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Outset Capital

San Francisco, California · Invests in US; Europe · Website

Pre-SeedSeedSeries AB2B SaaSAI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEducationRoboticsDeveloper Tools & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareRobotics & Automation

Thesis

Pre-seed and seed-stage investments in AI, developer tools, robotics, and the future of work, led by operator-investors with deep technical and operational expertise. We write small checks early and provide hands-on mentorship grounded in our operating experience. We believe the best opportunities exist before anyone else is looking.

Likely not a fit for

Not interested in pure consumer applications without defensible technology, content/social media plays, purely financial optimization solutions, or investments where founders don't want hands-on mentorship and network access.

How they invest

Lead or follow
Usually follows
Typical decision
~2 weeks
Warm intro
Not required
Involvement
Advisor
Fund status
Actively deploying
Decision process
Partnership vote

Partners & team

3 contacts on file

AR

Ali Rohde

General PartnerManaging Partner · Primary contact

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a•••@ou•••.com

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JA

Josh Albrecht

General PartnerGeneral Partner

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j•••@ou•••.com

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KQ

Kanjun Qiu

General PartnerGeneral Partner

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Portfolio

Anonymous HealthHealthcare Digital

Anonymous Health offers an AI suite designed to improve behavioral health outcomes through innovative technologies like AI-driven intake processes and personalized treatment plans.

TakoEnterprise Software

Tako is an AI data analyst embedded in applications to convert natural-language questions into visual analytics and reports.

BrowserbaseDeveloper Tools Infra

Browserbase is the all-in-one platform developers need to host, manage, and monitor headless browsers in the cloud.

ArdentEnterprise Software

Ardent is a programmable intelligence platform that allows users to teach AI models how to call APIs and access data securely. It enables the creation of custom skills for AI models, blending generative AI with real-time data.

DatologyAIEnterprise Software

DatologyAI uses cutting-edge research to curate and optimize the best possible data for training high-performing models at lower costs. The platform automates data curation at petabyte scale, improving model performance and reducing deployment costs.

OrbillionFood Beverage

Orbillion is pioneering a new way of raising and producing meat through innovative technologies that aim to reduce the environmental impact of meat production while ensuring high quality. The company focuses on cultivating meat without the need for traditional animal farming.

SimpleHashFintech Payments

SimpleHash provides a comprehensive Token API for accessing market prices, metadata, and media for Tokens and NFTs across 80+ blockchain networks. The service is designed for developers and companies looking to integrate real-time token data into their applications.

Tinycare
HarperInsurance

Harper Insure offers smarter, faster, and cheaper business insurance solutions using data and technology to match clients with the right coverage.

Detail
Smithery
StarslingDeveloper Tools Infra

StarSling is building AI agents for DevOps that automate your tasks across deployments, performance, incidents, and bugs.

Recent activity

Outset Capital in the news

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Research briefRead more
Outset Capital Research Investment Thesis Outset Capital is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture fund led by AI practitioners and YC founders who are simultaneously builders. The firm's core philosophy is "builders backing builders" — they invest in AI, developer tools, robotics, and the future of work, with a hands-on approach grounded in their own operating experience. The three managing partners (

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