Okapi Venture Capital
Okapi Venture Capital provides long-term capital and management support to emerging businesses in the information technology and life science sectors. They take pride in partnering with exceptionally talented entrepreneurs and operational executives to develop valuable high growth businesses.
They are currently managing Okapi Ventures I, LP - a venture capital fund chartered to invest in seed and early-stage information technology and life science companies along the Tech Coast that is southern California with a particular emphasis on Orange County startups.
Okapi Venture Capital is named after the Okapi (Okapi johnstoni), the only living relative of the Giraffe. Okapis are found naturally in the dense tropical rain forests of central Africa. They have only been known to Western scientists since 1900, when Sir Harry Johnston sent proof of their existence. They are about 5 feet tall at the shoulder, weigh between 440 and 660 pounds and have an unusual appearance—looking like an unlikely synthesis of a giraffe, horse, and zebra. They have a 30 year life span, are herbivores and prefer altitudes of between 500 and 1000 meters above sea level.
This firm identifies with these unique and interesting animals—their progeny have long gestation periods and are quite precocious at birth (just like their portfolio companies!) and they are described as having "unique characteristics allowing them to thrive in dense jungle and if venture capital is not dense jungle, we don’t know what is."