Kevin Hartz
About Kevin Hartz
Kevin Hartz is based in San Francisco. He studied at Stanford University and University College, Oxford. He co-founded Xoom, a digital money transfer company, and was its CEO from 2001 to 2005. Xoom went public in 2013 and was acquired by PayPal.
In 2006 he co-founded Eventbrite with Julia Hartz and Renaud Visage. He ran the company as CEO until 2016, when Julia Hartz took over and he became executive chairman. Eventbrite went public in 2018 and was later acquired by Bending Spoons. He stayed on its board until June 2024. He was also a partner at Founders Fund from September 2016 until he announced his exit in June 2018.
In 2020 he co-founded the venture firm A*, where he is a general partner. He is also a co-founder and chairman of Sauron, a home security company. His X profile lists these roles and gives a-star.co as the firm's site.
Hartz invested as an angel before starting A*. An ORIGINS interview describes him as an early angel investor in PayPal, Airbnb, Uber, SpaceX, Pinterest, Palantir and Anduril. The same source says he invested in Airbnb in 2009, during its Sequoia round after Y Combinator. On a podcast with Turner Novak he described putting all the proceeds from his first startup into PayPal's seed round.
Crunchbase counts 18 investments for his personal profile, with 0 lead investments, 0 exits and 0 companies founded. Other databases count more. NFX Signal lists 136 investments on record, and PitchBook lists 143. The figures differ by source, so treat the Crunchbase count as one measure.
Crunchbase lists 12 AI investments by Hartz since 2023. The companies are Warp, Mecka AI, Vigil Labs, Clara, Granica, Rillet, Hedra, Icon, Mozart AI, Socket, Voiceflow and Vybe.
NFX Signal gives some round details. Warp raised a Series B in June 2026. Clara raised a pre-seed in May 2026. Mozart AI raised a $6M seed in February 2026. Vybe raised a $10M seed in December 2025. A third-party profile on VC Sheet also names Simile AI among his active AI investments.
Hartz has said publicly that AI is still early. On The Peel podcast he called AI the "Mother of All Bubbles" and also said it is still underhyped. A* has also backed the AI company Mercor, and A* led a $130M Series C in Decagon, according to Evalyze.
Most of Hartz's current investing runs through A*. The firm describes itself as generalist by sector and specialized in seed investing. TechCrunch reports it backs categories such as AI applications, fintech, healthcare and security. The Next Web says its portfolio also includes developer tools, AI infrastructure, consumer internet and marketplaces.
A* announced a $450M Fund III on May 12, 2026. TechCrunch reports that its average check will be $3M to $5M, with the aim of backing at least 30 startups. It says the capital will be deployed over two to three years. Earlier funds were a $300M Fund I in 2021 and a $315M Fund II in 2024. NFX Signal lists Hartz's own range as $100K to $10M with a $3M sweet spot. That is a third-party estimate, not a published check size.
Hartz is known for backing young founders. He told TechCrunch that close to 20% of A*'s portfolio involves teenage entrepreneurs. A* is based in San Francisco. VC Sheet reports he has encouraged founders to show a playable demo of their idea instead of a standard deck. That is a secondary source, so check it against his own posts.
- Airbnb: early angel investment in 2009, during its Sequoia round, per ORIGINS.
- Uber, Pinterest, PayPal, Palantir, Anduril, SpaceX: early angel investments listed in ORIGINS. Years are not given.
- Ramp: fintech company backed by A*, per TechCrunch.
- Mercor: AI company backed by A*, per TechCrunch.
- Decagon: AI customer support company. A* led its $130M Series C, per Evalyze.
- Warp: AI portfolio company. NFX Signal lists a Series B in June 2026.
- Clara: AI portfolio company. NFX Signal lists a pre-seed in May 2026.
- Mozart AI: AI company. NFX Signal lists a $6M seed in February 2026.
- Vybe: platform for AI-native teams. NFX Signal lists a $10M seed in December 2025.
- Paraform: NFX Signal lists a $4M seed in April 2024 and a $40M Series B in March 2026.
- Antioch: robotics company. Hartz said A* was doubling down in its $32M Series A, led by Greylock.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Hartz
- techcrunch.com/2026/05/12/kevin-hartzs-a-just-closed-its-third-fund-wi
- thenextweb.com/news/a-star-capital-450-million-fund-hartz
- originsmedia.substack.com/p/kevin-hartz-the-early-stories-behind
- originsmedia.substack.com/p/kevin-hartz-the-early-stories-behind-85e
- signal.nfx.com/investors/kevin-hartz
- evalyze.ai/investors/kevin-hartz
- vcsheet.com/who/kevin-hartz
AI portfolio
Investing activity
Kevin Hartz has made 18 investments according to Crunchbase. 12 of those investments since 2023 were in AI companies, including Warp, Mecka AI, Vigil Labs, Clara and Granica.
Kevin Hartz appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $6M. The most recent is Mozart AI (Seed, $6M, Feb 2026).
Kevin Hartz most often invests alongside Balderton Capital, Davidovs Venture Collective, Emery Wells and Charles Ferguson, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Kevin Hartz
Is Kevin Hartz an angel investor or a VC?
He is both. He has invested as an angel since before A*, and since 2020 he has been a co-founder and general partner at the seed-stage firm A*. Crunchbase counts 18 investments for his personal profile.
What check size does Kevin Hartz write?
He has not published a personal check size. A* says the average check for its $450M Fund III will be $3M to $5M. NFX Signal estimates his range at $100K to $10M, with a $3M sweet spot.
Which AI startups has Kevin Hartz invested in?
Crunchbase lists Warp, Mecka AI, Vigil Labs, Clara, Granica, Rillet, Hedra, Icon, Mozart AI, Socket, Voiceflow and Vybe. These are 12 AI investments since 2023.
What stage does Kevin Hartz invest in?
A* describes itself as specialized in seed investing, and TechCrunch calls it an early-stage firm. NFX Signal shows his deals mostly at seed, with some follow-on rounds such as Series A and B.
Does Kevin Hartz back young or first-time founders?
Yes. He told TechCrunch that close to 20% of A*'s portfolio involves teenage entrepreneurs. He has also said publicly that he wants to be a founder's first believer.
How can founders contact Kevin Hartz?
He is active on X at @kevinhartz and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/hartz. A* lists its site as a-star.co. No public pitch email is confirmed in the sources reviewed.
Is Kevin Hartz an angel investor?
Yes. Kevin Hartz invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 18 investments.
What AI companies has Kevin Hartz invested in?
Kevin Hartz's AI investments include Warp, Mecka AI, Vigil Labs, Clara, Granica, Rillet, Hedra and Icon. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Kevin Hartz based?
Kevin Hartz is based in San Francisco, United States.
What stage does Kevin Hartz invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Kevin Hartz has invested at Seed, with a median round of $6M.