# Aphorism Foundation

Aphorism Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in San Francisco, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Founded:** 2014
- **Assets under management:** 962 (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** https://aphorismfoundation.org
- **LinkedIn:** linkedin.com/company/aphorism-ltd

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Reid Hoffman and Michelle Yee created the Aphorism Foundation in 2014. Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, serves as president, treasurer, and director. The foundation functions as their main charitable entity and has committed an estimated $55 million in grants since inception. The foundation allocates across venture capital funds, public technology equities, and real estate vehicles. Confirmed holdings include limited partner stakes in Greylock Partners, ICONIQ Strategic Partners and TPG Growth IV FOF. It also holds public positions in Snowflake, Datadog, and GitLab. Geographic exposure centers on the United States with additional commitments to funds operating in Europe, including a direct ownership interest in Steady Energy in Finland. Ticket sizes range from $0.1 million to $15 million. The foundation employs no disclosed investment staff and routes advisory services through ICONIQ Capital since 2015. Additional service providers include Realize CPA LLP for tax and accounting and Apercen Partners LLC for tax and family office advisory. It maintains membership in The Giving Pledge. In May 2025 the foundation sponsored the Center on Global Energy Policy Roundtable in New York. The foundation operates with a hybrid structure that combines direct ownership of private companies, fund commitments, and grantmaking. This setup allows capital to flow from technology wealth into both for-profit venture positions and nonprofit recipients without an intervening family office entity.

## Sectors

- Venture Capital
- Technology
- Real Estate
- ClimateTech

## People

- Reid Hoffman — President, Treasurer, and Director
- Michelle Yee — Co-founder

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Aphorism Foundation?

Reid Hoffman serves as president, treasurer, and director. The foundation routes investment advisory through ICONIQ Capital.

### Does Aphorism Foundation participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

The foundation holds limited partner positions in multiple venture and private equity funds including Greylock Partners and ICONIQ Strategic Partners.

### What asset classes does Aphorism Foundation deploy into?

Allocations include venture capital funds, public technology equities such as Snowflake and Datadog, and real estate through Franklin Templeton Real Estate Partners III.

### How is Aphorism Foundation related to Greylock Partners?

Reid Hoffman is a partner at Greylock. The foundation maintains limited partner commitments to Greylock funds.

### What geographic regions receive Aphorism Foundation capital?

The majority of positions target the United States, with additional exposure through funds and direct holdings in Europe including Finland.

## Related profiles

- [International Longshoremen’s Association, CLC](https://altss.com/profile/international-longshoremen-s-association-clc)
- [J A & Leta M Chapman Charitable Trust](https://altss.com/profile/j-a-leta-m-chapman-charitable-trust)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/aphorism-foundation

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology