by Conrad Shang
We are extremely targeted with the companies we approach.
We spend all of our time playing offense––making sure we’re objective and aggressive in connecting with every outlier team we’ve identified.
Our investment process starts with proprietary insights on team quality, so when we meet with companies, it’s because we already see something special. We’re not perfect, but our goal is to follow a general set of investment process principles below.
- Curiosity Over Skepticism: Our first meetings are about exploring potential, not imposing biases. We aim to discover unique opportunities, not limit them to familiar schools, networks, or backgrounds. Founders shouldn’t need to conform to a mold to get funded, and we’re committed to fostering innovation by expanding the conversation.
- Two-Way Value in Every Meeting: A great meeting is a collaborative exchange. Whether it’s sharing insights, challenging ideas, or providing actionable feedback, our goal is to add value—even if we’re not the right partner. Founders’ time is precious, and we respect that.
- Respect the Builder’s Journey: Founders drive the business; our role is to support that effort. We prioritize speed and clarity in our decision-making and encourage founders to hold us accountable to timelines that match their pace.
- Be Prepared, Be Engaged: We come to meetings ready and excited to engage with your vision. Anything less reflects poorly on how a VC might act post-investment, and we believe founders deserve engaged, committed partners at every stage.
These principles reflect our belief that venture capital should serve and amplify the work of founders, and we strive to embody that in every interaction.
Welcome to the team, Hannah Vu!
We’re excited to welcome Hannah Vu to Ensemble VC as a Data Engineer, where she’ll help scale the back-end infrastructure that powers Unity, Ensemble's proprietary data platform.
Rare Earth Elements: The Next Big Thing Is Buried
In a world obsessed with software, the next decacorn might come from a mine. With China controlling 90% of rare earth processing, a new industrial frontier is opening for founders to rebuild the backbone of modern technology—starting with the ground beneath our feet.
Welcome to the team, Aidan Gold!
Ensemble is thrilled to add Aidan Gold to the team. Aidan leads the investment pipeline at the earliest stages of company development.
CHAOS Industries reaches $2B valuation in Series C led by Accel, NEA
CHAOS Industries, a next-generation DefenseTech startup backed by Ensemble at Series B, has raised $275M in a Series C led by Accel and NEA at a $2B valuation, cementing its status as one of Fund II’s breakout successes and validating Ensemble’s data-driven approach to early access in frontier sectors.
Khosla Ventures doubles down on Loti AI, leads $16.2M Series A round
We’re thrilled to share that Loti has announced its $16.2M Series A, led by Khosla Ventures with participation from Ensemble VC, Bling Capital, and FUSE.
Why Ensemble is backing Manifest on its mission to bring transparency to software supply chains in the AI era
Ensemble VC leads the Series A for Manifest, a cybersecurity startup founded by Palantir veterans to build the leading software transparency platform. Manifest creates SBOMs to expose hidden vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, helping major organizations like the U.S. Air Force and Fortune 500 companies secure their software supply chains. Learn how Manifest is shaping the future of AI-driven software security.
