Kivu Ventures was founded by Seth Berman, a co-founder of Susa Ventures. Our goal is to find entrepreneurs building products the world has yet to imagine. We are focused on vertical AI and AI infrastructure.
Kivu has a roster of experienced operators and founders in our network, giving our portfolio companies unique access to world-changing leaders.
If you are one of the best operators in your chosen field, we want to talk to you.
Partnering with Kivu
- We have flexible ownership thresholds compared to the large multi-stage funds
- We help raise capital, introduce you to customers, recruit talent
- We provide access to world-leading experts
- We invest at the Series A and Series B Stage
- We invest up to $15 million per company
Portfolio
AI Infrastructure & Security
Vertical AI
Healthcare
Chapter
Medicare navigation
HOPPR AI
Medical grade platform transforming medical imaging
Osmind
Mental health treatment and research platform
Ostro
Comprehensive patient engagement and telemedicine platform
Plenful
Workflow automation company for healthcare operators
Superpower
Digital concierge clinic helping patients live longer
Viz AI
AI-powered care coordination and disease detection platform
Logistics
Fintech
Human Interest
401(k)s for small businesses
Newfront Insurance
Modern commercial insurance brokerage
Nova Credit
Credit infrastructure and analytics
Robinhood
Digital brokerage (IPO $HOOD)
Stedi
API-first healthcare clearinghouse
What Guides Our Decisions
Kivu invests in Series A and B companies with demonstrated product-market fit and defensible business models. We partner with companies that pair best-in-class metrics with strong momentum and indisputable market traction.
Our focus includes:
- Exceptional founders with deep domain expertise and strategic vision
- Compelling product roadmaps with a clear path to scale and category leadership
- Defensible moats that protect long-term value creation
- High-performing company cultures that attract and retain top talent
- Material velocity in product adoption and sustained growth
Founder & General Partner
Seth Berman
Seth Berman is Founder and General Partner at Kivu Ventures, where he focuses on investments in AI, AI Infrastructure, logistics, Digital Health, Deeptech and Fintech. Seth co-founded Susa Ventures, where he led investments in Flexport, Expanse, Chapter, and Pulley. He also invested in post-seed deals in Intercom, Nest, and Robinhood.
Prior to Susa, Seth was an active angel investor. He has invested in hundreds seed stage companies. He also served as the VP of Strategic Marketing for The Richemont Group, a publicly traded company (CFR:VX). Seth graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor's degree in Business and Finance.
Prior to Susa, Seth was an active angel investor. He has invested in hundreds seed stage companies. He also served as the VP of Strategic Marketing for The Richemont Group, a publicly traded company (CFR:VX). Seth graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor's degree in Business and Finance.
Venture Partner
Emery Wells
Emery Wells is a Venture Partner at Kivu Ventures and a seasoned entrepreneur focused on creative technology, AI, and SaaS. He co-founded Frame.io, a cloud video collaboration platform acquired by Adobe for $1.275 billion, where he continued as VP of Digital Products.
Before Frame.io, Emery founded Katabatic Digital, producing content for Saturday Night Live and pioneering 4K workflows for film and TV. As an investor, his portfolio includes Figure.ai, Capsule Video, Polycam, Pickle, Runway Finance, Runway.ai, Pika, Intangible, Ramp, Ponder.ai, Craft.do, Felt Maps, Roam, EvenUp, Graphite, Promise Studios, and Safe Super Intelligence, with a focus on AI, media and productivity tools.
Before Frame.io, Emery founded Katabatic Digital, producing content for Saturday Night Live and pioneering 4K workflows for film and TV. As an investor, his portfolio includes Figure.ai, Capsule Video, Polycam, Pickle, Runway Finance, Runway.ai, Pika, Intangible, Ramp, Ponder.ai, Craft.do, Felt Maps, Roam, EvenUp, Graphite, Promise Studios, and Safe Super Intelligence, with a focus on AI, media and productivity tools.
Venture Partner
Paul Sciarra
Paul Sciarra is a Venture Partner at Kivu Ventures and Executive Chairman of Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY), a publicly traded electric air mobility company valued at over $5 billion. He was the company’s first outside investor and has helped guide its strategy, product, and long-term vision.
Paul is also a co-founder of Pinterest (NYSE: PINS), where he served as the first CEO and helped shape the platform’s early product and team. Pinterest is now valued at over $20 billion and remains one of the most widely used consumer internet platforms.
He advises and invests at the intersection of frontier technology and consumer products. Paul holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.
Paul is also a co-founder of Pinterest (NYSE: PINS), where he served as the first CEO and helped shape the platform’s early product and team. Pinterest is now valued at over $20 billion and remains one of the most widely used consumer internet platforms.
He advises and invests at the intersection of frontier technology and consumer products. Paul holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.
Venture Partner
Michael Stoppelman
Michael Stoppelman is a Venture Partner at Kivu Ventures and an angel investor in over 300 early-stage startups, including Flexport, Vercel, Confluent, Vanta, and Benchling. He focuses on AI, infrastructure, developer tools, and digital health.
Michael was previously SVP of Engineering at Yelp, where he grew the engineering team from 6 to 600 and helped lead the company to its IPO. He began his career as a software engineer at Google.
He serves on the boards of Students Matter and EdVoice, and holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Purdue University.
Michael was previously SVP of Engineering at Yelp, where he grew the engineering team from 6 to 600 and helped lead the company to its IPO. He began his career as a software engineer at Google.
He serves on the boards of Students Matter and EdVoice, and holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Purdue University.
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