Khosla Ventures

Khosla Ventures is one of the most distinctive firms on Sand Hill Road. Vinod Khosla started it in 2004 after more than two decades as a founder and a partner at Kleiner Perkins. The firm became known for backing ideas that looked too early or too risky for other investors, from biofuels and fusion power to OpenAI years before ChatGPT. Its website frames the job as venture assistance rather than venture capital.

This profile is a neutral explainer for visitors and founders. Facts come from the firm's website and reporting from TechCrunch, Bloomberg and others, with fund sizes tied to a dated source. Our venture capital guide explains how funds like these work.

Vinod Khosla's path

Khosla studied electrical engineering at IIT Delhi and moved to the United States for graduate school, finishing an MBA at Stanford in 1980. His early career ran through the companies that shaped Silicon Valley in the 1980s.

1. Daisy Systems, 1980. He was a founder of the electronic design automation company.
2. Sun Microsystems, 1982. He cofounded Sun with Andy Bechtolsheim and Scott McNealy, with Bill Joy joining soon after. He was its first chairman and CEO until 1984. Kleiner Perkins put up the seed money.
3. Kleiner Perkins, from 1986. As a general partner he backed companies including Juniper Networks, Cerent and Excite.
4. Khosla Ventures, 2004. He founded his own firm in Menlo Park to invest in more experimental technology.

That background explains the firm's style. Khosla often writes publicly about the case for big, uncertain bets, arguing that most new ideas will fail but the few that work can reshape whole industries.

The climate and cleantech bets

In its first decade the firm was best known for clean technology. By 2013 it had invested in more than 70 cleantech companies, in areas such as biofuels, batteries, cement and new materials. Some of those companies failed, as did many cleantech startups backed across the industry in that period. Others became significant businesses.

• QuantumScape. The solid-state battery company was an early Khosla investment and went public in 2020.
• Commonwealth Fusion Systems. The firm took part in its $115 million Series A in 2019. The fusion energy company spun out of MIT.
• LanzaTech. A company that turns industrial emissions into fuels and chemicals.
• Impossible Foods. The plant-based meat maker was another early investment.
• Fortera and Mazama. Newer climate companies shown on the firm's website, in low-carbon cement and geothermal energy.

Climate remains a core area. Coverage of the firm's fundraising has noted its interest in fusion power and humanoid robots alongside AI.

The OpenAI investment and AI

Khosla Ventures says it was the first venture capital firm to invest in OpenAI. The check came years before ChatGPT made the company a household name, at a time when many investors doubted that a research lab could become a business. In October 2024 the firm formed a $405 million special purpose vehicle to invest further in OpenAI.

Artificial intelligence now runs through much of the portfolio. The firm's website features writing on agentic AI. Bloomberg reported in July 2026 that most of the money in the firm's next funds would go to early-stage AI startups.

Other portfolio areas

The firm invests well beyond climate and AI. Companies shown on its website include:

Funds and size

Khosla Ventures raises separate funds for seed, early and later-stage investing. Some dated reference points:

• September 2017: about $5 billion in assets under management, as reported at the time.
• October 2021: $1.4 billion raised, with total assets reported at about $15 billion.
• November 2023: $3.1 billion across three funds: $1.6 billion for its eighth flagship fund, $1 billion for later-stage companies and $500 million for seed.
• 2025: TechCrunch reported in February 2025 that the firm was seeking about $3.5 billion. Later reporting said it closed a vintage of roughly $4 billion.
• July 2026: Bloomberg reported the firm was in talks to raise as much as $5.5 billion across seed, early-stage and opportunity funds. The figures could change and we could not confirm a final close.

Khosla Ventures timeline

1. 1982: Vinod Khosla cofounds Sun Microsystems.
2. 1986: He joins Kleiner Perkins as a general partner.
3. 2004: He founds Khosla Ventures in Menlo Park.
4. 2013: The firm has invested in more than 70 cleantech companies.
5. 2019: It joins the $115 million Series A of Commonwealth Fusion Systems.
6. 2020: QuantumScape goes public.
7. 2021: The firm raises $1.4 billion.
8. 2023: It raises $3.1 billion across three funds.
9. 2024: Keith Rabois returns and the firm forms a $405 million vehicle for OpenAI.
10. 2026: Bloomberg reports talks to raise up to $5.5 billion.

The pattern is consistent. The firm tends to back technology that is years from a market, accept that many such bets fail and raise larger funds when a few of them work. Founders working on hard science, energy or new kinds of AI often find the firm more willing than most to wait for results. That patience comes with high expectations for how large the company could become.

The team

The firm's website lists Vinod Khosla alongside managing directors Samir Kaul and David Weiden, both described as founding partners, plus Keith Rabois and Sven Strohband. Rabois returned to the firm in 2024. The site also lists a group of investing partners and an operating team that helps portfolio companies with hiring, marketing, design and business development.

Office and how founders reach the firm

The firm's contact page lists its office at 2128 Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park. That is near the eastern end of the Sand Hill Road office corridor, a short drive from Stanford. Our Sand Hill Road guide explains the area.

Unlike many firms, Khosla Ventures publishes a general contact address for founders on its website. It says it invests from pre-seed and seed through Series A and asks founders to read its thesis and portfolio before writing. A short, specific note works best. A warm introduction from a founder or angel the partners know still carries more weight. Our guides to pitching investors and angel investors cover the steps before a venture round.

If you are flying in, base yourself in downtown Palo Alto or Menlo Park, about 10 minutes from the office by car. Compare hotels near Sand Hill Road and consider a rental car if you have several meetings in a day. Our guide to staying near Stanford lists the closest options.

Frequently asked questions