Contrary (venture capital firm)
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Venture Capital |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder | Eric Tarczynski |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
Key people | Kyle Harrison, Will Robbins[citation needed] |
| Products | Investments |
| AUM | US $250 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, and Zepto.
Background
[edit]The firm was founded by Eric Tarczynski in 2016. For his work founding Contrary, Tarczynski was awarded the Forbes 30 Under 30 honor in the Venture Capital category.[2][3]
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][4][5]
Investments
[edit]Contrary's current investments include DoorDash, Anduril,[6] Armada,[7][8] Ramp,[9] Vise,[10] Kyte,[11] Maev,[12] Memora Health,[13] Check,[14] Stytch,[15] Hallow,[16] Parfait,[17] and Zepto,[18] 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.[19]
In July 2020, Contrary made the first investment in Zepto,[20][21] a grocery delivery company based in India. Zepto has since raised $560 million, including funding from Y Combinator and Breyer Capital.[18]
In October 2021, Contrary announced a $20 million Fund II.[5] In March 2022, Contrary announced that the firm had closed a $75 million Fund III.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Part fund, part accelerator, Contrary Capital invests in student entrepreneurs". TechCrunch. 16 May 2019. 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.