# Park Bench Capital

Park Bench Capital is a Private Equity based in San Francisco, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 1929 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94109, United States
- **Founded:** 2001
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** www.parkbenchcap.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-bench-capital-ltd

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Park Bench Capital invests in innovation that changes how people live, work and thrive. The firm focuses on diverse founding teams that always include at least one female founder or one female in a key leadership position.

## Sectors

- Mobility & Transportation
- Enterprise Software
- Consumer
- Food & Beverage
- FinTech
- AI/ML
- ClimateTech
- Luxury

## People

- Kathryn O'Connor Gardner — Founder

## Questions

### Who makes investment decisions at Park Bench Capital?

Kathryn O'Connor Gardner serves as founder and the sole named investment principal. Her background combines sell-side high-yield credit research at Deutsche Bank and buy-side energy investing at AllianceBernstein, where she was an investment committee member for the firm's energy opportunity funds. No additional investment committee members are publicly disclosed.

### What is Park Bench Capital's investment mandate?

The firm states it invests in 'innovation that changes how people live, work and thrive' with a hard requirement that each portfolio company includes at least one female founder or a woman in a key leadership position. Investments span direct company stakes and commitments to venture capital funds, ranging from seed to growth stages.

### Does Park Bench Capital invest directly in companies or only through funds?

It does both. The firm's portfolio lists 15 direct investments — including Einride, Tala, Primary, and Smitten Ice Cream — and five venture fund commitments, namely BBG Ventures, Inspired Capital, Aspect Ventures Fund I and II, Human Ventures Fund I, and Acrew Capital.

### Which sectors does Park Bench Capital target?

The portfolio shows exposure across mobility (Einride), fintech (Tala), food and beverage (Air Protein, Smitten Ice Cream, 21 Seeds Tequila, Dream Pops), consumer marketplaces (Primary, Rockets of Awesome), legaltech (Court Buddy), enterprise AI (Node), and biotechnology (Phylagen). Geographic focus includes the U.S., Mexico, and East Africa.

## Related profiles

- [Park Avenue Equity Partners](https://altss.com/profile/park-avenue-equity-partners)
- [Park Capital Management](https://altss.com/profile/park-capital-management)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T15:07:41.444Z

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