Robot Ventures is a venture capital firm that provides pre-seed funding to startups in the Web3, blockchain, and fintech sectors.^[1][3] Founded in 2019 by Robert Leshner and Tarun Chitra, Robot Ventures is backed by Bain Capital Ventures and Ripple Xpring.^[5]

Overview

Robot Ventures has a varied portfolio featuring investments across multiple sectors, including decentralized finance (DeFi), enterprise solutions, consumer applications, and infrastructure projects. Robot Ventures is recognized for its unique investment approach, focusing on early-stage companies that challenge conventional thinking and have the potential to redefine their respective industries. Their portfolio includes companies such as DODO, Kava, Axelar, LayerZero, NFTX, Fei Protocol, Lido DAO, Liquity, and PoolTogether among others.^[2]

In April 2019, Robot Ventures secured a $1 million funding round from Bain Capital Ventures and Ripple's Xpring.^[4][5] Right after the funding, Robot Ventures invested in two startups: at-home crypto mining startup Coinmine and Point, a debit card and banking account.^[6] In 2020, Robot Ventures secured $4 million in funding round, led by Galaxy Digital with additional participation by Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam's Paradigm.^[7]

The firm is co-founded by Robert Leshner, known for his work with Compound, and Tarun Chitra, founder of Gauntlet Network.^[1] Leshner argued commented on his motivation behind Robot in a Coindesk article:

"We see innovations happening in DeFi very early. What gives me a different approach is that 95 percent of my time is spent building Compound, and I can interact with other founders really as a peer, just one or two years ahead of them."^[4]

Portfolio

• Aleo
• Alkimiya
• Argent
• Axelar
• Bitski
• Blockfolio (FTX)
• Blocknative
• Centrifuge
• Clipper
• Compound
• Cozy Finance
• DODO
• Donut
• Drift
• Element Finance
• Elementus
• Empty Set Dollar
• Fei Protocol
• Flashbots
• Flexa Network
• Fractional
• Frax
• Futureswap
• Gauntlet
• Goldfinch
• Greenwood
• Horizon
• Hummingbot
• Imperii Partners
• Instadapp
• Jet
• Kava
• Keyless
• Layer Zero
• Lido
• Liquity
• Lyra
• Mellow
• Mirror
• Multis
• Namebase
• Nansen
• Nebula
• Neon
• NFTX
• Optimism
• Opyn
• Orca
• Parsec
• Point
• Polymarket
• PoolTogether
• Potion
• Primitive
• Rain
• Reverie
• Ribbon
• Saddle
• Sense
• Showtime
• Siren
• Skolem Labs
• Slingshot
• Syndicate
• Tally
• Vauld
• Volmex
• Yield Protocol^[1]