Operator Partners

What Operator Partners does

Operator Partners is a privately held venture capital firm founded in 2020 and headquartered in New York that invests exclusively its partners' own capital into early-stage technology companies from inception through Series B. The firm does not lead rounds and does not take board seats, positioning itself as a low-friction co-investor that supports portfolio companies with operator-level guidance on fundraising narrative, recruiting, people operations, product positioning, partnerships, security and compliance, and board management. The firm also operates Operator Search, a wholly owned executive retained search subsidiary launched in 2025 and led by Co-founder/CEO Carlo Coronel, which provides bespoke market mapping, case-based interview design, and senior executive placements on a contingent-fee basis (the majority of the fee collected only upon a successful hire).

The firm's differentiation is anchored in the operating track records of its partners. General Partners Nat Turner and Zach Weinberg previously co-founded Flatiron Health (acquired by Roche in 2018 for $2 billion) and Invite Media (acquired by Google in 2010 for $81 million). Gil Shklarski served nine years as CTO of Flatiron Health, growing the organization to over 350 professionals through the Roche acquisition, and later led technology at Thirty Madison. Amit Avner previously founded Taykey (acquired by Innovid). Partner Zach Goldstein joined in March 2020 from Union Square Ventures, and Partner Olivia Benjamin joined from Bain Capital Ventures where she also founded the Ground Floor community, Founder's Table co-founder matching community, and the Role Call newsletter.

The revenue model combines equity investment returns from portfolio appreciation and exits (one-time capital deployment per investment with no fund management fees or external LPs) with executive search fees from Operator Search. Disclosed co-investments over the past ten months include Lorikeet ($35M Series A, August 2025), Estuary ($17M Series A, October 2025), Evervault ($25M Series B, March 2026), Blossom Health ($20M combined Seed and Series A, March 2026), Quartermaster ($43M Series A, May 2026), and Sandstone ($30M Series A, June 2026). The firm does not disclose AUM, fund size, check sizes, portfolio returns, or financial terms.

Name

Operator Partners

Legal name

Operator Partners LLC

Website

https://operatorpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Operator Partners is a privately held venture capital firm founded in 2020 that invests its partners' own capital into early-stage technology companies from inception through Series B as a non-lead co-investor, and also operates Operator Search, an executive retained search subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Early-stage venture capital
• Operator-led investing
• Technology startup funding
• Executive retained search
• Pre-seed to Series B

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equity Investment Returns: Operator Partners invests its own capital in technology companies from inception through Series B, typically as a non-lead participant without board seats, generating returns through equity appreciation and exits. Capital is deployed once per investment with no management fees or external LPs.
2. Executive Retained Search Fees: Operator Search (a related firm built by Operator Partners) generates fees from executive retained search engagements, with the majority of the fee collected only when the client makes the hire, aligning incentives between the search firm and the client.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Operator Partners is a venture capital firm that funds technology companies from inception through Series B using only its general partners' own capital, without leading rounds or taking board seats. The firm supports portfolio companies with operator-level guidance on fundraising, recruiting, people organization, culture, product, partnerships, security/compliance, and board management. Through its Operator Search subsidiary, it also provides executive retained search services with bespoke market mapping, case-based interviewing, and a performance-contingent fee structure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Operator Search: Executive retained search firm built by founders, for founders; led by Carlo Coronel as Co-founder and CEO. Offers case-based interviewing, aligned incentives, and deep domain expertise for executive hires at early-stage startups.

Products and services

• Operator Partners Investment Partnership Venture capital partnership that invests its general partners' own capital in technology companies from inception through Series B, providing operator-level support on product, fundraising, recruiting, people organization, culture, partnerships, security/compliance, and board management. The firm does not lead rounds and does not take board seats; if no lead exists, the firm helps find one.
• Operator Search (Executive Retained Search) Executive retained search firm that conducts bespoke market mapping, case-based interview design, and senior executive sourcing for startups and growth-stage companies. The majority of its fee is collected only when the client makes the hire, aligning incentives with founders. For each engagement, Operator Search speaks with hiring managers who recently filled similar roles and brings in subject matter experts to design role-specific case interviews.

Quantifiable outcome

• Two of the firm's General Partners previously co-founded Flatiron Health, acquired by Roche in 2018 for $2 billion, and Invite Media, acquired by Google in 2010 for $81 million.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 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.

• Operator Search (Carlo Coronel)flagship related service lineStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator Search is an executive retained search firm built by founders, for founders, operating under the Operator Partners umbrella with Carlo Coronel as Co-founder and CEO. It offers case-based interview design and bespoke market mapping for senior executive hires, with the majority of its fee contingent on a successful hire.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lerer Hippeau: Operator-led early-stage venture firm based in New York that invests own capital and partners closely with founders across consumer and enterprise software. Highly comparable thesis, check size range, and stage focus to Operator Partners.
• Betaworks: Operator-led seed/Series A investor that builds and funds early-stage technology companies using partner capital rather than a traditional fund. Closely mirrors Operator Partners' own-capital, non-lead, hands-on model.
• Notation Capital: Repeat-founder-led early-stage fund investing across enterprise and frontier tech, emphasizing operator support without taking board seats. Comparable in stage, posture, and operator-driven GTM to Operator Partners.
• Founders Collective: Operator-seed fund built and funded by successful entrepreneurs, focused on pre-seed and seed technology companies. Closely aligned with Operator Partners' thesis of operators funding operators from inception.
• Correlation Ventures: Data-driven venture firm that participates across stages including Seed and Series A, frequently appearing as a co-investor with Operator Partners (e.g., Blossom Health). Similar non-lead, portfolio-broad posture.
• BoxGroup: Operator-led seed-stage fund that co-invests with Operator Partners (e.g., Quartermaster Series A) and shares a non-lead, founder-friendly, early-conviction thesis across the New York tech ecosystem.
• SV Angel: Ron Conway-led angel/seed investment vehicle that frequently appears as a co-investor in Operator Partners' deals (e.g., Sandstone Series A). Closely comparable in early-stage posture and round participation approach.

Broad incumbents

• USV (Union Square Ventures): Established thesis-driven early-stage venture firm where Operator Partners' Zach Goldstein previously worked; comparable stage focus on technology and network effects, though USV manages institutional LP capital at much larger scale.
• First Round Capital: Leading seed- and Series A-stage venture firm that has co-led rounds with Operator Partners (e.g., Quartermaster $43M Series A). Comparable early-stage focus and founder support model, with a much larger institutional footprint.
• Bain Capital Ventures: Multi-stage venture platform where Operator Partners' Olivia Benjamin previously invested, focused on enterprise software and consumer technology. Comparable stage and sector focus but operates with much larger institutional capital.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/zachweinberg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/zachweinberg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments272 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Operator Partners