Current Role and Company Affiliation
Caterina Fake is a General Partner and Investor at Yes VC, a venture capital firm focused on funding early-stage startups primarily at the Pre-Seed and Seed stages. She co-founded Yes VC alongside Jyri Engeström in January 2018, officially establishing the fund to back promising companies. Yes VC’s partners include Caterina Fake, Jyri Engeström, Julie Liao, Markus Räikkönen, Beth Malin, and David Pickerell.
Professional Background and Notable Ventures
Caterina Fake is a serial entrepreneur and investor, widely recognized for her co-founding of Flickr, an influential photo-sharing platform that was acquired by Yahoo. Following Flickr, she co-founded Hunch, a collective intelligence and machine-learning company acquired by eBay. Her entrepreneurial track record also includes the founding of Findery (previously named Pinwheel), a location-based social app. She has maintained an active role in technology innovation and venture funding across multiple initiatives.
Investment Focus and Activity
Since launching Yes VC, Caterina Fake has invested in at least nine companies within the firm's initial year of operation, indicating an active and diverse investment portfolio. Her investment interests reflect a keen focus on early-stage technology startups, with an emphasis on innovative and emerging trends, including decentralization and new media ventures, though with a selective approach to blockchain startups.
Caterina's venture capital approach is informed by her experience building and scaling technology platforms, particularly in social media, photo sharing, and collective intelligence domains. Yes VC is noted for a traditional venture capital strategy with an inclination towards trend-spotting in technology.
Recognitions and Industry Standing
- Named one of Business Insider’s Top 25 Female Early Stage Investors (2022).
- Inducted into the Founders Forum Angels Hall of Fame (2023), highlighting her significant and longstanding contributions to early-stage investments.
These accolades underline her influence and credibility in the venture capital ecosystem.
Public Engagement and Thought Leadership
Caterina Fake actively contributes thought leadership through:
- Launching a podcast titled INGENIOUS, focused on innovation and entrepreneurial insight.
- Regular appearances at industry events such as Disrupt SF 2019, where she served as a speaker, leveraging her expertise as an investor and entrepreneur.
- Participation in high-profile dialogues, including discussions at COP28, engaging next-generation leaders on future-oriented topics.
Professional Network and Collaborations
- Long-term partnership with Jyri Engeström, co-founder of Jaiku, in creating Yes VC.
- Previous relationships with executives from Yahoo, Etsy (where she was Chairman), and the broader Web 2.0 ecosystem.
- Collaborative investor alongside other venture funds such as Stride.VC, Benchmark, and O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures in rounds like the $7M funding of the French e-grocery app Jow (2019).
Summary of Key Professional Attributes
- Serial entrepreneur with foundational roles in Flickr and Hunch.
- Experienced early-stage investor with a hands-on approach to scouting and funding innovative startups.
- A recognized female pioneer in venture capital and technology entrepreneurship.
- Engaged in public discourse on technology trends, sustainability, and future innovation through talks and new media channels.
This profile encapsulates Caterina Fake’s professional trajectory, current role at Yes VC, investment focus, and industry recognition, presenting a comprehensive and actionable understanding of her as an influential actor in technology venture capital.
