Josh Coyne

Partner

Josh Coyne joined Kleiner Perkins in 2017 and focuses on investments in enterprise software and financial services. Prior to joining Kleiner Perkins, Josh was at Qatalyst Partners, where he helped advise on multi-billion dollar acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and financings across a variety of technology sectors. Originally from Cleveland, Josh graduated summa cum laude from Boston College with a degree in Computer Science and Finance. Outside of work, Josh loves to play music, read (new book recs welcome!), explore new restaurants, play sports, and nerd out on nutrition/health.

Investment focus areas

— Enterprise software

— Financial services

Josh Coyne
Companies Backed
Q&A
  • What are you focused on?

    I spend a lot of my time working with companies in applied AI, productivity/collaboration, fintech, data infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Having said that, I love listening to and learning from any founder who is dead-set on reinventing an industry — regardless of said industry.

      
    

    I’m all ears.

  • How do you approach helping companies scale?

    I generally believe that there are only 1-2 things that matter for a startup at any given point in time. My job as an investor and board member is to help startups figure out what that is. And then help advance it. Usually through some combination of asking questions, making connections, helping recruit, pushing when I see potential, and sharing stories from exceptional companies we’ve been lucky enough to work with.

  • What do you look for in founders?

    I look for missionaries who are obsessed with the problem they’re solving; for exceptional storytellers who can attract talented people into their orbit; for voracious learners who can quickly adapt to change and take calculated risks; and for relentless executors who are desperate to win.

  • How did you get started in investing?

    I never knew what venture capital was growing up. I’m originally from the Midwest and grew up in a blue-collar family where ‘VC’ meant something closer to ‘vacuum cleaner’ or ‘video camera’. It wasn’t until I joined an M&A advisory firm that I got my first real exposure to venture capital. After a few months on the job, I attended a company’s board meeting and met these individuals called “board members”. They were being paid to do a job that I would’ve done for free. It felt like a cheat code to life.

      
    

    4 years later, I joined Kleiner Perkins and never looked back.

Perspectives