Venture capital, fintech startups, and innovation leadership by Maya Bakhai

Maya Bakhai is an American venture capitalist who founded Spice Capital in 2021, a seed-stage investment fund active across consumer, crypto, and community markets. The fund has backed between 25 and 40 startups, including blockchain-related projects such as Flowcarbon, Immortal Game, and Dirt. Investment check sizes typically range from $100,000 to $5 million, with an average deal size near $1.5 million. Spice Capital has drawn support from more than 130 limited partners, among them Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, and Alexis Ohanian.

Before launching Spice Capital, Bakhai was principal investor at 35 Ventures, Kevin Durant’s firm, where she participated in early investments in OpenSea, Mercury, and Hugging Face. Her fund’s portfolio spans multiple continents, with a strong focus on early Web3 adoption and community-driven marketplaces. In recognition of her impact, Bakhai was listed on Forbes 30 Under 30. As of 2025, Spice Capital’s combined portfolio companies are valued in the billions, and several are preparing for growth rounds exceeding $50 million each.

  • Mikhail Vnuchkov
  • Yesterday
Invests in GAP calls for collaboration launch, Maya Bakhai notes
Maya Bakhai is purchasing GAP call options as a social experiment before the launch of the Gap and Hailey Bieber collaboration. The move comes as Bakhai highlights the launch event scheduled for ...
  • Ivan Andriyenko
  • 05.09.2025
Maya Bakhai: Garage Beer secures $200 million valuation with WSJ spotlight
Garage Beer, an emerging name in the beverage industry, has raised capital pegged at a valuation of $200 million. The company’s latest achievement has caught the attention of major media ...