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Hard Yaka

North America, Nevada, United States, Crystal Bay

Description

Hard Yaka is a venture capital firm based in Crystal Bay, United States, dedicated to investing in early-stage companies that are revolutionizing exchanges between seekers and providers of goods, services, and information. The firm's investment thesis centers on identifying and supporting innovative teams that are building the next generation of marketplaces, platforms, and infrastructure to facilitate more efficient and impactful interactions. Hard Yaka typically engages with companies at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages, demonstrating a commitment to nurturing growth from the earliest phases.

The firm's portfolio reflects its broad interest in transformative technologies across various sectors, including fintech, developer tools, and future-of-work solutions. Notable investments include companies like Superhuman, Brex, Mercury, and Vanta, all of which have achieved significant traction and valuation in their respective markets. Hard Yaka's approach is characterized by a hands-on engagement with its portfolio companies, offering strategic guidance and leveraging its network to accelerate their development and market penetration.

As of recent data, Hard Yaka has made over 35 investments, showcasing its active presence in the early-stage ecosystem. While specific check sizes can vary depending on the stage and needs of the company, Hard Yaka's typical first investments range from approximately $250,000 for promising pre-seed or smaller seed rounds, up to $2,500,000 for larger seed rounds or strategic participations in Series A funding. This flexibility allows them to support a diverse array of startups poised for significant disruption. Their focus remains on backing founders who are building foundational technologies that redefine how people and businesses connect and transact.

Investor Profile

Hard Yaka has backed more than 154 startups, with 5 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 8 rounds, about 5% of its total and boasts 31 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Series Unknown, Series A rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, United Kingdom, Spain.
  • Strong thematic focus on FinTech, Financial Services, Blockchain.
  • Typical check size: $250K – $2.5M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (55%)
  • Series Unknown (18%)
  • Series A (13%)
  • Series B (5%)
  • Pre Seed (5%)
  • Series C (3%)
  • Angel (1%)
  • Initial Coin Offering (1%)

Country Focus

  • United States (73%)
  • United Kingdom (6%)
  • Spain (3%)
  • Mexico (3%)
  • Hong Kong (3%)
  • France (2%)
  • Canada (1%)
  • Switzerland (1%)
  • Colombia (1%)
  • India (1%)

Industry Focus

  • Fintech
  • Financial Services
  • Blockchain
  • Software
  • Payments
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Mobile
  • Finance
  • Banking
  • Internet
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Hard Yaka frequently co-invest with?

FundersClub
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 5
Fenbushi Capital
Asia, Shanghai, China, Shanghai
Co-Investments: 4
500 Global
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 5
Y Combinator
North America, California, United States, Mountain View
Co-Investments: 9
Digital Currency Group
North America, Connecticut, United States, Stamford
Co-Investments: 5
SV Angel
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 5
Fenway Summer Ventures
North America, District of Columbia, United States, Washington
Co-Investments: 3
DCVC
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3
AltaIR Capital
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 5
Slow Ventures
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3

Which angels does Hard Yaka often collaborate with?

MP
North America, Colorado, United States, Aspen
Shared Deals: 2
BD
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Shared Deals: 3
CA
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Shared Deals: 2
GG
North America, California, United States, Los Angeles
Shared Deals: 1
AI
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 1
David Beyer
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
JD
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
Devon Galloway
North America, Ontario, Canada, Kitchener
Shared Deals: 1
GK
North America, Nevada, United States, Crystal Bay
Shared Deals: 5
EL
North America, Texas, United States, Dallas
Shared Deals: 2

What are some of recent deals done by Hard Yaka?

Terminal 3

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

Terminal 3 is a data storage and access platform that makes Web3 user data freely composable while remaining private and secure.

BlockchainData StorageInformation TechnologyWeb3
SeedApr 29, 2025
Amount Raised: $8,000,000
Rain

New York, New York, United States

Rain is a finance company that provides credit card services with technical support for secure transactions to web3 and crypto companies.

BlockchainCryptocurrencyDecentralized Finance (DeFi)FinTechWeb3
Series AMar 24, 2025
Amount Raised: $24,500,000
Goin

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Goin is a mobile app that helps users improve their financial health through saving, investing and smart shopping tools.

AppsBankingFinancial ServicesFinTech
Series AFeb 5, 2025
Emerge

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Emerge is a financial management tool for businesses.

FinanceFinancial Services
Series AOct 13, 2024
Amount Raised: $7,330,545
Huma Finance

San Francisco, California, United States

The First PayFi Network. Huma powers financing of global payments, with instant access to liquidity anywhere, anytime.

BlockchainCreditFinanceLending
Series UnknownSep 11, 2024
Amount Raised: $10,000,000
CFX Labs

Chicago, Illinois, United States

CFX Labs provides payment processing solutions for app publisher, marketplace, and retailer.

Financial ServicesPaymentsTransaction Processing
SeedNov 15, 2023
Amount Raised: $9,500,000
Terminal 3

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

Terminal 3 is a data storage and access platform that makes Web3 user data freely composable while remaining private and secure.

BlockchainData StorageInformation TechnologyWeb3
Pre SeedApr 30, 2023
Omnumi

Greenville, South Carolina, United States

Omnumi provides digital asset and payment infrastructure on an identity and compliance-first blockchain.

BlockchainFinTechPaymentsService Industry
SeedApr 19, 2023
Amount Raised: $10,000,000
Arf

Steinhausen, Zug, Switzerland

Arf is a global liquidity and settlement platform for licensed cross-border payments companies.

FinanceFinancial ServicesFinTechPayments
SeedOct 26, 2022
Amount Raised: $13,000,000
Decaf

Miami, Florida, United States

Decaf is a non-custodial wallet and point of sales.

ConsultingInformation Services
SeedSep 19, 2022