UpHonest Capital
About UpHonest Capital
Sources disagree on the founding year: PitchBook and Private Equity List say 2015, one directory says 2016, and another says 2017. Crunchbase and other profiles name Wei Guo as founding partner. Crunchbase also lists Teddy Chen as chief of staff, and a startup directory lists Ellen Ma as managing director. The firm gives its address as 555 Hamilton Avenue in Palo Alto, and one profile also places it in San Francisco. Its community programs include UpHonest Scouts and Beta University.
Artificial intelligence appears in the firm's list of target sectors, alongside Internet of Things, cloud computing, biotech and fintech. Its most recent AI deal on record is a seed round for Expertise AI, a company building AI agents for enterprises in traditional industries. UpHonest Capital led the CA$3.2 million round, announced in September 2026, and Amino Capital, Welight Capital, UpScaleX and AltaIR Capital also invested. Public sources do not name a separate partner who covers AI.
Directories list pre-seed, seed and Series A as the stages the firm backs. Private Equity List gives a ticket range of $0 to $1 million and an average check of $50,000 to $1 million. Other profiles describe the firm's core rounds as seed, pre-Series A and Series A.
- Expertise AI: builds AI agents for enterprises in traditional industries; CA$3.2 million seed round led by UpHonest Capital in September 2026
- uphonestcapital.com
- crunchbase.com/organization/uphonest-capital
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/181926-82
- privateequitylist.com/investors/uphonest-capital
- startupintros.com/orgs/uphonest-capital
- incubatorlist.com/uphonest-capital
- inforcapital.com/companies/uphonest-capital
- slidebean.com/investor/uphonest-capital
Investing activity
UpHonest Capital appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, and led 1 of them. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $2M. The most recent is Expertise AI (Seed, CA$3.2M, Sep 2026).
UpHonest Capital most often invests alongside UpScaleX, Welight Capital, Amino Capital and AltaIR Capital, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about UpHonest Capital
Where is UpHonest Capital based?
The firm is based in Palo Alto, California. One profile also lists an office in San Francisco.
Does UpHonest Capital invest in AI startups?
Yes. Artificial intelligence is one of its listed sectors, and it led the Expertise AI seed round announced in September 2026.
What stages does UpHonest Capital invest in?
Directories list pre-seed, seed and Series A as its stages. One directory gives a check range of $0 to $1 million.
Who leads UpHonest Capital?
Wei Guo is named as founding partner in Crunchbase and other profiles.
Which companies are in the UpHonest Capital portfolio?
The firm's website names Checkr, Boom, Astranis, Rippling and Turing, and says it has invested in over 400 portfolio companies.
What AI companies has UpHonest Capital invested in?
UpHonest Capital's AI investments include Expertise AI. The 1 round on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does UpHonest Capital invest at?
In the rounds tracked on AI Lounge, UpHonest Capital has invested at Seed, with a median round of $2M. UpHonest Capital led 1 of those rounds.
Who does UpHonest Capital co-invest with?
UpHonest Capital's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are UpScaleX (1 deal), Welight Capital (1 deal), Amino Capital (1 deal) and AltaIR Capital (1 deal).
How can founders reach UpHonest Capital?
Founders on AI Lounge can see UpHonest Capital'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 UpHonest Capital to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.