Josh Kopelman
Co-founder and Partner
First Round
Josh Kopelman is co-founder and partner of First Round, the venture capital firm, and a three-time founder who took his first company public. He focuses on the first 24 months of a company's life, and First Round co-led the seed round of Healthleap, which screens hospital patients for conditions that often go undiagnosed.
Founding Infonautics in College
Kopelman earned a bachelor's degree cum laude in entrepreneurial management and marketing from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1992, while still in college, he co-founded Infonautics Corporation and took it public on NASDAQ in 1996, according to his First Round profile.
Half.com and TurnTide
In 1999 he co-founded Half.com, which became one of the largest sellers of used books, movies, and music in the world. eBay acquired it in 2000, and he stayed at eBay for three years.
In late 2003 he helped found TurnTide, which built the first anti-spam router, and Symantec acquired it six months later. He is an inventor on 13 U.S. patents.
Starting First Round
Kopelman co-founded First Round in 2004, and the firm has since invested in more than 500 startups. "When I started First Round, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my career focused exclusively on this period," he says of the first 24 months, when founders invent their product, find customers, and hire their key team.
On his profile he says he tries to give founders "my unvarnished opinion and my unwavering support," and that "great companies are built by great founders, not great investors." His healthcare investments include Flatiron Health, which was acquired, Clover Health, which went public, and Pomelo. He has appeared on the Forbes Midas List of top technology investors, and he notes a second-place ribbon in the 2011 Nantucket Watermelon Eating competition.
Co-leading Healthleap's Seed
First Round and Sequoia Capital co-led Healthleap's $8 million seed round, which the company announced in October 2026 with its Series A. "We were immediately drawn to Healthleap's bold vision," Kopelman said in Healthleap's announcement, describing hospitals using "real-time AI to spot overlooked clinical risk."
Healthleap grew from three hospital partners to more than 50 in a year, chief executive Josiah Meyer told TechCrunch, with customers including Penn Medicine, Cedars-Sinai, and Houston Methodist.