Mike Stachowiak
About Mike Stachowiak
Mike Stachowiak is a software engineer and entrepreneur based in the Greater Seattle Area. He studied computer engineering at the University of Michigan (BSE, 2002). His Crunchbase profile describes him as a three-time founder with three exits and a Y Combinator alum.
He was a technical co-founder of 4INFO, a mobile media company. He then co-founded Lift, which Webloyalty acquired in 2008, and he led Webloyalty's west coast operations until March 2010. He later co-founded MyVR, a vacation rental management platform now part of Guesty, and served as its CTO.
He co-founded GitContext, a code review company, with Tristan Brotherton. His X bio and LinkedIn currently list him as building CodePeer, an AI-assisted code review platform. Crunchbase lists him as managing partner of Zero Index.
Crunchbase lists his early seed and angel investments as Omaze (angel round, July 2012), Clever (September 2012), MyVR (September 2012) and Zapier (October 2012). It also lists Brightback (seed, September 2018). CB Insights records an April 2013 seed investment in Vayable and lists Clever's acquisition in May 2021 as an exit.
Crunchbase shows more recent activity: Vendoo (March 2022), Carma (January 2025), Keystone and Synthetic Society (both September 2025), LunaBill (November 2025) and Jinba (a pre-seed round, March 2026). Crunchbase shows him co-investing with Y Combinator, Soma Capital and Pioneer Fund on some of these.
On the Lounge deals desk, Mike is recorded in the $3M Trace seed round from February 2026. Trace is a London-based workflow orchestration startup from Y Combinator's summer 2025 batch. It maps company processes so enterprise AI agents have the context to do their work. Press coverage of the round names other investors, including Y Combinator, Zeno Ventures and Goodwater Capital, and does not name Mike. Crunchbase lists him as an investor in the round.
He has also worked on AI products as a founder. His LinkedIn lists CodePeer, and a profile on Crunchbase's partner network notes patents pending in artificial intelligence and localized search.
Public profiles describe him as an individual investor at the seed and angel stage. AskForFunding lists his location as Seattle, Washington, and his industry as technology, web and apps. His recent Crunchbase activity includes pre-seed and seed rounds alongside Y Combinator companies. His check size and ownership targets are not public, and neither are any public statements about what he looks for in a pitch.
- Trace: workflow orchestration for enterprise AI agents; $3M seed, February 2026
- Zapier: workflow automation; seed round, October 2012
- Clever: education software; seed round, September 2012; acquired in 2021
- Omaze: angel round, July 2012
- Brightback: seed round, September 2018
- Vayable: seed round, April 2013
- Synthetic Society: pre-seed round, September 2025
- Keystone: round reported September 2025
- lb.crunchbase.com/person/mike-stachowiak
- crunchbase.com/person/mike-stachowiak
- lb.crunchbase.com/person/mike-stachowiak/person_overview_investor/time
- crunchbase.com/person/mike-stachowiak/person_overview_investor/timelin
- x.com/mstachow
- linkedin.com/in/mstachowiak
- tech.yahoo.com/ai/articles/trace-raises-3m-solve-ai-140000820.html
- cbinsights.com/investor/mike-stachowiak
Investing activity
Mike Stachowiak appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $3M. The most recent is Trace (Seed, $3M, Feb 2026).
Mike Stachowiak most often invests alongside Y Combinator, Goodwater Capital, Formosa Capital and Transpose Platform Management, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Mike Stachowiak
Does Mike Stachowiak invest in AI startups?
Yes. The Lounge deals desk records him in the $3M Trace seed round from February 2026. Trace builds workflow orchestration for enterprise AI agents. He also builds AI developer tools as a founder.
What stage does Mike Stachowiak invest at?
Public profiles describe him as a seed and angel investor. Recent Crunchbase entries include pre-seed and seed rounds.
What is Mike Stachowiak's check size?
He has not published a check size. Founders should not assume a range and can ask him directly.
What companies has Mike Stachowiak founded?
He co-founded 4INFO, Lift, MyVR and GitContext. Webloyalty acquired Lift in 2008, and MyVR is now part of Guesty. He is now building CodePeer, an AI-assisted code review platform.
Who is Mike Stachowiak's fund or firm?
Crunchbase lists him as managing partner of Zero Index, which has a site at zeroindex.vc. Fund size and terms are not public.
How can founders contact Mike Stachowiak?
He is on LinkedIn and X (@mstachow), and Zero Index has a website. Warm introductions from founders he has backed are a common route, though he has not said how he prefers to be approached.
Is Mike Stachowiak an angel investor?
Yes. Mike Stachowiak invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Mike Stachowiak invested in?
Mike Stachowiak's AI investments include Trace. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Who does Mike Stachowiak co-invest with?
Mike Stachowiak's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Y Combinator (1 deal), Goodwater Capital (1 deal), Formosa Capital (1 deal), Transpose Platform Management (1 deal) and Benjamin Bryant (1 deal).
How can founders reach Mike Stachowiak?
Founders on Lounge can see Mike Stachowiak's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Mike Stachowiak to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.