Builders backing builders
AI practitioners investing in AI, devtools, robotics, future of work
About Outset Capital
Outset Capital is a San Francisco venture firm run by AI practitioners and Y Combinator founders. We back founders at the earliest stages — pre-seed and seed — often before anyone else is willing to write a check.
We write small, non-lead checks of around $300K and partner alongside top-tier leads. Rather than competing to lead your round, we work to be the most helpful investor per dollar on your cap table. We invest in AI, developer tools, robotics, and the future of work.
What makes Outset distinct is that we have actually built. Our team has trained foundation models with 100B+ parameters, scaled engineering teams from 200 to 1200, and taken products from 0 to 1. There are only three of us, but we can speak from experience to the challenges technical founders face. Outset Capital is a US firm and is not affiliated with Outset Ventures, the New Zealand deep-tech fund.
This page describes Outset Capital’s venture investing activity for founders and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security.
At Outset Capital, we're both investors and builders. The result: hands-on support from those who know what you're going through
Led by AI practitioners and YC founders
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Backed by extraordinary founders
Adam D'Angelo
Drew Houston
Jonathan Frankle, PhD
Julia & Kevin Hartz
Reid Hoffman
Partnering with Outset
We’re excited to invest before anyone else.
We write small checks (rather than lead rounds), and work to be the most helpful investor per dollar on your team.
We’re active — not activist.
We’re here to support you, but we will never get in your way. We always cast our vote with the founders.
We’ve scaled unicorns and taken teams from 0 to 1.
We’ve built foundation models with 100B+ parameters, raised more than $200M in venture capital, and scaled teams from 200 to 1200. There are only three of us, yet we can speak from experience to many of the challenges you’ll face.
Companies we've backed
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The Founder's Choice
“Ali, Kanjun, and Josh have been amazing partners since we first started Reflex. They’ve helped us with everything—seed fundraising, connecting us to experts, and guiding us through recruiting and managing a team. Most importantly, they always make us feel supported through the ups and downs.”
Nikhil Rao
CEO, Reflex
“I’m a solo founder, so their support has been a game-changer. They are my first call.”
Michelle Lee, PhD
CEO, Medra
“Having Ali, Kanjun and Josh on your cap table is a superpower. They’re trustworthy, high integrity and super-smart operators. More than anything, they’re good people that take good care of their founders.”
Niya Dragova
CEO, Candor
“Single highest value add investors on our cap table so far.”
Banks Hunter
CEO, Charge Robotics
Community is Critical
Community is critical. Previously, we built the Archive, a co-living house of 22 founders, engineers, and researchers. Now, we host monthly events, including potlucks and small, private dinners for researchers, engineers, and those starting something new. If you're in the Bay Area, join us.