Corazon Capital

What Corazon Capital does

Corazon Capital (operating as Corazon Group LLC) is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2013 by Sam Yagan (co-founder of SparkNotes and OkCupid; former CEO of Match Group and ShopRunner) and Steve Farsht (former General Partner at Norwest Equity Partners). The firm invests at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages with an explicit emphasis on AI-native companies built around enduring human behaviors across how people learn, connect, transact, work, and live. Its primary product is its venture capital funds, most notably Fund IV which closed at $100 million on March 31, 2026, and it generates revenue through standard VC economics of management fees on committed capital and carried interest on fund returns.

The firm operates an operator-led model, pairing deep consumer-internet operating experience (Match Group, Tinder, OkCupid, ShopRunner, Grindr) with hands-on investing. Corazon maintains a four-city investor footprint across Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, and its ~11-person team includes Managing Partners Sam Yagan and Phil Schwarz plus recently promoted Partners Greg Johnston, Smriti Jayaraman, and Alison Stillman. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven, sourcing deals through founder networks, partner referrals, industry events (TechCrunch Disrupt, Milestone Momentum Summit), and ecosystem partnerships such as the Illinois Growth and Innovation Fund.

The portfolio spans 100+ companies across consumer tech, emerging tech, marketplaces, and commerce enablement, including scaled unicorns (Telnyx, TradingView), market-leading consumer brands (SpotHero, PrettyLitter, Bonobos, Bluecore), and next-generation platforms (Brilliant, Noble Mobile, Nara Organics, Coast, AllFly, Cerca). The firm is a Registered Investment Adviser and its distribution model is exclusively direct founder outreach via website, email, and partner networks rather than through any third-party channel.

Name

Corazon Capital

Legal name

Corazon Group LLC

Website

https://corazon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Corazon Capital is a Chicago-based early-stage venture capital firm investing at pre-seed, seed, and Series A in AI-native consumer companies; founded in 2013 by Sam Yagan and Steve Farsht, it closed Fund IV at $100 million in March 2026 and operates from four U.S. cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Fund Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Late-Stage Venture Capital (Series C+) (FSANAAAC)

Keywords

• Venture capital funds
• Early-stage investing
• Seed funding
• AI-native startups
• Consumer technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Fund Management: Corazon Capital manages venture capital funds (Fund IV is the fourth fund). Revenue generated through standard VC economics: management fees on committed capital and carried interest on fund returns. The firm is a Registered Investment Adviser; additional important information including Form ADV is available at the SEC's adviserinfo website.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Corazon Capital manages venture capital funds that deploy capital and operator-led counsel into early-stage technology companies. Fund IV, closed at $100 million in March 2026, invests at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages with an emphasis on AI-native companies built around enduring human behaviors. The firm sells limited-partnership interests to qualified investors and earns revenue through management fees and carried interest.

Product overview

Corazon Capital (Spanish for "heart") is a Chicago-based venture capital firm (operating as Corazon Group LLC) that provides capital and operating support to founders at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages. The firm's primary product is its venture capital funds — most notably its recently closed Fund IV at $100 million — through which it invests in technology companies that leverage innovation to transform how humans learn, connect, transact, work, and live, with a particular emphasis on AI-native consumer companies built around enduring human behaviors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corazon Capital Fund IV A $100 million early-stage venture capital fund announced in March 2026 that invests at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages with an emphasis on AI-native companies built around enduring human behaviors. Sold as limited-partnership interests to qualified investors under SEC Registered Investment Adviser oversight.

Quantifiable outcome

• $100M Fund IV final close (March 2026)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

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

One partnership is on record.

• Y CombinatorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-investor alongside Corazon Capital in BoldVoice's $21M Series A (January 2026). Also accelerator of record for several Corazon portfolio companies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lerer Hippeau: New York-based early-stage VC investing across consumer, media, and enterprise at seed and Series A. Comparable stage, consumer tilt, and operator-investor model (founded by Ben Lerer and Eric Hippeau with operating backgrounds).
• Red Sea Ventures: NYC-based early-stage VC investing across consumer, marketplaces, and commerce. Comparable stage, consumer/marketplace focus, and seed/Series A approach.
• Female Founders Fund: Early-stage VC investing in consumer, enterprise, and fintech at seed with focus on female founders. Comparable seed-stage consumer focus and portfolio profile.
• Cowboy Ventures: Early-stage VC led by Aileen Lee focused on consumer and enterprise seed-stage companies. Comparable stage, founder-led brand, and consumer/digital focus.
• Initialized Capital: Early-stage VC founded by Alexis Ohanian and Garry Tan investing at seed and Series A with focus on founders across consumer, crypto, and frontier tech. Comparable operator-founder pedigree and early-stage consumer emphasis.
• Brand New Ventures: Early-stage consumer-focused VC investing in brands, commerce, and consumer-tech. Comparable thesis on consumer-tech and seed-stage investing.
• Forerunner Ventures: Early-stage consumer-focused VC based in San Francisco investing across commerce, brands, and consumer-tech. Directly comparable to Corazon on stage, consumer focus, and operator-led brand — Forerunner is one of the most established consumer-seed funds in the U.S.
• Betaworks: NYC-based early-stage startup studio and investor focused on consumer internet, media, and applied AI at the earliest stages. Comparable thesis on consumer-tech and AI-native companies built around new behaviors.
• BBG Ventures: Seed-stage VC focused on consumer and enterprise companies with diverse founding teams. Comparable stage, consumer emphasis, and operator-led model.
• Primary Venture Partners: NYC-based seed-stage investor focused on consumer, commerce, and enterprise software. Comparable stage, consumer/digital emphasis, and operator-friendly thesis.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/corazoncap
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corazoncap

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

Investments111 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Corazon Capital