Shows
Divot#12: It Takes What It Takes – Mastering Mindset, Pressure, and PurposeIn this episode, Kobie Fuller invites us into his home gym — and into the mindset that’s driven him through elite athletics, startup investing, fatherhood, and personal growth. From sprint workouts to 24-hour fasts, Kobie shares how he uses physical discipline to sharpen mental clarity and lead with purpose.He breaks down two core ideas that changed his life: “It takes what it takes” and neutral thinking — frameworks he learned from late mentor Trevor Moawad to overcome self-doubt, pressure, and negativity.We explore how Kobie handles failure, centers his faith, coa...
2025-05-2846 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley PodcastKobie Fuller: Upfront Ventures Partner's High-Speed Sprint from Track Star to Venture Capital PowerhouseKobie Fuller is a partner at Upfront Ventures. He came to the firm after investing at Accel and leading marketing efforts at EVOLVE, the large global fashion ecommerce platform. Highlights from our conversation. -- we covered a lot of ground, so this is just a small part: Kobie's Athletic Background and Vision for Track and Field: Kobie, a former track and field athlete who competed in the 400m and 200m, believes the sport deserves greater mainstream attention due to its purity and universal accessibility. He discusses a new professional track league, Grand Slam Track, started...
2025-05-0744 min
Tech Scenes with Jeff James MartinTech Scenes Santa Monica with Kobie Fuller, Partner at Upfront VenturesWelcome to another episode of Tech Scenes, where we visit Santa Monica and go for a ride with Kobie Fuller, a General Partner at Upfront Ventures. Kobie joined Upfront in June 2016, bringing a wealth of experience from his previous roles at Accel Partners, Insight Venture Partners, and as Chief Marketing Officer at REVOLVE, one of the largest global fashion e-commerce players based in Los Angeles.
Kobie is a Harvard University graduate, where he was the captain of the track team, a multi Ivy League champion sprinter, and a former school record holder. His primary focus areas include AI-first enterprise...
2024-07-2435 min
SourcerySoot's $7.2M Seed Round: CEO, CTO, & Investor, Kobie FullerIn this episode, Molly O'Shea sits down with Jake Harper and Amol Kapoor of Soot, a spatial, self-organizing file system that revolutionizes how they interact with their data. Joining the group is Soot investor Kobie Fuller, GP at Upfront Ventures.
Jake talks about Soot as a consumer-grade vector database with a user-friendly GUI, simplifying data navigation and making AI tooling accessible. He emphasizes the importance of beauty and user experience, aiming to empower and inspire users.
Amol also highlights how the company prioritizes seamless user experience with advanced AI capabilities hidden behind the scenes. They aim to empower users...
2024-07-1244 min
Black Tech Green MoneyKobie Fuller on AI, Black Founders, and the Future of VCEp. 166 Kobie Fuller is General Partner at Upfront Ventures. He’s got deep expertise in enterprise SAAS and frontier technologies including AR/VR. Previously, he was Chief Marketing Officer at REVOLVE, one of the largest global fashion e-commerce players based in Los Angeles. He’s got deep interest in artificial intelligence, and he’s placing bets on startups building in the space - even building some projects of his own. On this episode, Kobie speaks with AfroTech's Will Lucas about frontier technologies, investing in AI, and what kind of startups are interesting to VCs like him. F...
2024-05-2136 min
Upfront VenturesMelting the Ice: Menlo Ventures' Approach to VC Winter with Matt Murphy | 2024 Upfront SummitUpfront Partner Kobie Fuller interviews Menlo Ventures Partner Matt Murphy about the current state of venture, the firm's investment strategy in AI, and the importance of building a framework early on.
Recorded Feb 28, 2024 at the Upfront Summit.
2024-03-2622 min
Club Seat NetworkNFL Thursday Night Scoreboard Update December 21st, 2023New Orleans Saints- 22 Los Angeles Rams- 30 LAR: Matthew Stafford- 24 out of 34 passes for 328 yards and two touchdown passes Kyren Williams- 22 carries for 104 yards and a rushing touchdown Puka Nacua- 9 catches for 164 yards and a touchdown Demarcus Robinson- 6 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown Cooper Kupp- 6 catches for 52 yards Tyler Higbee- 3 catches for 30 yards DEFENSE: Ernest Jones and Kobie Turner- recorded a sack, Jordan Fuller- recorded an interception NO: Derek Carr- 27 out of 40 passes for 319 yards, three touchdown passes and an interception Alvin Kamara- 9 carries for 19 yards, 5 catches for 16 yards Chris Olave- 9 catches for 123 yards Rashid Shaheed- 5 catches for 70 yards and...
2023-12-2201 min
True BuildersInsights from the Track to the Boardroom with Kobie FullerIn business, success often seems like an elusive trophy reserved for the few who possess extraordinary vision and unshakable determination. But what if we told you that the road to success in the business arena is not as different from the world of athletics as you might think? Upfront Ventures’ general partner, Kobie Fuller is known for his exceptional vision and determination. He brings a wealth of experience to the table, having been a key player at Accel Partners and chief marketing officer at REVOLVE before joining Upfront Ventures in 2016. Specializing in SaaS, community, and marketing te...
2023-11-2946 min
The Publisher LabGoogle To Defend AI Users From Copyright | Publisher Lab Ep. 39Join Manny Ramos, Zach Ashmun, and Terrance Timmons as they dive into Google's "Helpful Content" update and its implications on AI content. They also stress the human-AI collaboration for quality, foresee an AI "arms race", and envision content's future. The team also tackles AI misuse, copyright concerns, a new Twitter-esque app, and AI in blogging.
This week’s stories:
Does Google’s helpful content update penalize AI content? - https://searchengineland.com/does-google-helpful-content-update-penalize-ai-content-433221
Google-Extended does not stop Google Search Generative Experience from using your site’s content - https://searchengineland.com/goog...
2023-10-1949 min
Upfront VenturesHailey Bieber & Michael D. Ratner on the Intersection of Content and Commerce | 2023 Upfront SummitUpfront Partner Kobie Fuller sits down with Michael D. Ratner of OBB Media and Hailey Bieber of rhode to discuss the intersection of content and commerce, as well as their differentiated approach.
Recorded March 2, 2023 at the Upfront Summit.
2023-03-2222 min
DrinksWithAVC (DWAVC)DWAVC: Kobie Fuller | Ep. 23DrinksWithAVC welcomes Kobie Fuller of Upfront Ventures, merging the worlds of athletic excellence and venture capital. Bree and producer Reyn delve into Kobie's history as a record-setting athlete and explore how the competitive spirit and discipline from sports translate into savvy investing. Stay tuned to learn about Kobie's current SaaS metric of choice and his anticipated guests at the Upfront Summit in LA.Links:www.upfront.comwww.twitter.com/upfrontvcThis year's Upfront summit is at capacity, but you can still stream from home!Join the Valence Community and help...
2023-02-2853 min
Upfront VenturesThe Benefits of Having a Neutral Mindset: Russell Wilson and Harry Wilson | Upfront Summit 2022Russell Wilson and Harry Wilson sit down with Upfront Partner Kobie Fuller to discuss what it's like to start a company (Limitless Minds) with your sibling, how to optimize mindset for peak performance, the benefits of having a neutral mindset, and more.
Recorded March 2, 2022 at the Upfront Summit.
2022-03-3024 min
LA VentureKobie Fuller -- Upfront VenturesEvery pitch today involves community. Upfront partner and former CMO Kobie Fuller tells us how the best brands are giving users the tools to be brand advocates and how those same brands are tapping into the community to get insights. We also talk about being black in venture and what inspired Kobie to build Valence, a network for black professionals.
2022-03-1632 min
Clear the Air with RPAInvesting, Building, and Scaling Companies with Upfront Ventures General Partner, Kobie FullerKobie Fuller is a General Partner at Upfront Ventures – one of the largest Venture Capital companies in LA. After graduating from Harvard, he’s invested, built, and scaled several multi-billion-dollar organizations (09:05). As 20-year VC veteran, he provides insight into everything from developing high-performance teams (14:44), how the metaverse will change marketing (25:10), and how he grew Valence, a networking site and cross-industry management training program to promote Black economic empowerment (33:23).
2022-02-0943 min
Blazing TrailsWhat is Grit and Why it Matters: A Conversation with Angela Duckworth and Kobie FullerWhat is grit? Is it something that you’re born with? Is it a skill you have to practice? Or is it a combination of the two?On today’s episode, Angela Duckworth, a MacArthur Genius Grant winner, academic, and author, explores that question with Kobie Fuller, the Chairman and Co-Founder of Valance Community. Marie Rosencrans, an SVP of SMB Marketing at Salesforce, leads the wide-ranging conversation. They discuss what qualities are common in overachievers, how leaders use stress to fuel themselves, and what it takes to build a gritty team that will succeed in t...
2021-03-1031 min
Create CommunityInvesting, Community and Uniting Black Professionals with Kobie FullerKobie Fuller is a seasoned Venture Capitalist who deeply believes in the power of community.
Kobie is a General Partner at Upfront Ventures, the largest and longest serving venture fund in Southern California. He’s led investments in companies including TheWaveVR, Cordial, Bevy, The Mighty and MetaCX. Over his career he’s invested early in notable companies including Exact Target (sold to Salesforce for $2.5B) and Oculus (sold to Facebook for $2B).
Outside of VC, Kobie was the CMO at REVOLVE, one of the largest global fashion e-commerce players, where he built a massive community of i...
2020-11-1045 min
The JourneyFrom Venture Capital to Social Capital with Kobie Fuller, General Partner of Upfront VenturesWe live in a diverse world full of different cultures, new ideas, fresh perspectives, and uniquely-themselves people. But oftentimes those who are seated around boardroom tables or walking up and down corporate halls don’t reflect this same level of diversity. In Kobie Fuller’s experience, this disconnect between what we see in our day-to-day lives versus what we witness in the antiquated world of business isn’t necessarily due to a lack of desire to bridge the gap – it’s more about the need for a more educated effort. “There is this prominent corporate VC that I met...
2020-09-1622 min
Athlete CEOAthlete CEO #32: Kobie Fuller of Upfront Ventures on Finding Success as a FounderKobie Fuller is the perfect venn diagram of the Athlete CEO – he was a track star at Harvard, used his background in tech to invest early in some of the top winners of emerging technologies including Oculus and Exact Target, and now works as a partner for Upfront Ventures where he continues to help discover and fund innovative tech companies.He has seen startups rise and fall and knows what it takes to be successful in founding a company, and shares with us what he’s seen over the years. He also is uniquely familiar with how the...
2020-08-0647 min
This is Your Life in Silicon ValleyHow Do You Fix Tech's Diversity Problem? (Guest: Kobie Fuller, General Partner - Upfront Ventures)Kobie Fuller is a General Partner at Upfront Ventures in Los Angeles. He also started Valence Community - a Los Angeles-based online professional network for Black talent. Kobie might have the *actual* answers as to how to fix tech's long standing diversity problem. Kobie talks about his journey into Venture Capital and his perspectives and feelings on San Francisco. We get into a good discussion about LA vs. San Francisco as a tech hub, and whether Los Angeles is long-term viable as a tech community (and the differences between LA and San Francisco startups). We ta...
2020-07-0931 min
Upfront VenturesJohn Legend and James Lowry Interviewed by Kobie Fuller | Upfront Summit 2020John Legend and his mentor James Lowry talk with Upfront Ventures partner Kobie Fuller about the importance of mentorship and the mutual benefit in a mentor-mentee relationship; John Legend's work in criminal justice reform and local political reform; James Lowry's roadmap for building black economic power and a more positive future for everyone; and John's experience as a BCG consultant building PowerPoint slides by day and creating music by night.
2020-02-1830 min
Somewhat Frank#0011 – Catching up with Somewhat Frank!Frank Gruber catches up with John Guidos and the two discuss Frank's recent trip to Chicago where he was the keynote speaker at the NASA iTech event and his reconnecting with Jonathan Ozeran at Tempus. There's a lot to celebrate this time around, so they discuss some of those latest happenings. The discussion was loosely based on the latest newsletter which is shared below. I was in sweet home Chicago last week to speak at the NASA iTech event. It was great to be back in my hometown to share and debunk "Startup Myths" with this keynote...
2019-12-0522 min
"Can't Be Done"Ep. 89: Inspiring Deep Tech Founders to Invest in Sales & Marketing—with Greg Castle of Anorak VenturesCEOs in the deep tech space are deeply passionate about what they are building. But these brilliant technical minds tend to be less passionate about sales and marketing. So, how can a VC with a background in branding inspire his founders to invest in marketing material that reflects the power and beauty of what they’re building technically?
Greg Castle is the Founder and Managing Director of Anorak Ventures, a fund dedicated to early-stage, disruptive technologies like virtual reality, robotics, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, computer vision and internet of things. Greg believes that the next decade will be...
2019-03-1437 min
Jazz RenaissanceSaturday Matinee Vol 21Track List1. Rikard From & The Organics - Bump2. Andreas Varady - Radio Joint3. Warren Wolf - Havoc4. Tia Fuller - In the Trenches5. Kamasi Washington - One of One6. Kobie Watkins Grouptet - Ga-Rum-Ban7. Victor Wooten - Caught in the Act8. The Next Step Quintet - The Architect (feat. Tivon Pennicott)9. Nubya Garcia - Once10.Yussef Kamaal - Strings of LightEnjoy!!
2018-11-031h 07
The Career Channel (Video)Kobie Fuller World-class Athlete Entrepreneur and Partner Upfront VenturesKobie Fuller joined the Upfront Ventures in June 2016 after having previously worked at Silicon Valley-based Accel, where he was involved in investments including Campaign Monitor, UserTesting, AdRoll, Emergent VR and Invoca. Prior to Accel, Kobie was the Chief Marketing Officer at REVOLVE, one of the largest global fashion e-commerce players based in Los Angeles. Series: "Innovator Stories: Creating Something from Nothing" [Business] [Show ID: 31748]
2017-02-2058 minThe Career Channel (Audio)Kobie Fuller World-class Athlete Entrepreneur and Partner Upfront VenturesKobie Fuller joined the Upfront Ventures in June 2016 after having previously worked at Silicon Valley-based Accel, where he was involved in investments including Campaign Monitor, UserTesting, AdRoll, Emergent VR and Invoca. Prior to Accel, Kobie was the Chief Marketing Officer at REVOLVE, one of the largest global fashion e-commerce players based in Los Angeles. Series: "Innovator Stories: Creating Something from Nothing" [Business] [Show ID: 31748]
2017-02-2058 min