Chris Smoak
About Chris Smoak
Chris Smoak is a software engineer and startup founder based in San Francisco. He co-founded Atrium LTS, the technology company behind the startup-focused law firm Atrium, and served as its CTO. PitchBook describes him as an early AWS employee and a Carnegie Mellon graduate.
His earlier companies include Shoutfit, a fashion social network that Y Combinator lists as a Summer 2006 company. Third-party profiles also list Anchor Health (YC Winter 2016) and Atrium (YC Winter 2018). PitchBook says he has taken 3 companies through YC.
He is now a co-founder and partner at Whoa Ventures in San Francisco.
PitchBook says he has been investing in private companies for almost a decade. It lists 6 investments and 2 exits. His exits include Intello, a SaaS operations platform in which he invested in a 2019 seed round, and Fabl, a content publishing platform acquired by Britelite Immersive.
Crunchbase counts 8 personal investments, and CB Insights counts 4. The totals differ by source, so treat them as approximate.
On the Lounge deals desk, he appears in two AI rounds: the Zalos Seed ($3.6M, March 2026) and the Vector Legal Seed ($5.2M). Crunchbase shows Zalos raised its round from 14Peaks Capital and 25 other investors, and he is among the participants.
PitchBook also lists Mastra (October 2025) and Cekura (July 2025). CB Insights lists a $3.4M pre-seed in Bloom in September 2025, with Y Combinator, Moonfire and Pioneer Fund among the co-investors.
He invests as an individual angel at pre-seed and seed. NFX Signal lists a range of $5K to $50K with a $25K sweet spot. That is a third-party figure, and we found no statement from him confirming it.
NFX Signal ranks him for LegalTech, Payments and Advertising in the San Francisco Bay Area. His recent deals are mostly in business software, legal services and AI. We found no public statement from him on what he looks for in founders.
- Zalos: AI company; seed round announced March 2026, $3.6M per the Lounge deals desk.
- Vector Legal: legal services startup; seed round of $5.2M per the Lounge deals desk.
- Mastra: business software company; investment dated October 2025 by PitchBook.
- Cekura: business software company; investment dated July 2025 by PitchBook.
- Bloom: pre-seed round of $3.4M in September 2025, per CB Insights.
- Intello: SaaS operations platform; seed investment in 2019, later an exit.
- Fabl: rich-media publishing platform; seed investment in 2014, later acquired by Britelite Immersive.
Investing activity
Chris Smoak appears in 2 AI deals tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $5M. The most recent are Vector Legal (Seed, $5.2M, Jul 2026) and Zalos (Seed, $3.6M, Mar 2026).
Chris Smoak most often invests alongside Base10 Partners, Y Combinator, 14Peaks Capital and Edward Woodford, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Chris Smoak
Who is Chris Smoak?
He is a San Francisco software engineer, founder and angel investor. He co-founded Atrium LTS and is a co-founder and partner at Whoa Ventures.
What check size does Chris Smoak write?
NFX Signal lists $5K to $50K with a $25K sweet spot. This comes from a third-party profile, and we found no public statement from him.
What stage does Chris Smoak invest in?
He backs pre-seed and seed companies. His AI deals on Lounge are the Zalos Seed ($3.6M) and the Vector Legal Seed ($5.2M).
Which AI companies has Chris Smoak invested in?
Zalos and Vector Legal appear on the Lounge deals desk. PitchBook and CB Insights also list Mastra, Cekura and Bloom.
What sectors does Chris Smoak back?
NFX Signal lists LegalTech, Payments and Advertising. His recent deals are in business software, legal services and AI.
Has Chris Smoak founded companies himself?
Yes. He founded Shoutfit (YC Summer 2006) and co-founded Atrium LTS, where he was CTO. He is also a co-founder of Whoa Ventures.
Is Chris Smoak an angel investor?
Yes. Chris Smoak invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Chris Smoak invested in?
Chris Smoak's AI investments include Vector Legal and Zalos. The 2 rounds on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Chris Smoak invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Chris Smoak has invested at Seed, with a median round of $5M.
Who does Chris Smoak co-invest with?
Chris Smoak's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Base10 Partners (1 deal), Y Combinator (1 deal), 14Peaks Capital (1 deal), Edward Woodford (1 deal) and Harry Stebbings (1 deal).