About

Efficiency Frontier

1. When assembling an investment portfolio, the efficient frontier describes an allocation where no other portfolio exists with a higher expected return at the same standard deviation of return (i.e., risk).^†
2. The efficiency frontier is where I spend time as an investor in technology companies: new productivity and automation products, and emerging marketplaces and software that change the way we (and our money) work.

^{†  I wasn't a perfect student in college economics classes, so you may have to overlook imprecision in my definitions here...}

Kevin Zhang

Over the years, I've felt most fulfilled and energized when I can help passionate people realize their goals. Today, I have the privilege of spending time with founders and technologists as a partner at Bain Capital Ventures.

My focus at Bain informs my writing; I work with early-stage investments in productivity (Clockwise, Command E), automation (Alloy, Vention), and financial technology (Argyle, Relay). These checks range from $250K-$25M, and are often among the first institutional dollars raised.

Previously, I was the first business hire and Head of Product at Fundera, a venture-backed marketplace for small business financing. I learned about optimizing AdWords campaigns, pushing pixels in Sketch, planning a product launch, and many other lessons. I also bought our Facebook handle from a Swedish expat in Thailand, trudged home reflecting on hires who didn't work out, and spent several months sleeping on a sofa at the office a couple nights a week. Along the way, our team helped thousands of small business owners secure $200M+ in financing.

I am committed to building communities and meaningful relationships. In college, I led the student entrepreneurship society at Columbia, and today, I remain involved as a board member of the Columbia College Alumni Association and an organizer of Columbia in Tech.

Disclosures

Naturally, there will be an overlap between the ideas and trends I write about, and companies that Bain Capital Ventures is an investor in. My intention is to include self-serving references only when it's directly relevant. You can always review our announced portfolio on the BCV website.