What Chisos Capital does

Chisos Capital is a Santa Monica-based private investment firm founded in 2020 that deploys $25K–$100K of flexible capital into individuals rather than companies — specifically founders, creators, collegiate and professional athletes, and most recently professional golfers. The firm serves an underserved slice of the US economy that falls outside traditional VC, lending, and bank financing channels; 80% of its portfolio is outside the Bay Area and 60% of funded founders are from underrepresented backgrounds.

The firm's core technology is the Convertible Income Share Agreement (CISA), a proprietary hybrid instrument that blends an Income Share Agreement with a SAFE note, including features such as a salary floor, deferred payment periods, and equity clawbacks. Distribution is product-led: a fully self-serve online application at chisos.io is reviewed by a combination of human evaluators and proprietary software, and approved applicants receive capital wired directly to their bank account, with decisions made in weeks rather than months. Post-funding, portfolio members join a peer community with access to 100+ investor/accelerator partners and 50+ service providers. The firm also open-sourced its CISA term sheet on GitHub to drive framework adoption.

Chisos monetizes through income-share cash flows from existing CISAs and through management economics on thematic funds; in April 2026 it launched Chisos Golf, a $25 million fund to invest in 200 aspiring pro golfers with $50K–$150K per player over 4–10 year terms, and in October 2025 it formed a strategic partnership with Crowdsurf to create co-investment vehicles. Cumulative reach spans 100+ portfolio members across 35+ US cities from a 3,000+ annual applicant pool. The team is small (1–10 employees) and founder-led by William Stringer, with fractional C-suite support.

Name

Chisos Capital

Legal name

Chisos, LLC

Website

https://chisos.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chisos Capital is a Santa Monica private investment firm that deploys $25K–$100K of flexible, income-share-based capital into high-potential founders, creators, athletes, and now pro golfers via a proprietary CISA instrument, serving individuals underserved by traditional VC and lending.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Investing / Human Capital Investment

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Credit — Structured Credit (CLOs, ABS, Private Securitizations) (FSAHAJAH)

Keywords

• Human capital investing
• Income share agreements
• Early stage funding
• Athlete investment fund
• Creator economy capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Income Share Returns: Chisos provides capital to individuals (founders, athletes, creators) in exchange for a percentage of their future income. When the individual succeeds financially, Chisos receives payments tied to their earnings. This creates a revenue stream that aligns incentives between Chisos and the individuals they fund.
2. Equity Upside (CISA Conversion):

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Chisos Capital provides flexible funding up to $100,000 to high-potential individuals—founders, athletes, creators, and pro golfers—in exchange for a share of their future income via its proprietary Convertible Income Share Agreement (CISA). Applicants apply through an open online portal, are reviewed via a human-plus-software process, and, if approved, receive capital wired directly to their bank account with repayments tied to earnings rather than fixed obligations.

Product overview

Chisos Capital operates as a unified investment platform offering flexible funding to high-potential individuals across three core segments: founders, athletes, and creators. The platform's primary offering is the Convertible Income Share Agreement (CISA), a hybrid financial instrument that combines income share mechanics with equity conversion features. Funding is available up to $100K through an online application process with a tech-enabled review system. The company has expanded into vertical-specific products, with Chisos Golf representing its first dedicated thematic fund targeting professional golfer development. Post-funding, portfolio members gain access to a peer community and ecosystem of mentors and service providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chisos Golf: A $25 million fund designed to provide structured exposure to professional golfer earnings, investing in 200 aspiring professional golfers. The fund covers costs of competing including coaching, training, travel, equipment, and living expenses with an earnings-share model.

Products and services

• Convertible Income Share Agreement (CISA) Chisos' signature financial instrument that blends an Income Share Agreement (ISA) with a Standard Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE). It provides upfront capital with flexible repayments tied to the recipient's future earnings, includes a salary floor, deferred payment periods, and equity clawbacks, and is used to fund founders, athletes, creators, and pro golfers with investments typically ranging from $15,000 to $100,000.
• Chisos Capital Core Funding Platform Chisos Capital's primary investment platform providing flexible funding of up to $100K to high-potential individual founders, athletes, creators, and innovators via Convertible Income Share Agreements (CISAs). Applications are submitted online, reviewed via a human-plus-software process, and approved applicants receive capital wired directly to their bank account.
• Chisos Golf Fund A $25 million thematic fund that invests in 200 aspiring professional golfers competing on mini tours, Korn Ferry Tour, and PGA Tour. The fund provides $50,000 to $150,000 per player over a 4–10 year term covering coaching, training, travel, equipment, entry fees, and living expenses, with a 1x cap on non-golf earnings participation. Talent is identified via a proprietary database of 1.5+ million tournament results and an advisory board of PGA TOUR professionals, agents, and industry veterans.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ portfolio members across 35+ U.S. cities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CrowdsurfcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2025Strategic partnership to expand access to direct investing in individuals. Combined efforts include joint investment vehicles, co-investment and syndication opportunities, and marketing collaboration to give investors exposure to high-upside individuals across talent types.
• KnowCapminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2020Partnership focused on network effects through an ecosystem model that provides value for both partners and founders. KnowCap deploys strategies leveraging community and ecosystem relationships.
• Zebras UniteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership through which founders and investors found each other via the Zebras Unite community, resulting in investments made through the community network.
• Kold Sports GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting athletes' investment opportunities and access to networks, promoting long-term financial stability through athlete equity ownership programs.
• 50+ Technology and Service Provider PartnersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership network including technology providers, accelerators, incubators, and service providers who support portfolio companies and provide mentorship, programs, and services.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Crowdsurf: Crowdsurf operates a community-driven investment platform for individuals and creators using Reg D crowdfunding. As Chisos's October 2025 strategic partner, it is the closest comparable model — both invest in individuals using structured, retail-accessible vehicles.
• Lighter Capital: Lighter Capital provides non-dilutive revenue-based financing to early-stage SaaS and tech-enabled companies. Its revenue-share repayment mechanic mirrors the income-share leg of Chisos's CISA for a narrower (B2B SaaS) customer set.
• Mainstreet: Mainstreet offers alternative financing and credit products to small businesses and startups that traditional lenders underwrite. Its focus on underserved, collateral-light borrowers parallels Chisos's mission to back founders without traditional VC credentials.
• Leif: Leif is an ISA provider for trade and bootcamp programs, helping students fund career training via income-share agreements. Like Chisos, it funds individuals using ISAs instead of traditional debt, though in an education context.

Emerging players

• Corl: Corl provides revenue-share financing to early-stage SaaS startups in exchange for a share of monthly revenue. It overlaps with Chisos on outcome-based, non-dilutive capital but targets companies, not individuals.
• Karat: Karat Financial provides creator-focused funding cards and financial products to YouTubers, streamers, and online creators. It serves the same creator segment as Chisos but with revolving credit rather than an ISA/SAFE hybrid.

Broad incumbents

• Vemo Education: Vemo (now part of Encoura) is the leading education-ISA administrator, working with universities to launch income-share agreement programs. It is the most established ISA infrastructure provider and shares Chisos's core repayment architecture.
• Republic: Republic is a multi-asset investment platform offering retail-accessible private equity, startup, and crypto deals. Its Reg CF/A infrastructure is comparable to the WeFunder-style democratized investing Chisos itself uses to raise capital.

Others

• WeFunder: WeFunder is a Regulation CF crowdfunding platform and a stated Chisos capital-raising partner. It is comparable as a democratized capital-formation channel rather than as a direct competitor for human-capital underwriting.
• Zebras Unite: Zebras Unite is a community and capital coalition for ethical, inclusive startups. It is a listed Chisos community partner and shares the same underrepresented-founder thesis, though it does not deploy structured credit instruments itself.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChisosCapital
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChisosLLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chisos-llc
• Instagraminstagram.com/chisoscapital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors

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

M&A

Investments19 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Chisos Capital