Contrary (venture capital firm)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Venture Capital |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
Key people | Eric Tarczynski, Kyle Harrison, Will Robbins |
| Products | Investments |
| AUM | US $95 million |
| Website | contrary.com |
Contrary is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm. Formed in 2016, the firm invests across early stage companies in North America and India.[1] Select investments from the firm include DoorDash, Anduril, Ramp, Zepto, and Vise.
Background[edit]
The firm was founded by Eric Tarczynski in 2016. During that year, Tarczynski drove across the United States recruiting "venture partners" involved in the startup ecosystem. More than 50 universities were represented by venture partners by early 2017.[2] For his work founding Contrary, Tarczynski was awarded the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 honor in the Venture Capital category.[3][4]
Investors in Contrary include Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard, Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman, Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear, Twitter ex-CEO Parag Agrawal, Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, and GitHub COO Erica Brescia.[1][5][6]
Investments[edit]
Contrary's current investments include DoorDash, Anduril,[7] Armada,[8][9] Ramp,[10] Vise,[11] Kyte,[12] Maev,[13] Memora Health,[14] Check,[15] Stytch,[16] Hallow,[17] Parfait,[18] and Zepto[19] among others.
In July 2020, the firm announced Contrary Talent, a network of engineers, designers, product managers, and operators. The network supports members through job opportunities, career development, and funding should they start a company.[20]
In July 2020, Contrary launched Gap Year, a program that gave select founders $100,000 each given they took leave of absence from their university to start a company.[21][22] This program incubated Zepto, a grocery delivery company based in India. Zepto has since raised $560 million, including funding from Y Combinator and Breyer Capital.[19]
In October 2021, Contrary announced a $20 million Fund II.[6] Five months later in March 2022, Contrary announced that they had closed a $75 million Fund III.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Part fund, part accelerator, Contrary Capital invests in student entrepreneurs". TechCrunch. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ Konrad, Alex. "This 25-Year-Old Just Launched A University-Focused VC Firm Out Of A Rental Car". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ Konrad, Alex. "30 Under 30 Venture Capital 2022: Meet The New Wave Of Investors Backing Builders From Crypto To Cancer Research". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "Eric Tarczynski". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ Eichensehr, Morgan (2017-09-26). "Student investment firm backed by Tesla founder launches at UMd., Johns Hopkins". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ a b "Contrary Capital's $20M Fund II is all about community-first investments". TechCrunch. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ a b Szkutak, Rebecca. "Contrary Raises $75 Million For Its Second Fund In Five Months". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "Portfolio | Contrary". www.contrary.com. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ Konrad, Alex. "Startup Armada Is Bringing AI To Remote Places, Using SpaceX Starlink Satellites". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ "Ramp raises $300M at a $3.9B valuation, makes its first acquisition". TechCrunch. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "Fintech startup Vise raises $65 million in Series C led by Ribbit Capital". TechCrunch. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "Kyte wants to build the foundation for autonomous rental car delivery". TechCrunch. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "Maev secures $9M; will have your dog howling for more of its raw pet food". TechCrunch. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "Exclusive: Andreessen Horowitz just invested in this A.I. health care startup". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "Exclusive: Fintech startup Check raises $35 million, led by Stripe". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "Stytch, an API-first passwordless startup, raises $90M Series B at $1B valuation". TechCrunch. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "Catholic prayer app, Hallow, gets $40 million in funding". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ Dorisca, Samantha (2022-04-11). "Women-Led Startup Using AI To Provide Buyers With Wig Customization Receives Backing From Serena Ventures". AfroTech. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ a b Singh, Manish (2023-08-25). "Zepto becomes India's first 2023 unicorn with $200 million fresh funding". TechCrunch. Verizon Media. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
- ^ "Contrary Capital wants to invest in the next big tech mafia". TechCrunch. July 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ Hernbroth, Megan. "One Silicon Valley venture firm will invest up to $100,000 in startups founded by college students taking a gap year to become entrepreneurs". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ Ethier, Marc (2020-07-16). "This VC Firm Is Offering MBAs $100K To Take A Gap Year". Poets&Quants. Retrieved 2022-04-29.