The Kokopelli’s Perspective: Our ‘Why’

Like any hip venture capital fund, the arrival of the new year meant a lot of time postulating the tech trends of 2018 and beyond. Simultaneously, we decided to start publicly communicating with the world we invest in. So here it goes…

Yes, we think blockchain will play a big role. Yes, AI will transform our lives. Yes, the noisy geopolitical climate scares the shit out of us.

Rather than bore you with sweeping predictions that will be partially right, mostly wrong, and largely out of our control, we decided to take a step back. While it is always a work in progress, we are proud to share something more important than buzzwords and hype.

This is the ‘why’ for Kokopelli Capital.

We fear technology will continue to drive economic gaps at a faster rate than it can solve our societal problems. Rather than a screen or device, technology will become a seamless platform to automate the menial and power the meaningful. Efficiencies achieved through tech will allow people to accomplish more, earn more, and provide the opportunity to pursue a greater sense of purpose.

Initially, these benefits will be constrained to those who can afford it. The resulting socioeconomic divide will underscore all of the major challenges of our generation — equal rights, climate change, political engagement, economic policy, access to healthcare, and education.

As a society, we will be handicapped in our ability to solve these problems, so long as our access to opportunity divides us.

At Kokopelli Capital, we believe that technology and entrepreneurship are the most effective tools to democratize opportunity. It is our responsibility to support the most outstanding individuals who wield these tools.

So What?

While a lot of this language lives in the clouds, it is our true north. As an industry, venture capital is under the microscope. Our success is tied to the entrepreneurs and technology we fund. Therefore we are accountable for the repercussions of these companies’ success. These repercussions could be the preservation of thousands of lives in the next hurricane. They could also be the unemployment of thousands with no safety net. It is impossible to account for all of these externalities but important to not be blind to them.

For us at Kokopelli Capital, the best strategy for returns turns out to be the same strategy that mitigates negative externalities and maximizes positive outcomes.

Invest in integrity above all else.

Thus far, we’re proud of the characters we have committed to and the teams they are building. Hopefully, this manifesto holds us accountable to continue to build a high-integrity portfolio and, ultimately, helps us contribute to a future we all want to live in.