Kleiner Perkins
About Kleiner Perkins
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers was founded in 1972 in California by Eugene Kleiner, Thomas Perkins, Frank Caufield and Brook Byers. The firm is headquartered on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park and reports about $21 billion in assets under management as of 2026. A directory listing counts 38 professionals, including 20 partners. Public listings name Leigh Marie Braswell, Bing Gordon, Andy Chen and John Doerr among its partners. The firm's AI-specific partner leads are not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
In March 2026 the firm announced KP22, a $1 billion early-stage fund, and KP Select IV, a $2.5 billion growth fund. The firm says it invests broadly across the AI landscape at the early stage. Press coverage describes AI targets in software, health care, transportation and autonomy. Public trackers list Nexthop AI's $500 million Series B in March 2026, Waymo's $16 billion round in February 2026, Lotus Health AI in February 2026, Applied Intuition's Series F in June 2025 and a $300 million Series E for Harvey in 2025. Profound, an AI visibility and content optimization platform, appears in the firm's AI portfolio listing.
The firm's own 2026 announcement describes an early-stage fund and a growth fund. A directory listing tags its stages as seed, Series A, Series B and late stage (Series C and later). No check-size range is published in the sources reviewed, so none is listed here.
- Profound: AI visibility and content optimization platform; Series D of $180M in September 2026, led by the firm (Lounge deals desk)
- Harvey: legal AI company; Series H of $550M in September 2026 (Lounge deals desk), after a $300M Series E in 2025
- Chai Discovery: Series C of $400M in July 2026 (Lounge deals desk)
- CuspAI: Series B of $450M in June 2026 (Lounge deals desk)
- Modal: Series D of $750M in October 2026 (Lounge deals desk)
- Saronic: Series D of $1.75B in March 2026, led by the firm (Lounge deals desk)
- Nexthop AI: Series B of $500M in March 2026, with the firm leading (Seedtable)
- Waymo: $16B round in February 2026 (f4.fund listing)
- kleinerperkins.com/perspectives/our-new-funds-kp22-select-iv-flex
- kleinerperkins.com
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleiner_Perkins
- betanews.com/article/kleiner-perkins-raises-3-5b-ai-startups
- f4.fund/firms/kleiner-perkins
- f4.fund/firms/kleiner-perkins/activity
- pitchbook.com/profiles/fund/29483-29F
- seedtable.com/investors/kleiner-perkins
Investing activity
Kleiner Perkins appears in 16 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $4.76B, and led 10 of them. The rounds are mostly Seed, Series D and Series C, with a median round size of $160M and the largest at $1.75B. The most recent are Modal (Series D, $750M, Oct 2026), Profound (Series D, $180M, Sep 2026) and Harvey (Series H, $550M, Sep 2026).
Kleiner Perkins most often invests alongside Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz and Menlo Ventures, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in AI, AI infrastructure / inference and AI marketing (answer-engine optimization).
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Kleiner Perkins
Does Kleiner Perkins invest in AI startups?
Yes. Its 2026 fund announcement says the early-stage fund invests broadly across AI, and the firm's recent deals include AI companies such as Harvey, Profound and Nexthop AI.
How much capital does Kleiner Perkins have for AI investing?
The firm announced $3.5 billion in new funds in March 2026: KP22 at $1 billion for early-stage companies and KP Select IV at $2.5 billion for growth companies.
What stages does Kleiner Perkins invest in?
The firm invests at the early stage and in growth. Directory listings show seed, Series A, Series B and Series C and later rounds.
Where is Kleiner Perkins headquartered and when was it founded?
The firm is headquartered on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California. It was founded in 1972.
Who are the partners at Kleiner Perkins?
Public directory listings name partners including Leigh Marie Braswell, Bing Gordon, Andy Chen and John Doerr. The firm's current AI-focused partners are not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
What AI companies has Kleiner Perkins invested in?
Kleiner Perkins's AI investments include Modal, Profound, Harvey, Chai Discovery, Mirendil, Engram, CuspAI and Roadrunner. The 16 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Kleiner Perkins based?
Kleiner Perkins is based in Menlo Park, US.
What stage does Kleiner Perkins invest at?
In the rounds tracked on AI Lounge, Kleiner Perkins has invested at Seed, Series D, Series C and Series B, with a median round of $160M. Kleiner Perkins led 10 of those rounds.
Who does Kleiner Perkins co-invest with?
Kleiner Perkins's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Sequoia Capital (4 deals), General Catalyst (3 deals), Andreessen Horowitz (3 deals), Menlo Ventures (2 deals) and Lux Capital (2 deals).
How can founders reach Kleiner Perkins?
Founders on AI Lounge can see Kleiner Perkins's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Kleiner Perkins to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.