KittyHawk

What KittyHawk does

KittyHawk is a privately held, multi-stage technology investment firm founded in 2015 by Will Weisman at Singularity University in NASA's Ames Research Park and now headquartered in Los Angeles. The firm operates two primary strategies: KittyHawk Frontier, a seed and early-stage venture fund investing in frontier technologies (AI/Quantum, Healthcare/Bio/Longevity, Robotics/Advanced Materials, Energy, Aerospace, Web3), and KittyHawk Secondaries, a late-stage private markets platform offering structured exposure to pre-IPO companies through partnerships with Nasdaq and Nasdaq Private Market. Its flagship product, the KittyHawk Nasdaq Top 20, is described as a first-of-its-kind vintage-based private market secondaries index fund designed for institutional allocators, family offices, and private wealth platforms.

The firm generates revenue through investment management fees and carried interest on its two fund strategies. Portfolio company acquisition runs through trusted-network referrals and a website intake form; institutional distribution for the secondaries product runs through direct outreach and the Nasdaq Private Market infrastructure. The team of fewer than 10 employees combines senior investment and operating backgrounds, including John Pearce (former Global Head of Platforms & Governance at BlackRock) as COO, Paul Burgon (30-year energy/climate investor, $3B in exits across ~100 companies, formerly founder/CEO of Exit Ventures) as Partner, and Nick White as AI/ML expert. In October 2025 KittyHawk acquired Exit Ventures to deepen its energy and sustainable-materials franchise, and in January 2026 led a $2 million seed round in encoord, an energy-grid planning software company.

Strategically, KittyHawk has positioned itself as a platform that supports companies 'from inception to scale to liquidity' — combining early-stage venture with structured secondaries and institutional partnerships to address the increasing duration that companies remain private. The Nasdaq co-branding and dedicated LP channel for the Top 20 index fund represent the firm's primary offensive move toward scaling institutional fee-paying AUM beyond the constraints of a small seed-stage team.

Name

KittyHawk

Legal name

KittyHawk Ventures

Website

https://kittyhawkvc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KittyHawk is a private multi-stage technology investment firm operating KittyHawk Frontier (seed and early-stage frontier-tech investing) and KittyHawk Secondaries (late-stage private markets via structured secondaries), with the flagship Nasdaq Top 20 index fund targeting institutional allocators and family offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital and Private Equity Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Buy-Side Search & Acquisition Advisory (FSAEAIAD)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Private market secondaries
• Frontier technology funds
• Seed stage investing
• Institutional investment management

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Management: KittyHawk generates revenue through investment management fees and carried interest from their venture and secondary funds. The firm manages multiple investment strategies including KittyHawk Frontier (seed/early-stage) and KittyHawk Secondaries (late-stage private markets).

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KittyHawk is a multi-stage technology investment firm operating two primary strategies: KittyHawk Frontier (seed and early-stage venture investing in frontier technologies such as AI/Quantum, Healthcare/Bio, Energy, Aerospace, Robotics, and Web3) and KittyHawk Secondaries (late-stage private market exposure through structured secondaries, including the KittyHawk Nasdaq Top 20, a vintage-based private market index fund built in partnership with Nasdaq and Nasdaq Private Market).

Product overview

KittyHawk is a multi-stage technology investment platform operating two primary strategies: KittyHawk Frontier (seed and early-stage frontier technology investing) and KittyHawk Secondaries (late-stage private markets through structured secondaries). The flagship product is the KittyHawk Nasdaq Top 20, a first-of-its-kind vintage-based private market index fund built in partnership with Nasdaq and Nasdaq Private Market. The platform also includes Strategic Partnerships with market leaders to enhance access and transparency in private markets. KittyHawk invests across sectors including Healthcare/Bio/Longevity, Robotics/Advanced Materials, Web3, AI/Quantum, Energy, and Aerospace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KittyHawk Frontier Seed and early-stage venture fund focused on frontier technologies including AI & Quantum, Energy, Aerospace, Robotics & Advanced Materials, and Healthcare & Bio, for bold mission-driven founders.
• KittyHawk Secondaries Late-stage private markets fund offering pre-IPO secondary funds that leverage a deep partnership with Nasdaq Private Market to access investment opportunities in leading late-stage companies, for institutional investors and family offices.
• KittyHawk Nasdaq Top 20 Vintage-based private market index fund designed to provide systematic exposure to leading late-stage private companies through index-style discipline, for institutional allocators, family offices, and sophisticated investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• KittyHawk-supported companies have achieved significant growth, with Vytalize Health growing 90,779% over 3 years and reaching #1 on Inc 5000
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NasdaqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKittyHawk partners with Nasdaq to leverage its deep expertise in index construction, governance, and market data. Nasdaq serves as an index calculation agent, bringing institutional rigor and credibility to the development of structured private market strategies. Through this partnership, the KittyHawk Nasdaq Top 20 was created as a first-of-its-kind investable private-markets index fund.
• Nasdaq Private MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNasdaq Private Market is the leading institutional platform for secondary liquidity in late-stage private companies. Built to support company-approved transactions, it provides a centralized, compliant environment for private share transfers. Through the partnership, KittyHawk gains differentiated access to private market liquidity and insights, enabling participation in structured secondary transactions at scale.
• NasdaqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNasdaq is a global leader in market infrastructure, technology, and index innovation. As the pioneer of the world's first electronic stock market, Nasdaq has played a central role in shaping modern capital markets for over five decades. Partnership reflects shared belief that private markets are entering a new phase requiring discipline, transparency, and infrastructure long present in public markets.
• Nasdaq Private MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNasdaq Private Market is the leading institutional platform for secondary liquidity in late-stage private companies. Through the partnership, KittyHawk gains differentiated access to private market liquidity and insights, enabling participation in structured secondary transactions at scale. Together working to modernize how liquidity is provided in private markets, bridging the gap between private growth and public readiness.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hiive: Hiive operates a private secondary marketplace for vested shares and options in venture-backed companies. Comparable to KittyHawk Secondaries in providing liquidity and price discovery for late-stage private securities.
• EquityZen: EquityZen is a private investment platform that enables accredited investors to buy shares in pre-IPO companies through structured secondary transactions. It is directly comparable to KittyHawk's late-stage secondaries franchise.
• Republic: Republic is a private investment platform offering access to startup and pre-IPO investment opportunities across multiple vehicles. Comparable to KittyHawk's mission of broadening access to private markets beyond traditional institutional channels.
• Moonfare: Moonfare is a digital private equity platform offering individuals and family offices access to top-tier private market funds. Comparable to KittyHawk Secondaries in providing structured, accessible private market exposure to high-net-worth and family-office capital.
• Forge Global: Forge Global is a leading private securities marketplace for late-stage company shares. Like KittyHawk Secondaries, it facilitates secondary transactions in pre-IPO companies and targets institutional and accredited investors seeking exposure to private market value.
• OurCrowd: OurCrowd is an online venture investing platform offering curated access to early-stage and growth-stage private companies to accredited and institutional investors. Comparable to KittyHawk in combining VC fund management with broader investor access.
• SharesPost: SharesPost facilitates secondary transactions in shares of late-stage private companies for accredited investors. It is a long-standing peer in the private secondaries space that KittyHawk Secondaries competes with for deal flow and investor mind share.

Broad incumbents

• Carta: Carta is the dominant cap-table and equity management platform serving private companies, investors, and employees. It has expanded into private market liquidity and fund administration, overlapping with KittyHawk's investor and portfolio operations across both strategies.
• AngelList (now AngelList Venture): AngelList operates a fund management and rolling venture fund platform serving both GPs and LPs in early-stage venture. Comparable to KittyHawk Frontier at the infrastructure and syndication layer for emerging managers.

Others

• Nasdaq Private Market: Nasdaq Private Market is KittyHawk's core infrastructure partner and the leading institutional platform for secondary liquidity in late-stage private companies. While not a direct competitor (it is a partner and infrastructure provider), NPM's capabilities materially shape KittyHawk Secondaries' go-to-market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/wweisman
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtNlzPB6BrocBWPfaSY9SWw
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100090825747075
• Instagraminstagram.com/westrockwellness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments83 records

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

Frequently asked questions about KittyHawk