Kevin Novak
Founder & Managing Partner of Rackhouse Venture Capital (fund:rackhouse-venture-capital), founded in 2021 after serving as Uber's first Head of Data Science and inventor of Uber's dynamic-pricing product.
Kevin Novak trained as a nuclear physicist (with additional math and computer science background) before moving into startups in 2011 as Uber's 21st employee. At Uber he served as the company's first Head of Data Science and first Head of Data Science Platform, and was an early member of the Uber Freight team; he invented Uber's dynamic-pricing product and holds several patents related to GPS-point processing, marketplace optimization, and using data science to improve the mobile experience. After Uber he served as Chief Data Officer at Tala Financial, an alternative-underwriting lender aimed at extending credit access to people without traditional financial identities. He co-founded the Greylock Data Science Community and has advised universities on data science curricula. In 2021 he founded Rackhouse Venture Capital, a San Francisco-based early-stage venture firm backing founders applying AI/ML to real-world problems; the firm closed a 2.3M debut fund in 2021 and a 5M Fund II in June 2024.
Overview
- Role
- Founder & Managing Partner, Rackhouse Venture Capital
- Based in
- San Francisco, CA
- Prior experience
- Uber (Head of Data Science), Tala Financial (Chief Data Officer), Greylock Data Science Community (co-founder)
- www.linkedin.com/in/novakkm/
- Website
- www.rackhouse.vc
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Frequently asked
- Who is Kevin Novak?
- Kevin Novak trained as a nuclear physicist (with additional math and computer science background) before moving into startups in 2011 as Uber's 21st employee. At Uber he served as the company's first Head of Data Science and first Head of Data Science Platform, and was an early member of the Uber Freight team; he invented Uber's dynamic-pricing product and holds several patents related to GPS-point processing, marketplace optimization, and using data science to improve the mobile experience. After Uber he served as Chief Data Officer at Tala Financial, an alternative-underwriting lender aimed at extending credit access to people without traditional financial identities. He co-founded the Greylock Data Science Community and has advised universities on data science curricula. In 2021 he founded Rackhouse Venture Capital, a San Francisco-based early-stage venture firm backing founders applying AI/ML to real-world problems; the firm closed a 2.3M debut fund in 2021 and a 5M Fund II in June 2024.
- What is Kevin Novak's role?
- Kevin Novak is Founder & Managing Partner, Rackhouse Venture Capital, based in San Francisco, CA.
- Where did Kevin Novak work before?
- Kevin Novak's prior roles include Uber (Head of Data Science), Tala Financial (Chief Data Officer), Greylock Data Science Community (co-founder).
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Sources & citations4
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- 1
Kevin Novak is founder of Rackhouse Venture Capital; served as Uber's first Head of Data Science and first Head of Data Science Platform, invented Uber's dynamic pricing product, and was an early member of Uber Freight; later Chief Data Officer at Tala Financial.
Rackhouse Venture Capital: AboutVerified2026-08-11 - 2
Former Uber data boss Kevin Novak raises first venture fund for Rackhouse Venture Capital, focused on AI/ML startups.
Rackhouse Venture Capital: Former Uber Data Boss Raises First Venture FundVerified2021-01-01 - 3
Interview with Kevin Novak, Managing Partner and Founder of Rackhouse Venture Capital, on his background and the firm's AI investment thesis.
Pulse2: Rackhouse Ventures: Interview With Managing Partner & Founder Kevin NovakReported2026-08-11 - 4
Kevin Novak, Managing Partner and Founder of Rackhouse Venture Capital, profiled via Forbes Business Council.
Forbes Business Council: Kevin Novak | Managing Partner and Founder - Rackhouse Venture CapitalReported2026-08-11