Mark Klein
CEO and President
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- Full Name
- Mark D. Klein
- Title
- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
- Firm
- SuRo Capital Corp. (NASDAQ: SSSS) — formerly GSV Capital
- Firm Type
- Publicly-traded venture investment fund (Business Development Company / BDC). *(Note: the source stub labeled him an "Angel Investor," but his primary vehicle is a publicly-listed fund, not personal angel capital.)*
- Investment Stage
- Primarily late-stage / pre-IPO high-growth, venture-backed private companies *(the stub's "Seed Round" label is not supported by SuRo's actual strategy)*
- Check Size
- Typically ~$1M–$50M+ position sizes per portfolio company (e.g., a $5.0M investment in Plaid, $1.0M follow-on in WHOOP, and $54.5M aggregate across CoreWeave/OpenAI/VAST)
- Target Company Profile
- High-growth, venture-backed private companies with momentum toward a liquidity event/IPO
- Sector Focus
- AI infrastructure & applications, cloud computing, fintech, education technology, marketplaces, emerging consumer brands, and enterprise/consumer software
- Geographic Focus
- Primarily United States (with select global high-growth companies)
- Location
- San Francisco / Bay Area, California
Background
Mark D. Klein has spent more than two decades running public companies and investment firms. He has served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of SuRo Capital since August 2017, and has been a member of the company's Board of Directors since 2011. Under his leadership the firm rebranded from GSV Capital to SuRo Capital ("Sutter Rock") in 2019. SuRo Capital is a publicly-traded fund (NASDAQ: SSSS) that gives individual investors access to a portfolio of high-growth, venture-backed private companies — Klein has described the firm as "really the most direct way for individuals…to access the private markets."
Since 2012, Klein has been Managing Member and Majority Partner of M. Klein & Company, LLC, an investment banking and advisory firm. Beyond SuRo, he has been deeply active in the SPAC ecosystem, serving as a board member of Churchill Capital Corp VII (NYSE-listed) since February 2021, and previously on the boards of Churchill Capital Corp II through VI between roughly 2019 and 2023. He has also served as a director of SuRo portfolio company Learneo (formerly Course Hero) since 2020. Earlier in his career he held Chairman and CEO roles at several public and private companies and sat on a variety of corporate boards.
Klein earned a bachelor's degree (with high distinction) in Business Administration from Emory University and an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Democratizing private markets: Klein positions SuRo as a publicly-traded vehicle that lets retail/individual investors access late-stage private companies they otherwise couldn't reach — "the most direct way for individuals…to access the private markets."
- Late-stage, pre-IPO growth: SuRo targets high-growth, venture-backed private companies with a clear path toward an IPO or other liquidity event, rather than early seed-stage bets.
- Concentration in megatrends: Heavy recent emphasis on AI infrastructure and applications (CoreWeave, OpenAI, VAST Data), alongside fintech (Plaid), consumer (WHOOP, Liquid Death), and edtech (Learneo, Canva).
- Conviction sizing: Willing to make large, concentrated bets — CoreWeave became SuRo's single largest initial investment in the fund's history.
- Exit discipline: Focused on realizing outsized returns through IPOs and exits (e.g., a full exit of Oklo at a reported 20x+ return).
Notable Investments
- CoreWeave — AI cloud computing provider; SuRo's largest aggregate investment and largest single initial investment in fund history; filed for an IPO (2025).
- OpenAI — Leading AI research/applications company; part of a $54.5M AI-infrastructure investment cluster.
- VAST Data (Vast) — AI data infrastructure company; part of the same AI investment cluster; cited as a future IPO prospect.
- ServiceTitan — Vertical SaaS for the trades; one of SuRo's largest holdings; completed its IPO in December 2024.
- Oklo — Advanced nuclear energy company; SuRo achieved a full exit at a reported 20x+ return on invested capital.
- Plaid — Fintech data-connectivity platform; new $5.0M investment (2025).
- WHOOP — Wearable fitness/health technology; $1.0M follow-on investment (2025); cited IPO prospect.
- Learneo (formerly Course Hero) — EdTech platform; Klein serves on the board (since 2020).
- Canva — Design software unicorn; named among SuRo's anticipated future IPO holdings.
- Liquid Death — Beverage/consumer brand; named among SuRo's anticipated future IPO holdings.
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