Kevin Mahaffey
About Kevin Mahaffey
Kevin Mahaffey is a San Francisco-based engineer, entrepreneur and investor. According to SNR's site, he started programming Apple II computers at age eight. He co-founded the cybersecurity company Lookout before graduating college. Lookout began with smartphones and tablets and now protects mobile and cloud. He has been its CTO, and NFX Signal lists his Lookout role as running from 2007 to the present.
He is also Executive Chairman of Stork Club, a role listed since January 2018, and founder of SNR. Earlier, he founded DailyWireless.com. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. He has spoken at Black Hat and DEF CON.
SNR's site says he began investing in startups in 2013 and later joined Y Combinator as a part-time partner. Counts of his investments differ by database: Crunchbase shows 132, NFX Signal 140 and PitchBook 114. Treat these as approximate.
His X bio describes him as an investor at SNR. Among his other listed investments, he has been an investor in the data observability company Metaplane since October 2019.
His most recent AI round on the Lounge deals desk is Cara. In March 2026 the NYC-based insurance AI company raised an $8M seed led by Kearny Jackson. Mahaffey took part alongside Claire Hughes Johnson, Sam Hodges and Colin Evans. Cara automates sales and servicing workflows for insurance brokerages and agencies.
Tracxn and Crunchbase also list him in RE2 AI (seed, July 2024) and Procense.ai (seed, September 2025). Founders should check these directly, because the databases give little detail on his role in each. A third-party profile says he is interested in AI trained on authoritative datasets about the physical world.
SNR's stated approach is to be the first call in a crisis and the first call in a breakthrough. He says that approach comes from his own experience as a founder. A third-party directory lists SNR's areas as AI, robotics, biotech, SaaS and cybersecurity.
Crunchbase records both pre-seed and seed rounds, and he is listed as lead investor on some. NFX Signal lists an investment range of $100K to $5.0M with a $1.5M sweet spot. That is a third-party estimate, and he has not stated a check size publicly in the sources reviewed.
- Cara: AI platform for insurance brokerages and agencies, $8M seed in March 2026.
- Procense.ai: seed round in September 2025, per Crunchbase.
- RE2 AI: seed round in July 2024, per Tracxn.
- Honeyjar: seed round in December 2025, per Tracxn, with Crunchbase listing him as lead on its pre-seed.
- Metaplane: data observability company, investor since October 2019.
- Lookout: mobile and cloud security company he co-founded in 2007.
- snr.vc/about
- signal.nfx.com/investors/kevin-mahaffey
- finsmes.com/2026/03/cara-raises-8m-in-seed-funding.html
- alleywatch.com/2026/04/nyctech-week-in-review-3-29-26-4-4-26
- crunchbase.com/person/kevin-mahaffey
- crunchbase.com/person/kevin-mahaffey/person_overview_investor/timeline
- tracxn.com/d/people/kevin-mahaffey/__CTrg0SHBmv2B7LdAr7Xh3BXwSbXI-7SwC
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/106569-73
Investing activity
Kevin Mahaffey appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $8M. The most recent is Cara (Seed, $8M, Apr 2026).
Kevin Mahaffey most often invests alongside Kearny Jackson, Sam Hodges, Claire Hughes Johnson and Colin Evans, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Kevin Mahaffey
Does Kevin Mahaffey invest in AI startups?
Yes. He took part in Cara's $8M seed in March 2026, and Tracxn lists RE2 AI and Procense.ai among his investments. SNR is also described as covering AI, robotics, biotech, SaaS and cybersecurity.
What check size does Kevin Mahaffey write?
He has not stated one publicly in the sources reviewed. NFX Signal lists a $100K to $5.0M range with a $1.5M sweet spot, which is a third-party estimate.
What stage does Kevin Mahaffey invest in?
Crunchbase and Tracxn show mostly pre-seed and seed rounds. Cara's round is a seed, and Honeyjar and Procense.ai also appear as early rounds.
Who is Kevin Mahaffey?
He is a co-founder of the cybersecurity company Lookout and the founder of SNR. He is also Executive Chairman of Stork Club and a former part-time partner at Y Combinator.
How should founders pitch Kevin Mahaffey?
SNR says it aims to support founders closely, in both good times and hard ones. Founders with a technical or security-minded product can lead with technical depth, given his engineering background. He has not published a pitch process.
How can I contact Kevin Mahaffey?
He is on X as @dropalltables, on LinkedIn, and through his site kevinmahaffey.com and snr.vc. A warm introduction from a shared founder or investor is the usual route.
Is Kevin Mahaffey an angel investor?
Yes. Kevin Mahaffey invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Kevin Mahaffey invested in?
Kevin Mahaffey's AI investments include Cara. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Kevin Mahaffey invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Kevin Mahaffey has invested at Seed, with a median round of $8M.
Who does Kevin Mahaffey co-invest with?
Kevin Mahaffey's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Kearny Jackson (1 deal), Sam Hodges (1 deal), Claire Hughes Johnson (1 deal) and Colin Evans (1 deal).