25 AI & Machine Learning Investors Backing Seed-Stage Startups

CEO of Vercel and one of the most active angel investors in the developer tools and AI infrastructure space. Guillermo backs founders building at the intersection of great developer experience and AI — his portfolio spans 100+ companies and reflects a strong conviction that the best AI products will be built on world-class tooling.

Former Apple AI director and co-founder of Pioneer, a global talent accelerator. Daniel has been backing AI-native companies since before the current wave — he was an early believer in generative models and autonomous systems. He looks for unusually technical founders tackling problems that weren't possible to solve even two years ago.

Chief Scientist at Google DeepMind and one of the architects of modern deep learning infrastructure. Jeff angel invests selectively in companies applying frontier ML to hard scientific problems — particularly at the intersection of AI and biology. His endorsement carries significant signal in the research-to-product community.

Co-founder of Cruise (acquired by GM) and founder of The Bot Company. Kyle invests in robotics and physical AI — companies teaching machines to operate in the real world. He is drawn to technical founders who have worked on hard embodied AI problems and brings deep credibility when backing autonomous systems startups.

Co-founder of Dropbox, one of the defining consumer-to-enterprise product journeys of the last two decades. Arash angel invests broadly across AI and software, with a preference for products that feel magical to use. He has backed 80+ companies and brings a product sensibility that's rare in purely technical investor networks.

Chief Product Officer at OpenAI, previously CPO at Instagram and Planet Labs. Kevin invests in AI-first product companies where distribution and product craft are the competitive moat. His vantage point at the frontier of AI gives him an unusually clear view of which application layers are going to matter most.

Founder and CEO of Quora and former CTO of Facebook. Adam was an early OpenAI board member and has a long track record backing AI companies before they were obvious. He gravitates toward companies building tools that make knowledge more accessible and decisions more informed — applying AI to hard information problems.

Co-founder and CTO of HubSpot with 80+ angel investments. Dharmesh backs B2B SaaS and AI companies that have the potential to define new software categories. Known for being founder-friendly and genuinely helpful post-investment — his HubSpot network is particularly valuable for go-to-market stage companies.

Co-founder of Craft Ventures and PayPal Mafia member with a sharp eye for B2B SaaS. David backs enterprise AI companies with strong product-led growth potential and clear revenue models. He is direct in feedback, fast in decisions, and writes seed checks that routinely unlock follow-on from major funds.

Former CEO and Executive Chairman of Google, now investing through Innovation Endeavors. Eric backs deep tech and AI companies at the intersection of commercial and national security applications. His access to government, enterprise, and global distribution makes him especially valuable for companies with dual-use AI technology.

Partner and Chairman at Kleiner Perkins, early backer of Google and Amazon. John has increasingly focused on AI applied to climate and health — areas where he believes transformative impact is possible within a decade. A seed check from Kleiner carries significant institutional weight and opens doors at every major growth fund.

Co-founder of Twitter and Square (now Block). Jack invests in companies building open, decentralized, or AI-native financial infrastructure. He backs founders who think in systems — people building for the long term without depending on platform permission. Known for unconventional conviction and willingness to back contrarian ideas early.

Founder and CEO of Shopify, one of the largest commerce platforms in the world. Tobi angel invests in AI and developer tools — companies that give builders unfair leverage. He brings a rare long-term perspective shaped by building Shopify from zero to global scale, and is particularly attuned to product decisions that compound over time.

Co-founder of Instacart with a portfolio of 40+ seed investments. Max is drawn to AI companies solving real-world logistics, operations, and consumer behavior problems — areas he navigated firsthand at Instacart. He writes fast, low-friction checks and is known for being a straightforward, helpful early backer.

Co-founder and CEO of Dropbox. Drew invests in AI productivity and knowledge-work tools — companies redefining how people collaborate, create, and focus. His experience building Dropbox from a consumer app to an enterprise platform gives him a sharp lens on the hard inflection points between product-market fit and scale.

Founder and CEO of Forward, the AI-powered primary care company. Adrian came from Google where he led special projects, and he invests heavily at the AI-meets-health frontier. He backs companies that others consider too ambitious — his thesis is that AI will compress decades of healthcare progress into a few years.

COO of Notion and co-founder of Pulse (acquired by LinkedIn). Akshay invests in AI tools that make people meaningfully more capable — particularly products targeting knowledge workers and teams. He has strong opinions on what great product feels like and brings operational depth from scaling Notion to millions of users globally.

Co-founder and CEO of Ramp, the fastest-growing B2B fintech in history. Eric backs AI companies attacking large, inefficient enterprise workflows — especially in finance, operations, and compliance. He brings hard-won go-to-market experience selling to CFOs and finance teams, and his network in enterprise SaaS is exceptional.

Founding advisor at Z Fellows and prolific early-stage angel with 45+ investments. Cory backs exceptionally talented founders at the earliest stages — often before a product exists. He is a connector by nature and particularly well-networked in the AI research-to-startup pipeline, sourcing from top university programs and labs.

Co-founder of Twitch and founder of Metatheory. Kevin has backed 100+ companies and is particularly excited about AI applied to entertainment, gaming, and live experiences. He looks for founders building new forms of human interaction — and brings unmatched credibility when it comes to community-driven product growth.

Co-founder of Runway Financial and prolific AI angel investor. Siqi is deeply embedded in the AI research community and invests in technical founders building infrastructure and tooling that other AI companies will depend on. He moves fast, gives direct feedback, and is one of the most publicly thoughtful investors on AI product development.

Co-founder and Managing Partner at Saga Ventures. Max invests in AI and deep tech companies at the pre-seed and seed stage, with a focus on founders building companies that will be important in 10 years, not just 10 months. His perspective is shaped by a close front-row view of how AI is transforming every major industry.

Co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition, the simulation and tooling platform powering most major AV programs. Qasar was previously a YC Partner and has a clear-eyed view of where AI is moving from software into the physical world. He backs founders working on autonomous systems, robotics, and AI-driven industrial applications.

Former YC Partner and founder of multiple startups. Kulveer is a quiet but consistent seed investor across AI and developer tools, with a founder-first approach shaped by having built and sold companies himself. He writes small, quick checks and is known for being a genuinely useful early board member or advisor.

Founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill invests personally and through Breakthrough Energy Ventures in AI companies targeting global health, infectious disease, and climate. He backs companies where AI can compress the timeline on problems that would otherwise take decades to solve.