Amit Rathore
About Amit Rathore
Amit Rathore is an engineer-turned-entrepreneur based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He started as a software engineer at IBM (2001 to 2002) and later worked at Thoughtworks. He wrote the book Clojure in Action (2011). His own bio says he has focused on AI, media, commerce and fintech since 2003.
He co-founded Runa in 2008 and served as its CTO. Runa was software for online retailers covering pricing, behavioral targeting and delivery optimization. Staples acquired it in 2013, and he then served as VP of Global E-Commerce at Staples. In 2014 he left to start Quintype, a media technology company. He was its founder and CEO and sat on its board from 2014 to 2020.
He founded AwakeVC in 2019 and is its Founding Partner. His site describes it as a protocols-powered private equity collective that works as his family office and venture studio. He also founded Shoptype, a platform for paying sales commissions to creators and influencers. His LinkedIn headline describes him as an AI-native founder and venture builder with 25+ years of experience. Crunchbase lists 4 founded companies.
Crunchbase lists one personal investment, a seed round in Cookifi in 2016. Other databases show more. PitchBook lists three: LoanCircle (2015), Cookifi (2016) and Vauld (December 2020). Tracxn lists OckyPocky (seed, 2018), WhizKidz Media (seed, 2016), Cookifi (seed, 2016) and Singulariti (angel, 2015). These databases do not agree, so treat the public record as incomplete.
From 2011 to 2021 he ran HigherOrderVC, an angel investment and venture studio. He also founded CoVentureCap, which Awake describes as a platform for angel investments and syndication. Crunchbase shows no lead investments and no exits.
No public source confirms a specific AI company that Rathore invested in as an angel, so none is named here. His AI work is mostly as an operator. Runa applied AI to retail pricing and targeting, and Quintype was described by Awake as AI for media publishers. AwakeVC describes itself as combining AI and fintech. His Crunchbase bio says he expects blockchain and AI to power community-driven global marketplaces.
A Wellfound description of CoVentureCap calls it non-linear seed stage investing. It says the focus is fintech, media and commerce, marketplaces, supply chain, real estate and AI. He says he helps seasoned entrepreneurs build technology platforms for the future of work, life and play. The investor database EasyVC lists pre-seed and seed stages.
He is based in the United States. Tracxn lists his portfolio companies as mostly in India. His check size is not public. The most recent investment found in public databases is from December 2020, and EasyVC classes him as low-active.
- Cookifi: seed round in 2016, listed by Crunchbase, PitchBook and Tracxn.
- Vauld: crypto-related financial services company, investment dated December 2020 by PitchBook.
- LoanCircle: financial software company, investment dated September 2015 by PitchBook.
- OckyPocky: seed round in 2018, listed by Tracxn.
- WhizKidz Media: seed round in 2016, listed by Tracxn.
- Singulariti: angel round in 2015, listed by Tracxn.
Investing activity
Amit Rathore has made 1 investment according to Crunchbase across 1 portfolio company, and has founded 4 companies.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Amit Rathore
Does Amit Rathore invest in AI startups?
AI is one of the sectors listed for his seed-stage investing. No specific AI angel investment by him is confirmed in public sources. His AI experience is from running Runa and Quintype.
What stage does Amit Rathore invest in?
Public descriptions of his investing point to pre-seed and seed. CoVentureCap is described as seed stage.
What is Amit Rathore's check size?
His check size is not public. Round sizes in Tracxn's data are totals for the whole round, not his own check.
What is AwakeVC?
AwakeVC is the venture studio and private equity collective Rathore founded in 2019. It describes itself as combining AI and fintech and aims to enable new technology ventures.
What companies has Amit Rathore founded?
Crunchbase lists 4 founded companies. They include Runa, which Staples acquired in 2013, Quintype, AwakeVC and Shoptype.
How can founders contact Amit Rathore?
He has a personal site at amitrathore.com and a LinkedIn profile. Founders can reach him through either, or through AwakeVC.
Is Amit Rathore an angel investor?
Yes. Amit Rathore invests personally as an angel and is Founding Partner at AwakeVC. Crunchbase counts 1 investment.
Where is Amit Rathore based?
Amit Rathore is based in San Francisco, California, United States.
How can founders reach Amit Rathore?
Founders on Lounge can see Amit Rathore's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Amit Rathore to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.