Hi, my name is John Zeratsky 👋

I’m an investor, designer, and author on a mission to help people make time for work that matters.

Since you’re looking at my website, you might want to:

• Learn about my VC fund Character Capital

• Read about the Design Sprint or buy the Sprint book

• Read about the Foundation Sprint or buy the Click book

• Explore ways to reclaim your time and energy

Over the past 20 years, I have helped 300+ software teams design new products and bring them to market.

I was as an early employee at FeedBurner in Chicago, which was acquired by Google in 2007. At Google, I led design for AdWords Editor and DoubleClick Search. In 2010, I moved to San Francisco to work at YouTube. I was part of an internal startup team that created the YouTube Channels platform, which launched in early 2012.

From 2011–2017, I was a partner at venture-capital firm GV (Google Ventures), where I helped create the Design Sprint with Jake Knapp and ran sprints with 150+ portfolio companies, including Slack, One Medical Group, Flatiron Health, Blue Bottle Coffee, Gusto, and Digit.

Along the way, I began writing about work, time, focus, and collaboration — first about the Design Sprint, and then about how to find focus and energy in everyday life. I’ve written two bestselling books (Sprint and Make Time) with my friend Jake Knapp and published articles in The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Harvard Business Review, Wired, Fast Company, and other outlets. I have presented at conferences including Google I/O, The Code Conference, and INDUSTRY. I have given guest lectures at Harvard University, London School of Economics, and University of Michigan, among others.

In 2020, I returned to venture capital, first as an angel investor and advisor, and then as the co-founder and general partner of Character Capital, a new seed VC firm. We invest in deeply technical founders (from Google, DeepMind, Siri, Apple, Flatiron Health, and other companies) leveraging new software capabilities (like AI!) to transform legacy industries. We invest early and run sprints to accelerate their progress toward product-market fit.

In 2022, Jake Knapp and I created the Foundation Sprint, our new sprint method for founders and anyone starting big new projects. It’s based on our work with 300+ teams in the past 20 years. And it’s the method we use most with portfolio companies at our venture fund, Character Capital.

In April 2025, our third book, Click, was published by Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Originally from small-town Wisconsin, I have also lived in Chicago and San Francisco. From 2017–2019, my wife and I lived aboard our sailboat Pineapple and traveled throughout coastal Central America, sailing a big “U” from California to Florida. We now live in Milwaukee.

I studied journalism at the University of Wisconsin and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the UW School of Human Ecology, where I’m now an advisor to the Dean and faculty.

I believe the purpose of life is to find contentment in the work of serving others. I’m grateful for the privilege to make this my life’s work.

Professional Bio

Short Version

John Zeratsky is co-founder and general partner at venture-capital firm Character Capital=, bestselling author of Sprint, Click, and Make Time, and former design partner at GV. Previously, John was a design leader for YouTube, Google Ads, and FeedBurner, which was acquired by Google in 2007.

Long Version

John Zeratsky is a Co-Founder and General Partner at venture-capital firm Character Capital, where he supports technology startups with capital and sprints. He’s the bestselling author of Sprint, Click, and Make Time, and has reached millions with articles in The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Harvard Business Review, Wired, Fast Company, and other outlets.

John is a former Design Partner at GV (Google Ventures), where he developed the Design Sprint and supported many of GV’s most successful investments, including Slack, One Medical Group, Flatiron Health, Blue Bottle Coffee, and Gusto. Previously, John was a design leader for YouTube, Google Ads, and FeedBurner, which was acquired by Google in 2007.

John studied journalism at the University of Wisconsin and graduated from the UW School of Human Ecology, where he’s now an advisor to the Dean and faculty. Originally from small-town Wisconsin, John has lived in Chicago and San Francisco with his wife Michelle. They spent 18 months traveling in Central America aboard their sailboat Pineapple before moving to Milwaukee in 2019.

Headshots & Images