Cota Capital
UnclaimedAt a Glance
- Stage
- Series A, Series B+
- AUM
- $675M
- Sectors
- Enterprise, SaaS
- Founded
- 2015
- HQ
- San Francisco, CA
About Cota Capital
Cota Capital is a San Francisco-based investment firm that has backed transformative enterprise technology companies since 2015. It invests across the private and public phases of a company's life, concentrating on enterprise software, infrastructure and applied science businesses where technical differentiation translates into durable unit economics. The firm's stated preference is for companies with disciplined growth and a visible path to profitability rather than ones dependent on continuous external financing, and it typically participates from Series A onward and continues into later rounds. Cota manages roughly $675 million and runs a team of about twenty investment and platform professionals in San Francisco, supported by senior advisers drawn from enterprise technology operating roles. Its multi-stage mandate lets it hold positions through growth rounds and, in some cases, into the public market, which the firm presents as an advantage in evaluating long-horizon infrastructure businesses. Named portfolio companies include Flexport in freight forwarding and logistics software, Redis in data infrastructure, Monte Carlo in data observability, Databricks in data and artificial intelligence platforms, and Mammoth Biosciences in CRISPR-based diagnostics and therapeutics, a position that reflects a willingness to underwrite deep technical risk outside conventional software. Cota was founded by Bobby Yazdani, who leads the partnership. The firm describes its approach as research-driven, building sector theses before sourcing companies within them, and it works with portfolio management teams on pricing, sales efficiency and capital strategy rather than presenting itself as a hands-on operating partner.
Investment Thesis
“Invests in transformative enterprise software companies with strong unit economics and clear paths to profitability.”
Leadership Team
Bobby Yazdani is Cota Capital's founder and managing partner, and appears as an executive officer on the firm's fund filings from 2015 onward. Pete Williams is a partner and the firm's chief operating officer and is named alongside Yazdani in the SEC filings; Babak Poushanchi is the third recurring executive officer of Cota Capital GP, LLC, and Albert Azout appears on the 2019 and 2020 amendments. Ullas Naik is named on the firm's first 2015 filing. The partnership listed on cotacapital.com adds Daniel Karp and Murat Kilicoglu as partners, Vikram Venkat as principal, and a venture partner bench of Suresh Batchu, Kevin Jacques, Ben Malka and Val Vaden. Cota carries heavier institutional infrastructure than most enterprise-focused firms its size, with a chief financial officer, general counsel and chief compliance officer, chief marketing officer and in-house fund accounting, roughly twenty people in total, plus advisors Pete Abrams and Kim DeCarlis.
Sector Focus
Investment Stage
Notable Portfolio Companies
Fund History
Cota Capital has been raising since early 2015, and its SEC record breaks into three live pools. Cota Capital Partners, L.P. filed an indefinite-amount Form D in April 2015 reporting $1,000,000 sold on a first sale of March 23, 2015, with Ullas Naik named alongside Babak Poushanchi and Bobby Yazdani. The onshore flagship, Cota Capital Institutional Partners, L.P., recorded a first sale of May 31, 2015 and grew from $101,240,475 sold in its 2019 amendment to $125,327,976 by 2021. A parallel Grand Cayman vehicle, Cota Capital Offshore Fund, L.P., ran larger, rising from $122,803,610 to $179,410,517 over the same window. The biggest pool is Cota Growth Fund, L.P., which began selling on November 1, 2017 and climbed from $276,457,851 in its 2021 amendment to $362,317,775 in 2022 and $366,972,087 by August 2023. Together the three report roughly $672 million sold, consistent with the firm's stated $675 million. Cota Capital GP, LLC is the general partner on all of them, and the firm says it has partnered with over 130 management teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
What stage does Cota Capital invest at?
Cota Capital primarily invests at the Series A, Series B+ stages. This means they focus on companies that are scaling their go-to-market after proving product-market fit.
Where is Cota Capital located?
Cota Capital is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
What sectors does Cota Capital focus on?
Cota Capital focuses on investments in Enterprise, SaaS. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
How much does Cota Capital have under management?
Cota Capital manages approximately $675M in assets under management (AUM) across their funds.
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