Footwork

Investment decisions are made by the two co-founders and managing partners, Mike Smith and Nikhil Basu Trivedi. The firm is structured as an equal partnership with no announced junior partners, meaning every commitment is the product of a direct decision-making dialogue between Smith's operational background and Basu Trivedi's venture-investing background.

Footwork leads and co-leads Seed and Series A rounds, targeting companies with identifiable early signs of product-market fit. The firm typically writes initial checks between $1 million and $15 million. It does not pursue pre-seed or late-stage growth rounds as a stated strategy.

Mike Smith served as President and COO of Stitch Fix from its founding through IPO, and was previously COO of Walmart.com. Nikhil Basu Trivedi was Managing Director at Shasta Ventures, where he sourced early investments in Canva, ClassDojo, and The Farmer's Dog. This partnership structure means every deal is evaluated simultaneously for its scaling-execution feasibility and its venture-return potential.

Footwork concentrates on consumer technology and what it calls the consumerization of enterprise technology — tools built with user experiences refined enough for mass adoption. Portfolio examples include Cradlewise, a consumer hardware baby crib, and Watershed, an enterprise climate-data platform, illustrating the thematic range.

Footwork operates exclusively as a direct investor, leading and co-leading primary rounds. There is no indication from public firm materials that it allocates capital as a limited partner to other venture funds or engages in secondary transactions.