A Permanent Home for the Best Container and Kubernetes Companies
We have deep roots in the software container ecosystem and believe in its long-term growth. Backed by established permanent equity partners, we invest exclusively in this ecosystem.
Our Conviction
Containers and Kubernetes are, quite simply, the essential infrastructure of modern software. For those who spend every day building enterprise software and large-scale AI projects, this is a given.
As both technologists and investors, we believe the ecosystem around this infrastructure is one of the most exciting in tech and deserves long-term focus and commitment. We want to be the permanent home for the best companies in this ecosystem, creating a center of gravity for expertise and innovation that will serve as a powerful industry catalyst for years to come.
The Magpie Way
Magpie isn’t traditional VC or PE. We intend to hold our assets forever, and that decision has consequences. We acquire a controlling interest in great companies, continue investing in growth, and offer a second exit – a guaranteed buyback of your equity based on future company performance (with no cap on upside). You keep building. We keep backing you.
We support you with deep technology and GTM expertise, access to growth capital, and help with Finance, HR, and other functions. We're also a community of founders and operators that can learn from each other, work together, and collectively lead the ecosystem.
Aligned goals, shared rewards, industry leadership, and legacy companies.
Our team
We work closely with the amazing teams at Emergence Software and The Pritzker Organization.
John Patrick Kelly
CEO
John is an experienced software CEO, CTO, investor, and board member. He was most recently CTO and Chief Strategy Officer at software testing pioneer Sauce Labs, where he built and led the strategy that tripled valuation in three years, leading to acquisition by TPG. As a former professor of philosophy, he combines practical experience with formal training in first principles and abstraction.
Kit Merker
Advisor
Kit is a veteran of the Kubernetes ecosystem and cloud-native space, with over 25 years in software. He was Kubernetes’ first product manager at Google, helped launch the CNCF, and has invested in leading DevOps startups like Chainguard, Sonar, and LoftLabs. A former software engineer at Microsoft and executive at JFrog and Nobl9, he now serves as CEO of Plainsight, building infrastructure for AI-powered vision.
Shaun Keenan
Advisor
Shaun has 20+ years of experience designing and scaling distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and Generative AI solutions. As a Principal Architect at Zencore, he leads cloud migrations, GenAI adoption, and technical strategy for Google GCP customers. Shaun also advises VC investors on DevOps and platform infrastructure.
Our Investors
Magpie Software Group is a division of Emergence Software, which is backed by The Pritzker Organization, owners of the Hyatt and other great businesses.
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