# Cherryrock Capital
Cherryrock Capital is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded in 2023 by Stacy Brown-Philpot and Saydeah Howard, which raised a $172 million debut fund to lead Series A and B investments in software companies founded by underinvested entrepreneurs, particularly Black, and [Latine](https://www.edgepedia.org/latine) founders.[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) • [6](https://f4.fund/firms/cherryrock-capital) Its vehicle, Cherryrock Capital Fund I, LP, is a Delaware limited partnership headquartered at 2370 Market Street, San Francisco, and the firm was still actively deploying that fund as of February 2026.[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000198624525000001/0001986245-25-000001.txt) • [4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023, by Stacy Brown-Philpot and Saydeah Howard[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) |
| Headquarters | 2370 Market Street, Suite 103-134, San Francisco, California[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000198624525000001/0001986245-25-000001.txt) |
| Sector | Venture capital; Series A/B software investments led by diverse founders[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) |
| Total raised | $172,087,879 in Fund I, including the general partner's commitment (Form D/A, Feb 2025)[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000198624525000001/0001986245-25-000001.txt) |
| Named LPs | JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, MassMutual, Top Tier Capital Partners, Pivotal Ventures, Reid Hoffman, Mellody Hobson, Sheryl Sandberg[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) • [4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/) |
| Portfolio | Five companies as of February 2026, including Coactive AI, Vitable Health, Certiverse, and Vori[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/) • [5](https://www.cherryrockcapital.com/) |
| Status | Actively deploying Fund I as of early 2026; no Fund II filing on EDGAR through September 2026[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/) • [2](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000156761923007250/0001567619-23-007250-index.htm) |
## Founders and people
Stacy Brown-Philpot is the firm's Founder and Managing Partner. She was chief executive of TaskRabbit, previously worked at Google and Alphabet, sits on the boards of StockX and HP, and was a founding member of SoftBank's $100 million Open Opportunity Fund, a vehicle for backing diverse founders.[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) She signed the fund's 2025 Form D amendment as Managing Member of the fund's general partner, and she and Howard are each listed as executive officers of the fund.[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000198624525000001/0001986245-25-000001.txt)
Saydeah Howard is Co-founder and Managing Partner. She spent nine years at the venture firm IVP before joining Cherryrock.[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/) The firm's website lists Adrianna Samaniego as Partner and Michelle Dhansinghani Limón among the team, though kept sources do not document their backgrounds.[5](https://www.cherryrockcapital.com/)
## Fund I, by the numbers
The firm filed its original Form D for Cherryrock Capital Fund I, LP on September 21, 2023.[2](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000156761923007250/0001567619-23-007250-index.htm) An amendment filed February 19, 2025 reports a total of $172,087,879 sold, a figure that includes the general partner's commitment, with 88 investors listed and reliance on both the Section 3(c)(1) and Section 3(c)(7) exemptions from investment company registration.[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000198624525000001/0001986245-25-000001.txt) The general partner is entitled to a carried interest (the fund managers' share of investor profits) and the management company to a management fee, terms disclosed only in confidential offering materials.[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000198624525000001/0001986245-25-000001.txt)
The raise took about two years to close, which Brown-Philpot attributed to the difficult fundraising environment for venture firms that began in 2023.[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) The close was announced February 19–20, 2025, with institutional LPs including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, MassMutual, and [Melinda French Gates](https://www.edgepedia.org/melinda-french-gates)' Pivotal Ventures, and individual investors including [Reid Hoffman](https://www.edgepedia.org/reid-hoffman), Mellody Hobson, and [Sheryl Sandberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/sheryl-sandberg).[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) A February 2026 report adds Bank of America, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and Top Tier Capital Partners to the roster.[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/)
## Strategy
Fund I targets Series A and B investments in companies led by diverse founders. Brown-Philpot has noted that few firms focus on leading later-stage investments for diverse founders, positioning Cherryrock as a lead investor rather than a seed-stage backer.[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) As of February 2026 the firm described its target as Series A and B software companies with product-market fit at scale, backing what it calls underinvested entrepreneurs.[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/) Directory data (unverified) indicates check sizes of roughly $2 million to $15 million, with lead Series A checks of $8 million to $15 million, and sector coverage spanning enterprise, fintech, health, work, and b2b2c.[6](https://f4.fund/firms/cherryrock-capital)
The approach is deliberately concentrated: Cherryrock targets 12 to 15 investments from Fund I, a contrast to seed funds that make dozens of bets.[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/) By the time the fund closed in February 2025, Brown-Philpot had more than 2,000 companies in her pipeline.[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/)
The firm's launch sits against a shifting backdrop for diversity-focused investing. SoftBank sold its Opportunity Fund to its leadership team in late 2023, divesting from the initiative Brown-Philpot had helped found, while she launched her own fund in the same period.[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/) [TechCrunch](https://www.edgepedia.org/techcrunch) also reported that some Cherryrock LPs have stepped back from explicit diversity pledges amid political pressure, and that a California law requires VC firms with a California nexus to report demographic data on portfolio founding teams, with the first deadline in April 2026.[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/)
## Portfolio
Five investments had been made as of February 2026, about a third of the fund's target.[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/) Named deals:
- Coactive AI: a multimodal AI infrastructure company; Cherryrock co-led its $30 million Series B with [Emerson Collective](https://www.edgepedia.org/emerson-collective) in May 2024, alongside a16z and Bessemer.[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) • [6](https://f4.fund/firms/cherryrock-capital)
- Vitable Health: a Philadelphia-based health insurer for hourly workers founded by Joseph Kitonga; Cherryrock invested in its $16 million Series A in July 2024 with the Citi Impact Fund and [First Round Capital](https://www.edgepedia.org/first-round-capital).[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) • [4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/)
- Certiverse: the firm's site announces Certiverse's $11 million Series A led by Cherryrock Capital (March 2025 per directory data).[5](https://www.cherryrockcapital.com/) • [6](https://f4.fund/firms/cherryrock-capital)
- Vori: an AI-powered operating system for independent grocery retailers; per directory data citing Fortune, Cherryrock led Vori's $22 million Series B in May 2026 and joined the board.[5](https://www.cherryrockcapital.com/) • [6](https://f4.fund/firms/cherryrock-capital)
No exits from these investments have been reported by any kept source.
## Recent developments
The firm launched in 2023 and filed its first Form D in September of that year.[2](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000156761923007250/0001567619-23-007250-index.htm) It made its first known investments in 2024 (Coactive AI, Vitable Health), announced the $172 million Fund I close in February 2025, and led Certiverse's $11 million Series A.[3](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/) • [5](https://www.cherryrockcapital.com/) It reached five portfolio companies by February 2026, when Brown-Philpot stated the firm's priority simply: "We are actively deploying capital."[4](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/) EDGAR shows only the two Fund I filings through September 2026; no Fund II vehicle appears on record.[2](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000156761923007250/0001567619-23-007250-index.htm)
## References
1. [SEC Form D/A — Cherryrock Capital Fund I, LP (Accession 0001986245-25-000001)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000198624525000001/0001986245-25-000001.txt)
2. [SEC Form D — Cherryrock Capital Fund I, LP (filed 2023-09-21)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1986245/000156761923007250/0001567619-23-007250-index.htm)
3. [Cherryrock Capital raises new $172M fund from all-star investors to back diverse founders (TechCrunch, Feb 20, 2025)](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/cherryrock-capital-raises-new-172m-fund-from-all-star-investors-to-back-diverse-founders/)
4. [In a changed VC landscape, this exec is doubling down on overlooked founders (TechCrunch, Feb 14, 2026)](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/14/stacy-brown-philpot-cherryrock-capital-vc/)
5. [Cherryrock Capital (firm website)](https://www.cherryrockcapital.com/)
6. [Cherryrock Capital | Investment Thesis & Preferences | F4 (unverified directory data)](https://f4.fund/firms/cherryrock-capital)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Economics and business › Finance › Venture capital and private equity › Venture capital firms of the Americas › Consumer, media, and gaming investors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license