Josh Kopelman

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Bio

Professional summary

Josh Kopelman is a Partner at First Round and one of the firm’s co-founders. His official profile says he has been active as an entrepreneur and investor in the internet industry since its commercialization. Before First Round, he co-founded Infonautics, which went public on NASDAQ, co-founded Half.com, which was acquired by eBay, and helped found TurnTide, which was acquired by Symantec. First Round’s profile emphasizes his focus on the first 24 months of a startup’s life, when founders are finding product, customers, positioning, pricing, distribution, team, and culture.

Investment focus

Stage, sector, and overall fit

Stage

first 24 months of a companypre-product-market fitseed and early stage

Sector

internetsoftwarehealthcare technologyfintechproductivityconsumer and enterprise technology

Thesis

first 24 months of company formationearly-stage and seed-stage companiesinternet and technology startupsfounder support around product, positioning, pricing, distribution, hiring, and culture

Notable companies

Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed

Flatiron HealthNotionUpstartClover HealthPomelo CareLoyalPerpay

How to approach

Framing and angles for outreach

Pitch framing

Strong fit for early founders still shaping product, customer love, positioning, pricing, distribution, hiring, and culture.

Partneralization hooks

1Reference the first 24 months of company-building and a specific question where his founder/operator perspective would help.
2Emphasize learning velocity and founder judgment rather than asking only for capital.

Recent signals

What the partner has said or done recently

First Round’s official profile continues to position him around seed-stage company formation and first-24-month founder support.

Background

Career, education, and skills

Career history

First Round CapitalPartner
CollateBoard Member/Observer
The Philadelphia InquirerBoard Member/Observer
HealthLeap AIBoard Observer
Parallel Web SystemsBoard Observer
Pomelo CareBoard Observer

Education

Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaBS

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