Sam Hinkie

Founder & Managing Director, 87 Capital; Lecturer in Management, Stanford GSB at 87 Capital

Reviewed Updated May 1, 2026

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Location Palo Alto, CA
Check Size Seed and Series A (87 Capital Fund I: $50M, 2020)
Last Verified Investment Pursuit (Series A) — Apr 29, 2026
Social @samhinkie LinkedIn
Stage Focus
seed series-a
Sector Focus
consumer ai sports-tech hardware developer-tools govtech machine-learning

Background

Sam Hinkie is the founder and managing director of 87 Capital (also styled “Eighty-Seven Capital”), a Palo Alto–based seed and Series A venture capital firm he launched with a $50 million debut fund in 2020 123. He also serves as a Lecturer in Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business in the Accounting area, where he teaches GSBGEN 339 (“Negotiation Dynamics in Sports, Entertainment and Media”) and GSBGEN 360 (“Sports Business Management”) and is a Faculty Affiliate with the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies 4.

Hinkie attended the University of Oklahoma as an undergraduate, where he served as president of the student business association, and later earned an MBA from Stanford GSB; while at Stanford he advised the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans on draft strategy 5. He began his career as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company and later worked at Bain Capital in Australia before joining the Houston Rockets front office in 2005 45.

At the Rockets (2005–2013), Hinkie was a leading internal advocate for advanced statistics in basketball — part of a generation of executives credited with bringing analytics into NBA front offices — and rose from special assistant to general manager Carroll Dawson to vice president (in 2007, then the youngest VP in the league) and ultimately executive vice president; player acquisitions during his tenure included Kyle Lowry and Patrick Beverley 5.

In May 2013 he was hired as president of basketball operations and general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, where he pursued a multi-year, asset-accumulation rebuild that became colloquially known as “The Process” 56. Notable draft selections under his tenure included Joel Embiid (2014), Jahlil Okafor (2015), and Ben Simmons (2016) 5. Hinkie resigned on April 6, 2016, following changes to the team’s basketball operations leadership; on his way out he sent a 13-page letter to the team’s equity partners that became one of the most widely circulated pieces of NBA front-office writing of the decade — quoting figures from Jeff Bezos to Bill James to surgeon Atul Gawande and laying out his decision-making philosophy in detail 6789.

After leaving the 76ers, Hinkie advised tech startups as an angel investor — most visibly in machine-learning–driven companies — before founding 87 Capital and closing its $50 million debut fund in 2020 12. The firm describes itself in its own words as “a den for data-driven dreamers. For founders that recruit like their hair is on fire. And for learning machines” 2. Hinkie also serves on the advisory board of KIPP Charter Schools and the National Advisory Board of Positive Coaching Alliance 4.

Stated Thesis

(Self-reported: These represent what Hinkie and 87 Capital say publicly. See Inferred Thesis below for analysis of actual investment behavior.)

87 Capital’s website states the firm “backs smart people building wonderful internet businesses” and is oriented around evidence-based, data-driven founders, ambitious original thinking, relentless recruiting, and continuous learning 2. The firm’s self-description: “87 Capital is a den for data-driven dreamers. For founders that recruit like their hair is on fire. And for learning machines” 2.

In his April 2016 resignation letter, which Hinkie has effectively used as his investing manifesto in subsequent appearances, he characterized the philosophy that now animates his venture practice this way: “In this league, the long view picks at the lock of mediocrity” 79. He also wrote: “You should take the approach that you’re wrong. Your goal is to be less wrong” — citing Elon Musk — and “Nonetheless, it is annoyingly necessary to get comfortable with many grades of maybe” 79.

In a December 2020 announcement of 87 Capital on Twitter, Hinkie noted the firm “is supported by a small set of institutions, foundations, and great friends. Fewer, deeper relationships” 10.

Inferred Thesis

Sample size caveat: Only a small number of 87 Capital fund investments and personal angel investments could be independently verified from public sources. CB Insights/Tracxn list 87 Capital with three disclosed fund investments and one exit (Scout, acquired by StockX in November 2021) 111. This sample is too small to support reliable percentage breakdowns. The qualitative analysis below is based on 5 verified investments (87 Capital fund + personal angel checks).

Stage: Seed and Series A. 87 Capital is described by aggregators as a “seed and Series A stage VC firm” 111; verified rounds Hinkie/87 Capital participated in include both seed (HomeCourt 2018, Pursuit early rounds) and Series A (Opal Camera 2023, Pursuit 2026) 121314.

Geography: US-centric, with a Palo Alto base 111.

Sector observations (qualitative, not percentaged given sample size):

  • Consumer hardware / prosumer tools. Opal Camera (premium webcams) is the firm’s most public Series A check; its co-investors — Founders Fund, Kindred Ventures, Slack Fund, plus creators MKBHD and Casey Neistat — fit a creator/consumer-tech pattern 12.
  • Sports and basketball-tech. HomeCourt (NEX Team), an AI-powered basketball training app, was an early angel check; Hinkie’s NBA background is a clear sourcing edge in this category 13.
  • AI / data-driven software. Hinkie has stated publicly that he focused his angel investing on machine-learning–oriented startups before launching 87 Capital 15. Pursuit, the most recent verified investment, is a data-platform applied to the public-sector procurement market — fitting the “wonderful internet businesses” framing 14.
  • B2B and developer-adjacent tools. Aggregator sources list Meter (network-as-a-service) among Hinkie’s investments, though specific round and date are not independently confirmed in our sources and so it is not included in the Portfolio table below 15.

Founder/operator profile patterns:

  • Recruiting-obsessed founders. 87 Capital’s own materials elevate “founders that recruit like their hair is on fire” — and Hinkie has spoken in interviews about studying the “breadcrumbs” people leave behind to evaluate them, an approach borrowed from his NBA draft work 216.
  • Data-driven, contrarian thinkers. The selection language (“data-driven dreamers,” “learning machines”) and Hinkie’s own writing emphasize quantitative discipline paired with willingness to be misunderstood — a posture inherited explicitly from his Rockets analytics and 76ers Process tenure 79.

Co-investor patterns: Verified co-investors on rounds 87 Capital participated in include Founders Fund, Kindred Ventures, Slack Fund, Seven Seven Six, Cherubic Ventures, Acrew Capital, Bill Gurley, Jack Altman (Alt Capital), and Builders VC 1214. The pattern is high-quality, brand-name funds and operator-investors — consistent with Hinkie’s “fewer, deeper relationships” framing 10.

Notable gaps in public data. 87 Capital does not publish a portfolio page; the firm’s website lists no team beyond Hinkie and no companies 2. This is unusual for a 2020-vintage fund and constrains independent thesis inference. Tracxn notes that as of its profile date 87 Capital had only one publicly disclosed fund investment from the post-2021 period (Opal Camera Series A, October 2023) 11.

Portfolio

Company Year Stage Source
HomeCourt (NEX Team Inc.) 2018 Seed (angel) 13
Scout (acq. by StockX, Nov 2021) ~2020–2021 Seed 111
Opal Camera 2023-10-25 Series A 12
Pursuit 2026-04-29 Series A 14
Pursuit (earlier round) ~2024–2025 Seed 14

Limitations: This table is intentionally narrow. Aggregator sites (Crunchbase, PitchBook, Tracxn) list additional names attributed to Hinkie’s personal angel portfolio (e.g., Mulberry, Meter, Cubby Law) but the press releases or primary announcements confirming his participation could not be independently verified within this research pass and are therefore omitted 15. Additions should be made only with primary-source citations.

In Their Own Words

From Hinkie’s April 6, 2016 resignation letter to the equity partners of Philadelphia 76ers, L.P. — written as a Buffett-style investor letter and now widely treated as the public statement of his decision-making philosophy 789:

“Given all the changes to our organization, I no longer have the confidence that I can make good decisions on behalf of investors in the Sixers — you. So I should step down. And I have.” 89

“In this league, the long view picks at the lock of mediocrity.” 79

“A competitive league like the NBA necessitates a zig while our competitors comfortably zag.” 8

“You should take the approach that you’re wrong. Your goal is to be less wrong.” 9 (Hinkie attributes this framing to Elon Musk in the letter.)

“Nonetheless, it is annoyingly necessary to get comfortable with many grades of maybe.” 79

“To develop truly contrarian views will require a never-ending thirst for better, more diverse inputs.” 17

“We talk a great deal about being curious, not critical.” 9

“I will be repotted professionally. That is often uncomfortable; most growth is.” 9

From Hinkie’s December 2020 Twitter announcement of 87 Capital:

“@87capital is supported by a small set of institutions, foundations, and great friends. Fewer, deeper relationships.” 10

From a press release announcing his angel investment in HomeCourt (NEX Team Inc.), July 17, 2018:

“HomeCourt uses the best of AI and computer vision in a dead simple mobile app… The data it provides is game changing and there is more to come.” — Sam Hinkie 13

What Founders Say

No independently sourced founder testimonials about working with Sam Hinkie or 87 Capital were located in this research pass. 87 Capital’s website does not publish founder testimonials, and press releases announcing its investments (Opal Camera, Pursuit) do not include direct quotes from portfolio founders about Hinkie’s contribution as an investor 21214.

Connections

  • Lecturer in Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business (Accounting area; Faculty Affiliate, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies) — teaches GSBGEN 339 and GSBGEN 360 4.
  • Advisory Board, KIPP Charter Schools 4.
  • National Advisory Board, Positive Coaching Alliance 4.
  • Former President of Basketball Operations & GM, Philadelphia 76ers (2013–2016) — reported to ownership group led by Joshua Harris and David Blitzer 56.
  • Former Executive VP, Houston Rockets (2005–2013) — worked under owner Leslie Alexander and GM Daryl Morey, who became a frequent collaborator on basketball analytics 5.
  • Former strategy consultant, Bain & Company; later Bain Capital (Australia) 45.
  • Verified co-investors (87 Capital fund deals): Founders Fund, Kindred Ventures, Slack Fund, Seven Seven Six, Cherubic Ventures, Acrew Capital, Builders VC, Bill Gurley, Jack Altman (Alt Capital) 1214.

Sources

  1. CB Insights, “Eighty-Seven Capital — Portfolio Investments, Funds, Exits.” Accessed May 2026. https://www.cbinsights.com/investor/eighty-seven-capital↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. 87 Capital, firm website. Accessed May 2026. https://www.87capital.com/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  3. Axios, Dan Primack, “Ex-76ers president Sam Hinkie raises $50 million VC fund,” April 29, 2020. https://www.axios.com/2020/04/29/sam-hinkie-venture-capital↩

  4. Stanford Graduate School of Business, “Samuel Blake Hinkie — Faculty Profile.” Accessed May 2026. https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/samuel-blake-hinkie↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  5. Wikipedia, “Sam Hinkie.” Accessed May 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Hinkie↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  6. ESPN, “Sam Hinkie steps down as 76ers GM, head of basketball operations,” April 6, 2016. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/15150185/sam-hinkie-steps-philadelphia-76ers-general-manager-president-basketball-operations↩↩↩

  7. A Letter A Day (Kevin Gee), “Letter #104: Sam Hinkie (2016),” excerpting the April 2016 resignation letter. Accessed May 2026. https://aletteraday.substack.com/p/letter-104-sam-hinkie↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  8. Washington Post, “Sam Hinkie’s resignation letter to 76ers does what he never would: publicly defend ‘The Process,’” April 7, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2016/04/07/sam-hinkies-resignation-letter-does-what-he-never-would-publicly-defend-the-process/↩↩↩↩

  9. Deadspin, “Here Is Sam Hinkie’s Full 13-Page Letter Of Resignation To The Sixers,” April 2016. Accessed May 2026. https://deadspin.com/here-is-sam-hinkies-full-13-page-letter-of-resignation-1769545687/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  10. Sam Hinkie (@samhinkie) on Twitter/X, December 15, 2020. https://x.com/samhinkie/status/1338929614370967553↩↩↩

  11. Tracxn, “87 Capital — Investor Profile, Team & Investment Trends.” Accessed May 2026. https://tracxn.com/d/venture-capital/87capital/__XYhPS4ItPriDsjWJ5wTE6j-fq8xS_z4iaE2fvoh-W4Q↩↩↩↩↩

  12. PR Newswire, “Opal Camera Closes $17M Series A Led by Founders Fund, Kindred Ventures, MKBHD, and Casey Neistat,” October 25, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/opal-camera-closes-17m-series-a-led-by-founders-fund-kindred-ventures-mkbhd-and-casey-neistat-301966530.html↩↩↩↩↩↩

  13. HomeCourt newsroom, “NEX Team Inc. Debuts with $4 Million in Funding and Launches HomeCourt, the First AI-Powered Basketball Training App,” July 17, 2018. https://www.homecourt.ai/press-releases/2018/7/13/nex-team-inc-debuts-with-4-million-in-funding-and-launches-homecourt-the-first-ai-powered-basketball-training-app↩↩↩↩

  14. TechCrunch, “Bill Gurley, Jack Altman back startup Pursuit, which helps companies sell to government,” April 29, 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/29/bill-gurley-jack-altman-back-startup-pursuit-which-helps-companies-sell-to-government/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  15. PitchBook, “Sam Hinkie investment portfolio.” Accessed May 2026. https://pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/230684-77↩↩↩

  16. Invest Like the Best with Patrick O’Shaughnessy, “Sam Hinkie — Find Your People,” Episode 204, originally aired December 15, 2020 (replayed September 2025). https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sam-hinkie-find-your-people/id1154105909?i=1000502455395↩

  17. Coleman McCormick, “Sam Hinkie’s Resignation Letter,” excerpting the April 2016 letter. Accessed May 2026. https://www.colemanm.org/post/sam-hinkies-resignation-letter/↩