Khosla Impact

Khosla Impact is a separate legal and investment entity, focused exclusively on for-profit social impact ventures in emerging markets — primarily India and Africa. Khosla Ventures, by contrast, is a broad-based venture capital firm investing across clean technology, AI, health, and frontier tech, mostly in the United States. While both firms share Vinod Khosla as their founder, Khosla Impact targets a distinct opportunity set: technology-enabled businesses serving low-income populations in developing economies.

Khosla Impact does not publish a formal exclusion list. However, its mandate to serve low-income populations in developing economies implicitly rules out investments that do not generate measurable social impact. The firm does not invest in luxury goods, extractive industries, or pure-play consumer internet ventures lacking a financial-inclusion or public-service component. Its focus on equity does not extend to grant-making or subsidies.

Deal flow derives from Vinod Khosla's personal network, the Khosla Ventures ecosystem, and referrals from development-finance professionals and local operating partners in target markets. The firm does not run an open application process and has no regional offices listed. Portfolio companies frequently cite direct outreach from the investment team or an introduction through one of the firm's existing founders as the originating pathway.