital formation and strong LP demand. Kickstart is industry-agnostic, with portfolio exposure spanning SaaS (Lucid, Spiff, Podium, Alianza, SponsorCX), healthcare (SonderMind, Nursa, Nomi Health, RadAI), consumer/marketplace (Chatbooks, Kiln, Qwick, Nomad), media (Angel Studios, Zencastr), and emerging applied AI (Music AI, Galileo, DiversiFi).
Kickstart's core technology and platform infrastructure are purpose-built around founder community rather than a software product. The Kickstart Collective is a proprietary community platform providing portfolio founders with operating-advisor mentorship, curated events, customer introductions, and hiring support. The Kickstart Job Board, operated on Getro, lists 423+ open roles across the portfolio and serves as a talent-network data engine. The Perfect Pitch by Kickstart podcast (44+ episodes since March 2021) functions as a long-form content channel for playbooks and founder stories, distributed across Apple, Spotify, YouTube, LinkedIn, and X. The firm sponsors the Campus Founders Fund (CFF), a student-run VC vehicle that invests $10K-$20K convertible notes in student entrepreneurs across Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Operational technology is standard SaaS: Webflow for marketing site, Getro for the job board, Segment and PostHog for analytics, Mailchimp for the newsletter, and Typeform for pitch intake.
Kickstart's revenue model follows standard VC fund economics, generating income from management fees on committed capital and carried interest on successful exits. The firm operates a structured pitch process (Typeform intake → partner review → diligence → term sheet), and as a lead investor typically takes a board seat and sets round terms. Notable exits include Spiff (acquired by Salesforce), Dsco (acquired by CommerceHub), TaskEasy (acquired by WorkWave), Oakley Networks (acquired by Raytheon), and Allegiance (acquired by MaritzCX). In May 2026, founder Gavin Christensen was appointed Chair of the NVCA Board of Directors, placing the firm in a national policy-influence role within the U.S. VC industry.
Kickstart firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kickstart
- Legal name
- Kickstart Fund
- Website
- https://kickstart.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kickstart is a Salt Lake City-based venture capital firm founded in 2008 as the Mountain West's first seed fund, leading pre-seed, seed, and occasional Series A rounds in startups across Utah, Colorado, and surrounding states with checks of $250K-$3M. The firm has raised $424M across six successive funds and supports portfolio founders via its Kickstart Collective community, Perfect Pitch podcast, and Campus Founders Fund.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kickstart industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early-Stage Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
Keywords
Where Kickstart is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Salt Lake City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kickstart business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venture fund management & carried interest: Operates as a multi-fund venture capital firm (Funds 2–6 raised between 2012 and 2022, plus a co-invest fund); generates revenue from management fees on committed capital and from carried interest on successful exits, in line with standard VC fund economics.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Initial investment check: $250K to $3M, plus reserved follow-on capital |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Kickstart product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kickstart is a private venture capital firm that leads pre-seed, seed, and occasional Series A equity rounds in startups based primarily in Utah, Colorado, and the broader Mountain West. Initial checks typically range from $250,000 to $3 million, supplemented by reserved follow-on capital, with the firm generally taking a board seat and syndicating rounds alongside co-investors. The firm supplements the fund with community, content, and talent programs for portfolio founders, including Kickstart Collective, the Perfect Pitch podcast, Campus Founders Fund, and the portfolio Job Board.
Product overview
Kickstart is a venture capital firm (not a software product company) whose core offering is its pre-seed and seed VC fund, supplemented by a layered set of founder-support services. The flagship offering is the Kickstart Fund itself, which leads pre-seed, seed, and occasional Series A rounds in startups across Utah, Colorado, and the broader Mountain West with checks of $250K-$3M and reserved follow-on capital. Layered on top of the fund are several named offerings that together form a "first call to ride-or-die" platform for portfolio founders: Kickstart Collective (a community platform providing mentorship, events, customer introductions, and hiring help), the Perfect Pitch by Kickstart podcast (long-form founder/investor content), the Campus Founders Fund (a sponsored student-run VC fund making $10K-$20K convertible notes in student entrepreneurs), and the Kickstart Job Board (a portfolio-network talent marketplace powered by Getro). The Kickstart Fund is the central product that all other offerings support, with the firm operating as a generalist lead investor in SaaS, consumer, marketplace, and healthcare startups.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Campus Founders Fund: Student-run venture capital fund sponsored by Kickstart that invests solely in student entrepreneurs via $10,000 to $20,000 convertible note investments.
- Kickstart Collective
Products and services
- Kickstart Fund (Pre-seed and Seed Venture Capital) Multi-fund early-stage venture capital vehicle that invests pre-seed, seed, and occasional Series A equity into startups in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico. Kickstart typically leads rounds, takes board seats, and writes initial checks of $250K-$3M with reserved follow-on capital. LPs commit capital to the fund and receive distributions from exits.
- Campus Founders Fund (CFF) Student-run venture fund sponsored by Kickstart that makes $10,000-$20,000 convertible note investments in student-led startups. Run by student investment committees at universities across Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% of portfolio within 2-hour flights of Salt Lake City and Denver offices
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Kickstart
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kickstart technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Kickstart partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- National Venture Capital Association (NVCA)flagshipIndustry trade association; Kickstart Founder & General Partner Gavin Christensen was appointed 2026–2027 Board Chair. NVCA also appointed 10 new directors for 2026–2030 terms, reflecting deep industry partnership.
- Campus Founders Fund (CFF)coreStudent-run VC fund sponsored by Kickstart that invests solely in student entrepreneurs ($10K–$20K convertible notes). Recently expanded from Utah into Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico through its Scouting Program.
- Getro Inc.coreTechnology partner that provides and operates the technical platform behind jobs.kickstart.com — the Kickstart portfolio job board, including talent network, job alerts, and application flow.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kickstart competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Foundry Group: Boulder, Colorado-based early-stage VC investing across software, internet, and frontier tech; one of the most active Mountain West seed investors with comparable stage and ecosystem role.
- Sorenson Capital: Utah-based venture firm focused on early-stage enterprise and SaaS; co-led DiversiFi's round with Kickstart and competes directly for Mountain West seed deals.
- Peterson Ventures: Salt Lake City-based seed and early-stage VC firm that co-invested with Kickstart in DiversiFi's $8M round and operates in the same Utah/Mountain West seed ecosystem with comparable check sizes.
- Epic Ventures: Albuquerque, New Mexico-based early-stage VC firm active in the Mountain West, particularly New Mexico and Utah seed deals.
- Signal Peak Ventures: Salt Lake City-based early-stage VC with a similar Mountain West seed focus, writing checks comparable to Kickstart's $250K–$3M range.
- Pelion Venture Partners: Salt Lake City-based early-stage VC firm investing across SaaS, consumer, and tech in the Mountain West; direct competitor for seed-stage Mountain West deals.
- Mercato Partners: Salt Lake City-based growth-stage VC firm with seed-stage activity; competes for high-quality Mountain West founders and follow-on rounds.
Broad incumbents
- Techstars: Global accelerator and seed investor with multiple U.S. programs; overlaps with Kickstart on early-stage Mountain West companies via its accelerator network and follow-on capital.
Regional players
- Next Frontier Capital: Bozeman, Montana-based early-stage VC firm focused on the Northern Mountain West; overlaps with Kickstart's regional thesis but with a narrower geographic footprint.
- Park City Angels: Utah-based angel network investing at pre-seed and seed in Mountain West startups; competes at the earliest check size below Kickstart's typical $250K floor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kickstart social profiles
Digital presenceKickstart financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kickstart leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Kickstart subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Kickstart funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kickstart M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments285 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kickstart
What does Kickstart do?
Kickstart is a private venture capital firm that leads pre-seed, seed, and occasional Series A equity rounds in startups based primarily in Utah, Colorado, and the broader Mountain West. Initial checks typically range from $250,000 to $3 million, supplemented by reserved follow-on capital, with the firm generally taking a board seat and syndicating rounds alongside co-investors. The firm supplements the fund with community, content, and talent programs for portfolio founders, including Kickstart Collective, the Perfect Pitch podcast, Campus Founders Fund, and the portfolio Job Board.
Is Kickstart a public or private company?
Kickstart is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kickstart founded?
Kickstart was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kickstart based?
Kickstart is headquartered in Salt Lake City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kickstart make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture fund management & carried interest.
Who are Kickstart's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Foundry Group, Sorenson Capital, Peterson Ventures, Epic Ventures, Signal Peak Ventures, Pelion Venture Partners and Mercato Partners. Techstars is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are Next Frontier Capital and Park City Angels.
Does Kickstart have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kickstart.
What industry is Kickstart in?
Kickstart's product category is Early-Stage Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.