Outset Capital
UnclaimedAt a Glance
- Check Size
- $100K – $200K
- Stage
- Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
- Sectors
- AI, Enterprise
- Founded
- 2022
- HQ
- San Francisco, CA
About Outset Capital
Outset Capital is a San Francisco venture capital firm run by practicing AI builders. Its partners invest in AI, developer tools, robotics and the future of work at pre-seed, seed and Series A across the AI and enterprise sectors, and the firm is led by Ali Rohde, Kanjun Qiu and Josh Albrecht. Two of the three partners simultaneously operate Imbue, an AI research company where Qiu is chief executive and Albrecht is chief technology officer, and where the team trains models above 100 billion parameters.
That dual role is the product. Companies raising from Outset get a check from people who are shipping the same infrastructure they are, rather than from a firm reading about it. The fund leans into the constraint that follows: it writes small non-lead checks of roughly $200,000 to $400,000 and positions itself alongside larger leads rather than competing for the round, marketing itself as the most helpful investor per dollar and deferring to management teams on votes rather than taking control terms.
The firm started investing in 2022 with a debut fund backed by operators including Adam D'Angelo, Drew Houston, Reid Hoffman, Kevin and Julia Hartz and Jonathan Frankle. It has since built a portfolio of roughly 18 disclosed companies, including Browserbase, Physical Intelligence, Datology AI, Hedra, MatX, Medra, Kindred and Harper, a list weighted toward infrastructure and applied research rather than consumer applications. Outset also runs a community layer around the fund, hosting monthly events for engineers and company builders in the Bay Area and publishing the Outset Pod; the partners previously operated the Archive co-living space. Fund size and assets under management are not disclosed.
Investment Thesis
“Operated by active AI builders training 100B+ parameter models, focusing on enterprise AI applications and deep technical expertise.”
Sector Focus
Investment Stage
Notable Portfolio Companies
Fund History
- Outset Capital began investing in 2022, when Ali Rohde launched the debut vehicle; investor databases put that first fund at roughly $8 million, and the firm itself discloses no fund size, so the figure is unconfirmed and no assets-under-management total is public.
- Capital came from operators rather than institutions: disclosed backers include Adam D'Angelo of Quora, Drew Houston of Dropbox, Reid Hoffman, Kevin and Julia Hartz of Eventbrite, and machine-learning researcher Jonathan Frankle.
- The deployment strategy is built around that small base.
- Outset writes $200,000 to $400,000 non-lead checks at pre-seed, seed and Series A, deliberately slotting alongside larger leads and deferring to management teams on governance rather than taking control positions.
- The pitch is help per dollar rather than capital scale.
- The portfolio runs to roughly 18 disclosed companies across AI, developer tools, robotics and the future of work, among them Browserbase, Physical Intelligence, Datology AI, Hedra, MatX, Medra, Kindred and Harper.
SEC Fund Filings
- Vehicles filed, last 24 months
- 1
- Latest filing
Outset Capital filed a Form D for 1 fund vehicle between Sep 30, 2024 and Sep 29, 2026.
| Fund vehicle | Source |
|---|---|
| Outset Capital Fund II LP | SEC Form D, filed |
A Form D is the notice a fund files with the SEC when it raises money in a private offering. Feeder funds, parallel funds and SPVs each file their own, so the count measures filing activity, not the number of flagship funds.
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D filings for pooled investment funds, original filings only (amendments excluded). Our filing data starts Jul 1, 2024. Vehicles are matched to Outset Capital by fund name and checked against the sponsor address and named principals on each filing; offering amounts are not shown. Each “SEC Form D” link opens an EDGAR full-text search for that vehicle’s exact name, where the filing itself is listed. See every new fund filing on the Form D Radar.
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Related Articles (2)
Frequently Asked Questions
What stage does Outset Capital invest at?
Outset Capital primarily invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages. This means they focus on companies that are at the earliest idea or prototype phase.
Where is Outset Capital located?
Outset Capital is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
What sectors does Outset Capital focus on?
Outset Capital focuses on investments in AI, Enterprise. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
What is Outset Capital's typical check size?
Outset Capital's typical investment check size ranges from $100K to $200K. Actual amounts may vary based on the stage, sector, and specific opportunity.
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