Zak Kukoff

Zak Kukoff is a Zak Kukoff at Catalyst.

His first exposure to entrepreneurship was in high school, where he launched an ed-tech startup that he later took to Techstars Boulder. That experience taught him a few important lessons: failure teaches as much as success, the founder’s journey can be lonely, and good investors provide a lot more than money. He brought those learnings to the Dorm Room Fund at NYU, which he helped run as an undergrad. That’s where he learned about General Catalyst’s student founder program, Rough Draft Ventures.

After graduation, Zak moved to Silicon Valley to work in operations for a high-growth logistics company. This was the opposite of lonely – the company added 500 employees during his year there. He made the transition to venture shortly after to support founders at the earliest stages of realizing their visions. Zak came to General Catalyst for the opportunity to partner with founders at the early stages of company building.

In his spare time, Zak will pick up a book or indulge his love of adventurous dining. He's also passionate about education; he founded a non-profit, Autism Ambassadors, that teaches neurotypical students how to support their peers on the autism spectrum. Like venture investing, that work inspires him to keep learning in ways that can help others.