Goodwater Capital
About Goodwater Capital
Goodwater Capital helps entrepreneurs build companies that transform lives around the world.
Chi-Hua Chien and Eric Kim founded Goodwater in 2014. Chien was previously a General Partner at Kleiner Perkins and an associate at Accel Partners. Kim was previously a Managing Director at Maverick Capital. The firm is based in Burlingame, California, and invests only in consumer technology. In a July 2023 press release it said it managed over $3.3B in committed capital. In September 2021 it announced $1B in new funds for early and growth-stage companies, plus access to an additional $500M for late-stage companies. In July 2023 it announced over $1B raised across its early and growth stage funds. The firm has not published individual fund names or a breakdown of fund sizes in the sources reviewed.
Goodwater does not run a separate AI fund. Its AI deals fall under its consumer technology thesis, which covers housing, healthcare, food, financial services, transportation, education and entertainment. Its recent AI rounds are mostly seed rounds in which it joined a syndicate. In Astor's $5M seed, Monashees led and Goodwater took part. In Willow Voice's $4.2M seed, BoxGroup led and Goodwater took part. The firm has not named which partners lead its AI investing, so this page does not name any.
Goodwater invests from seed through growth. Its recent AI deals on the Lounge deals desk are all seed rounds. The firm does not appear to publish check sizes. Third-party databases disagree: some list $5M to $50M, one lists $1M to $50M, and another lists $50K to $10M. Founders should treat these figures as unconfirmed and ask the firm directly. Superscout lists info@goodwatercap.com as the contact for pitches.
- Astor: AI-native, SEC-registered investment advisory platform. $5M seed in April 2026, led by Monashees, with Goodwater, Y Combinator and others.
- Willow Voice: AI dictation that turns speech into text for emails, messages and AI prompts. $4.2M seed led by BoxGroup, with Goodwater participating.
- Rork: $15M seed listed on the Lounge deals desk (2026).
- Level3 AI: $13M seed listed on the Lounge deals desk (2026).
- Idilio: $5.5M seed listed on the Lounge deals desk (2026).
- Trace: $3M seed listed on the Lounge deals desk (2026).
- Egoist Machines: $3M seed listed on the Lounge deals desk.
- prnewswire.com/news-releases/goodwater-raises-over-1-billion-to-suppor
- koreatechdesk.com/us-vc-firm-goodwater-capital-raises-1-billion-to-inv
- goldhouse.org/people/chi-hua-chien-eric-kim
- fintech.global/2026/04/24/astor-raises-5m-seed-to-democratise-investme
- app.dealroom.co/news/note/willow-voice-raises-4-2m-seed-to-turn-voice-
- superscout.co/investor/goodwater
- f4.fund/firms/goodwater-capital
- vcbeast.com/vc-firms/goodwater-capital
Investing activity
Goodwater Capital appears in 8 AI deals tracked by the Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $41M. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $6M and the largest at $15M. The most recent are Egoist Machines (Seed, $3M, Oct 2026), Willow Voice (Seed, $4.2M, Aug 2026) and Idilio (Seed, $5.5M, Jun 2026).
Goodwater Capital most often invests alongside Y Combinator, a16z Speedrun, Transpose Platform Management and Lightspeed Venture Partners, and the companies it backs on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Goodwater Capital
Who founded Goodwater Capital?
Chi-Hua Chien and Eric Kim founded Goodwater in 2014. The firm is based in Burlingame, California.
Does Goodwater Capital invest in AI startups?
Yes. It invests in AI companies that fit its consumer technology focus. Recent examples are the seed rounds of Astor, an AI investment advisor, and Willow Voice, an AI dictation tool.
How much money has Goodwater Capital raised?
In July 2023 the firm said it had raised over $1B across its early and growth stage funds and managed over $3.3B in committed capital. In 2021 it announced $1B in new funds plus access to an additional $500M for late-stage companies.
What check size does Goodwater Capital write?
The firm does not appear to publish it. Third-party databases list ranges from $5M to $50M, $1M to $50M, and $50K to $10M, so these are unconfirmed.
Does Goodwater Capital invest at seed stage in AI?
Yes. Its recent AI deals on the Lounge deals desk are seed rounds, including Astor ($5M), Willow Voice ($4.2M), Rork ($15M) and Idilio ($5.5M). In several of these it was one investor among a group.
What AI companies has Goodwater Capital invested in?
Goodwater Capital's AI investments include Egoist Machines, Willow Voice, Idilio, Astor, Rork, Trace, Level3AI and Level3 AI. The 8 rounds on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Goodwater Capital based?
Goodwater Capital is based in Burlingame, California, United States.
What stage does Goodwater Capital invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Goodwater Capital has invested at Seed, with a median round of $6M.
Who does Goodwater Capital co-invest with?
Goodwater Capital's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Y Combinator (3 deals), a16z Speedrun (2 deals), Transpose Platform Management (2 deals), Lightspeed Venture Partners (2 deals) and Sovereign’s Capital (2 deals).
How can founders reach Goodwater Capital?
Founders on Lounge can see Goodwater Capital's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Goodwater Capital to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.