Hank Couture
About Hank Couture
Hank Couture is based in Chicago. He studied finance and economics at William & Mary, according to Crunchbase.
His X bio describes him as a former VP at DoorDash and former COO of Fanatics. The LeapYear team page lists him as Founder & Partner and notes his DoorDash role in new business.
He founded LeapYear, which invests in early-stage student founders across any industry. A third-party registry also lists him as a Partner at Lightbank. He posts publicly on X as @HankCouture.
Public data on his personal angel investments is thin. Crunchbase's person profile lists one personal investment, the Vor Systems pre-seed. The Contrario.ai careers page lists him as an angel backer and describes him as an ex-VP at DoorDash, with no round or year given. No check sizes, fund sizes or total investment counts are public.
In March 2026 he took part in the $3M pre-seed round of Vor Systems, a San Francisco company. Vor builds an AI-enabled transaction platform for complex renewable energy deals. Gigascale Capital led the round, and Virta Ventures and several other angels also joined. The funding is meant for product development, engineering hires and early partnerships with renewable energy developers and infrastructure investors.
He is also listed as an angel in Contrario.ai, which describes itself as working on hiring.
Through LeapYear, he backs very early-stage founders who are students, recent graduates or dropouts, across industries. In a LinkedIn post, he said 53 startups had been funded on LeapYear. The same post said more than 90% of applicants were pre-revenue and more than 70% of funded companies had raised follow-on capital. His X posts mention teams joining the LeapYear 2026 cohort. He has not publicly stated a personal check size.
- Vor Systems: AI platform for renewable energy transactions; he joined the $3M pre-seed round in March 2026.
- Contrario.ai: lists him as an angel backer; the year of investment is not public.
- LeapYear: the student-founder program he founded, which has funded 53 startups according to his LinkedIn post.
Investing activity
Hank Couture appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Pre-seed, with a median round size of $3M. The most recent is Vor Systems (Pre-seed, $3M, Mar 2026).
Hank Couture most often invests alongside Gigascale Capital, Christopher Payne, Titiaan Palazzi and Virta Ventures, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Hank Couture
Does Hank Couture invest in AI startups?
Yes. He was one of the angels in Vor Systems' $3M pre-seed in March 2026. Vor is an AI platform for renewable energy deals. He is also listed as an angel in Contrario.ai.
What stage does Hank Couture invest in?
His public activity is at pre-seed and the earliest stages. LeapYear targets student, graduate and dropout founders, and his Vor Systems investment was a pre-seed round.
How big is Hank Couture's check size?
It is not public. No source gives his personal check size.
What is LeapYear?
LeapYear is the program Hank Couture founded to invest in early-stage student founders in any industry. He said 53 startups had been funded as of a LinkedIn post.
What is Hank Couture's background?
He is a former VP at DoorDash and a former COO at Fanatics. He now runs LeapYear from Chicago.
How can founders contact Hank Couture?
He is active on X as @HankCouture and has a LinkedIn profile. LeapYear takes applications at takeleapyear.com.
Is Hank Couture an angel investor?
Yes. Hank Couture invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Hank Couture invested in?
Hank Couture's AI investments include Vor Systems. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Hank Couture invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Hank Couture has invested at Pre-seed, with a median round of $3M.
Who does Hank Couture co-invest with?
Hank Couture's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Gigascale Capital (1 deal), Christopher Payne (1 deal), Titiaan Palazzi (1 deal), Virta Ventures (1 deal) and Paul Grana (1 deal).