John Maeda – Startup Investor Profile

John Maeda is an Angel Investor focusing on design in technology and computational design. As a former Design Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, his investment check size aligns with early-stage ventures. He demonstrates an affinity for collaborations and partnerships, emphasizing distributed work culture and the importance of psychological safety. His professional background encompasses design leadership in Silicon Valley, academia, startups, venture firms, and corporate settings. While serving as the President of the Rhode Island School of Design, he repositioned the institution to excel in the new economy. Maeda’s track record highlights his transition from academia to tech to assist legacy companies in adopting digital advancements. His previous investments include projects aimed at challenging industry giants like Adobe in the design market.

Location: San Francisco, CA

Country: Japan

Investment Regions:

Investment Stages: pre-seed, seed

Website:

AI Reasoning: Search results show recent activity by John Maeda in 2025, including announcements and public posts related to investment activity (e.g., mentions of an untapped capital fund and involvement with startups such as Autodesigners/Design in Tech Report and public posts in 2025). The most recent known investment-related activity is within the last 6 months, so classify as very-active.

Low Activity – Only known angel investments more than 12 months ago.

Active – Known angel investments between the last 12 and 6 months.

Very Active – Known angel investments in the last 6 months.