# Kirenaga Partners Kirenaga Partners is a Venture Capital based in Winter Park, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Venture Capital - **Headquarters:** Winter Park, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** Winter Park, FL, United States - **Founded:** 2013 - **Assets under management:** Under $50M (Altss estimate) - **Website:** kirenaga.com ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About Kirenaga Partners is a venture investing firm that finds and structures investments to help portfolio companies grow and create enduring value. The name Kirenaga is a Japanese term for a knife or sword blade, translating to duration of sharpness or edge retention, which the firm aspires to embody by finding and maintaining a distinctive edge. ## Sectors - AgriTech & FoodTech - Enterprise Software - AI/ML - Robotics & Automation ## People - David Scalzo — Founder and Managing Partner ## Questions ### Who runs investment decisions at Kirenaga Partners? David Scalzo, the firm's founder and Managing Partner, leads all investment decisions. Scalzo spent over two decades at KLA-Tencor in semiconductor imaging and metrology before transitioning to venture capital in 2013. His technical background in computer vision and sensor systems directly shapes the firm's hardware-aware diligence process. Kirenaga does not publicly list additional investment partners or a formal investment committee beyond Scalzo. ### How does Kirenaga source its deal flow? Kirenaga sources deals primarily through its embedded position in Central Florida's agricultural technology community, including relationships with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, local citrus cooperatives, and USDA-backed robotics initiatives. The firm leverages Scalzo's semiconductor network to identify imaging and sensor startups before they enter mainstream venture pipelines. A portion of deal flow also originates from Israel's ag-tech ecosystem, where Scalzo maintains ties dating to his KLA-Tencor tenure. ### Which sectors does Kirenaga explicitly avoid? Kirenaga maintains a strict ag-tech and industrial automation mandate and does not invest in consumer internet, enterprise SaaS lacking a physical-world interface, fintech, biopharma, or pure-play software without an imaging or robotics component. The firm has publicly stated that any deal without a defensible hardware layer — sensor, camera, actuator — fails its initial diligence screen. This hardware gatekeeper rule excludes the majority of generalist venture opportunities. ### What is Kirenaga's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs? Kirenaga has historically led or co-led rounds rather than participating as a passive co-investor inside another manager's syndicate. The firm's technical diligence requirements — particularly hardware architecture reviews — favor active lead roles where Scalzo or his technical advisors can engage directly with founding teams. External GP co-investments, where Kirenaga lacks board access or due-diligence independence, are rare. ### How is Kirenaga connected to the USDA agricultural robotics cluster in Florida? Kirenaga is a recognized investor within the Plant City agricultural robotics cluster, a USDA-backed initiative aimed at building automation, sensing, and AI capabilities for the Florida strawberry and specialty-crop industries. The firm's proximity to this cluster provides technical validation and customer-access pathways for portfolio companies like Harvest CROO Robotics. This USDA affiliation, while not a formal partnership, reinforces Kirenaga's franchise as a locally embedded technical capital provider. ## Related profiles - [Kirchner Investment Management Corporation](https://altss.com/profile/kirchner-investment-management-corporation) - [Kirkham Capital](https://altss.com/profile/kirkham-capital) --- Last updated: 2026-08-11T15:07:12.582Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/kirenaga-partners Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology