The Operators Fund

Co-founders Trae Vassallo and Susie Kimport Vassallo share investment committee authority and execute all final partnership decisions jointly. Trae Vassallo’s background — including nearly 12 years at Kleiner Perkins and prior product-design roles — anchors the technical side of diligence, while Susie Kimport Vassallo contributes operating and go-to-market perspective.

The firm strongly favors direct equity stakes and occasional special-purpose vehicles, avoiding blind-pool fund-of-funds commitments. To date, the partnership has not disclosed any LP commitments into external venture funds, preferring to build exposure one name at a time.

Seed and Series A represent the core deployment zone, with initial check sizes that start in the low seven figures. Limited follow-on capital is reserved for breakout portfolio companies through Series B, but the firm does not pursue late-stage or pre-IPO growth rounds.

The firm has not invested in consumer-internet, pure-play fintech lending, advertising technology, cryptocurrency protocols, or biotech drug development. Its product-review diligence process naturally filters out sectors where the partners lack technical depth or operating credibility.