Passport is a company.
Passport has raised $186.0M across 8 funding rounds.
Key people at Passport.
Passport was founded by Aaron Schwartz (Cofounder, President, Board Member).
Passport has raised $186.0M in total across 8 funding rounds.
Passport Capital is a San Francisco-based global thematic investment firm founded in 2000 by John H. Burbank III.[1][2][4] Its mission centers on achieving superior risk-adjusted returns by anticipating macro trends—from emerging markets to emerging technologies—through a blend of top-down macroeconomic analysis, rigorous fundamental research, and quantitative portfolio construction tools.[1][4] The firm operates as a hybrid fund with a focus on early-stage strategies across diverse sectors, employing quantitative methods to meet specific risk and liquidity targets while identifying undervalued secular changes in asset prices.[1][2][4]
Passport Capital influences the startup ecosystem through its thematic investments in emerging technologies and markets, leveraging macroeconomic insights to back high-potential early-stage opportunities.[4] Registered as a federally regulated investment adviser with the SEC, it maintains a lean operation with around 64 employees and no physical workspace, emphasizing global reach from its San Francisco HQ.[1][5]
Passport Capital was established in 2000 by John H. Burbank III in San Francisco, evolving into a global player focused on thematic investing.[1][2][4] Burbank, the key founder and leader, built the firm around a core philosophy of combining macroeconomic foresight with fundamental security analysis to capture long-term trends overlooked by markets.[1]
Over two decades, the firm has refined its approach from broad global macro strategies to a specialized "family of funds" targeting early-stage investments in emerging technologies and markets, maintaining its hybrid fund structure amid changing economic landscapes.[2][4]
Passport Capital rides the wave of macro trend investing in emerging technologies and markets, capitalizing on timing where geopolitical shifts, tech disruptions, and undervalued assets create alpha opportunities.[4] Market forces like rapid tech adoption in AI, biotech, and global supply chain realignments favor its top-down approach, which spots mispricings before broad consensus forms.[1]
The firm shapes the tech ecosystem by funding early-stage ventures aligned with secular changes, amplifying innovation in high-growth areas and providing a bridge between macro insights and startup capital.[2][4]
Passport Capital is poised to expand its early-stage tech bets amid accelerating macro volatility, with trends like AI proliferation, geopolitical realignments, and sustainable tech driving its next phase.[4] Its quantitative edge and thematic foresight could elevate its influence in a fragmented VC landscape, potentially scaling fund sizes or deepening tech sector allocations.
As a lean, macro-savvy player founded on Burbank's vision, it remains uniquely equipped to deliver outsized returns in uncertain times—turning global shifts into startup ecosystem wins.[1][2]
Key people at Passport.
Passport was founded by Aaron Schwartz (Cofounder, President, Board Member).
Passport has raised $186.0M in total across 8 funding rounds.
Passport's investors include Able Partners, Alumni Ventures, Angel investor, BDC Venture Capital, BlueRun Ventures, Climate Capital, Color Capital, Craft Ventures, Divergent Capital, Double Down, DST Global, Great Oaks Venture Capital.
Passport has raised $186.0M across 8 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $39.0M Series B in January 2022.
