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Samir Kaul

Founding Partner & Managing Director, Khosla Ventures · 1 appearance on the record.

computed by AI from the episodes · how this works → · full disclaimer →

investorfounderexecutivescientist@samirkaul1 ↗LinkedIn ↗khoslaventures.com/team/samir-kaul ↗

He focuses on investments in AI, sustainability, healthcare, and deep tech at Khosla Ventures, which he co-founded with Vinod Khosla. He is recognized for leading early bets and exits in companies such as Guardant Health, Nutanix, Oscar Health, QuantumScape, and Impossible Foods.

17statements → 3claims → 0claims resolved → 4.24/5average certainty → 2.35/5average debate potential → ≈4.5/5argument clarity, estimated → 21said about them ↓

3 not checkable as stated how the 3 claims stand · each chip opens the sources

3 assertions · 2 opinions · 6 insights · 5 disclosures · 1 what if · every statement was checked. The predictions and assertions are the 3 claims: statements the public record can support or contradict. 0 are resolved, and 3 name no date, number or outcome precise enough to check. Everything else (opinions, insights, what ifs, disclosures) can never be settled by the record, so it carries no assessment.

The record, in short

What the tape says about how Samir argues and how the claims held up. Everything they said, and everything said about them, is in the tabs below.

How they sound: speaking style how? →

284 words/min while actually speaking · 0.2 um and uh per 1k words

No argument clarity score for Samir Kaul: no usable question→answer exchanges on raw tape (a fair score needs 8+). We do not score a sample that small. Roundtable and news formats yield far fewer direct exchanges than interviews. Their coarse estimate from 24 exchanges on the produced feed is ≈4.5/5, shown at half point precision because the sample is small and produced tape scores higher.

Measured by listening to 5,937 words across 1 episode, but every recording we have of Samir Kaul is the aired feed, and an editor cleaned that audio before release. Some of the hesitation was cut before we ever heard it, so read these as floors: the true rates are at least this high. These are measurements of speaking style, not scores. How it's measured →

How the interview went all their pushback → series average →

Across 1 rated episode:

host pushback ▾ 3/10
pushed back at the host ▾ 3/10
setup questions received 45%

Everything Samir Kaul said on 20VC that made the record, most notable first. Filter by type, assessment or year in the ledger →

Opinion
Samir Kaul: Exercising default pro rata rights is a total cop-out
“So to me, I think pro rata is a total cop-out.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 11:37 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Insight
Kaul: VCs are judged on net returns above 20% IRR, not win rates
“In this business, being conservative is a real problem, because we're in the business of returning 20% or greater net IRR to our investors, and we don't get judged by how many companies succeed out of the number of companies we invest in.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 6:42 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Disclosure
Khosla Ventures has never had a partner deal veto in 17 years
“In my 17 years being here, I can't remember a veto. We don't really even have a number for a veto.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 10:04 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Insight
Kaul: A CEO who blindly follows board advice is unfit for the role
“If a CEO, if he or she just listens to everything I say, then they're definitely not the right entrepreneur. They're definitely not the right CEO.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 20:30 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Opinion
Venture capitalists fleeing the sector killed the early cleantech industry
“It's what really killed the cleantech industry. And there are a lot of reasons, but one of the reasons was that all my fellow brethren in the venture industry ran for the hills.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 23:38 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Khosla Ventures' cleantech portfolio will generate a positive overall return
“We will end up positive, and there's a number of companies that are worth north of a few billion dollars there that are making real impacts.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 28:13 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Insight
Kaul: Consumers refuse to pay price premiums for green energy or fuel
“And we learned that consumers won't pay more for power. Consumers won't pay more for fuel for their cars.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 29:00 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Disclosure
Khosla Ventures allocates one-third of capital to non-traditional tech sectors
“And I think one of the things I really love about our firm is that though we do invest half or more in traditional venture areas. We also spend about a third or so of our allocation in areas that have yet to be disrupted by technology, don't have venture there…”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 7:58 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Insight
Samir Kaul: Double down aggressively when positive startup signals emerge
“The odds of one of our initial investments being successful is lower than 50%. Sometimes it's 10%. And so when you get a signal that it might be better, you've got to really push your chips to the table and have the courage to do that.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 12:32 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Disclosure
Kaul: Khosla's biggest wins came from regulated sectors like healthcare and food
“Square is in the banking industry. Gardent and Oscar have been in the healthcare industry. Impossible Foods is in the food industry. These are, you know, very, very regulated markets, and they've been some of our biggest wins.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 25:31 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Insight
Kaul: Consumers will pay premium prices for healthier food and alternative protein
“People will pay more for food. They'll pay more for what they put in their bodies. They'll certainly pay more for what they put in their kid's body.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 30:00 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Kaul: Shortening clinical trials saves $1M per day to healthcare
“Every day you shorten clinical trials is a million dollars that is saved to the healthcare system.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 33:54 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Disclosure
Khosla Ventures invested in Square's Series A at a $30M valuation
“You know, I think when we invested in the Series A of Square, I think it was around a thirty million dollar valuation. It was Jack and Jim in a PowerPoint.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 14:33 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Insight
Founders should start board meetings with one slide on key concerns
“Make sure at least 48 hours before the board meeting, you've sent a pre-read. And for goodness sake, please don't just read us those slides. You've got three to four hours with six or eight busy, intelligent people, hopefully, and you've got us in a room toget…”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 17:33 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Fully loaded deep tech R&D costs $250,000 per scientist annually
“R&D is 250 K fully loaded per scientist, per engineer, per year.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 22:40 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
Disclosure
Khosla Ventures provided Impossible Foods' initial $3M seed check
“Nine years ago in our office, we gave Pat the first three million bucks.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 30:58 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture
What-if
Kaul: I would have taken wilder venture bets earlier in my career
“That you can only lose one time your money and that you can make infinite amounts. I would have taken even wilder bets earlier in my career.”
Samir Kaul Jan 13, 2020 ▶ 33:17 20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Likes Technical Risk and Does Not Take Market Risk & How To Approach Time Allocation Across The Portfolio In Venture

The other half of the tape: Samir Kaul's own voice is left out of every number here. Other people bring the name up 20 times in 5 episodes on 20VC. 1 statement on the record names them. every mention, with the transcript →

Who brings them up most Keith Rabois 14Harry Stebbings 4Jeff Russakow 1Delian Asparouhov 1

Statements about Samir Kaul, by other people (1)

Disclosure
Rabois: Passed on Robinhood seed after Khosla banned seed board seats
“I had already, like, locked in a turn sheet to lead the series seat for Robin Hood chilling at 20 post, which was pretty expensive, but they came back and Really wanted me to join the board in the seed round, and this was in maybe my second year at KB, so I as…”
Keith Rabois Jan 12, 2024 ▶ 11:57 Keith Rabois on Rejoining Khosla Ventures | E1102 · 20VC with Harry Stebbings

Every mention by year

tap a year for its mentions
00101202201920202021202220232024episodesmentions
012201920202021202220232024episodes it came up in
0051102201920202021202220232024episodesmentions per episode
2024 17 mentions in 2 episodes 9 per episode
2021 1 mention in 1 episode
2020 1 mention in 1 episode
2019 1 mention in 1 episode

Appearances (1)

EpisodeDateSpeaking time
20VC: Khosla Ventures Founding Partner, Samir Kaul on Why Pro Rata Is A Cop Out, Why He Li Jan 13, 2020 24m
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