First Star Ventures
Venture capitalCambridge Β· Pre-Seed Β· 6 people tracked
Investment thesis
First Star backs engineers and researchers developing breakthrough technologies across evolving computing paradigms. The firm focuses on founders leveraging robotics and spatial intelligence, genomic engineering via CRISPR and synthetic biology, and generative AI for creative reasoning to transform large industries. The fund specializes in early-stage partnerships from inception through Series A.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 21, 2026.
Team Β· 6 people
from the firm's websiteAn investor and technologist with expertise in ML/AI, NLP, sensors, and computational biology. He was founding VP of Product Development at Semantic Machines (acquired by Microsoft), co-founder of Locately (acquired), and previously led product development at Endeca Technologies (acquired by Oracle for $1.1B). He holds a BA in Computer Science from Harvard University.
An investor focused on helping deep technology entrepreneurs build globally-scaled businesses. She was previously at APT, an enterprise data analytics startup acquired by Mastercard for $600M, and co-founded an MIT startup on unsupervised event detection that became Infervision, a healthcare AI platform. She serves on the advisory board of MIT CSAIL and holds a Master of Finance from MIT and a BS in Mathematics from the University of Toronto.
Investment team member at First Star who advises founders on fundraising, team building, and operations.
Investment team member at First Star who provides support to founders through fundraising, introductions, and strategic counsel.
Investment team member at First Star who focuses on fundamentals and key business decisions, including hiring support.
An operator and investor focused on early-stage company growth and customer acquisition. He co-founded Tempo, a differential privacy-enabled marketplace for biometric data, and previously led Sales and Business Development at Symphony Commerce, an e-commerce platform that raised $52M and grew to $10M+ ARR. He started his career as an analyst at Accenture and holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Amherst College.
What they invest in
from 13 of 37 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning Γ7Enterprise Software Γ4Data & Infrastructure Γ3Healthtech Γ3AgTech Γ2Cloud Computing Γ2Deep Tech Γ2Developer Tools Γ2
HQs:United StatesΓ5CanadaΓ1
Investments Β· 37 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathCisco provides networking devices and infrastructure software for data centers, workplaces, and security operations. The platform serves enterprises to modernize infrastructure, deliver employee and customer experiences, and respond to security threats.
Cloud ComputingCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareSan Jose, US
Jellyfish provides software engineering intelligence and team management tools for engineering organizations. The platform helps teams improve productivity, manage workflows, and communicate business impact through data-driven insights.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Nomic Bio develops an immunoassay platform that enables drug discovery scientists to profile hundreds of proteins with higher throughput and lower cost than conventional methods. The company is initially targeting high-throughput screening groups at pharmaceutical and biotech firms.
HealthtechMedical DevicesMontreal, CA
Parallel Wireless develops open radio access network (RAN) software and solutions for telecommunications operators. The company provides cost-effective, resilient LTE and 5G network architecture for wireless communications.
Cloud ComputingDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareHardwareBoston, US
Sridhar(Co-founder)Kaitki(Co-founder, Chief Product Officer)Rajesh(Co-founder)Steve
Plus One Robotics develops intelligent parcel handling robotics systems that combine computer vision, AI, and supervised autonomy for logistics and ecommerce organizations. The company provides robotic solutions for automated sorting and picking of parcels in fulfillment centers.
AI & Machine LearningLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsSan Antonio, US
Erik Nieves(CEO & Co-founder)Shaun Edwards(CTO & Co-founder)
Salient provides AI-powered weather and climate forecasts spanning from 1 day to 1 year using deep learning models trained on ocean and land-surface data. The company serves customers in agriculture, energy, finance, and supply chain sectors seeking improved forecast accuracy for planning and decision-making.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechData & Infrastructure
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Scoot Science provides data-driven operational intelligence for commercial fishing and aquaculture operations through real-time ocean forecasts, catch logging, and environmental monitoring. The platform integrates oceanographic data and sensor inputs to help fishing fleets and aquaculture farms optimize catch decisions and reduce fish mortality events.
AgTechData & Infrastructure
Swiftly operates a retail media platform that integrates digital-out-of-home advertising and point-of-sale data to enable retailers and brands to target shoppers across physical and digital channels and measure real-world sales impact.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningMarketing TechRetail Tech
Sean Turner(CTO and Co-founder)
Throne makes a smart toilet sensor that automatically tracks gut health, hydration, and urinary function by analyzing flush patterns, providing users with daily insights about how diet, medications, stress, and other factors affect digestion.
Digital HealthHealthtechIoT
Vistapath develops technology solutions to modernize pathology lab operations, helping pathology laboratories improve quality, efficiency, and consistency in critical lab processes.
AI & Machine LearningHealthtechMedical Devices
Timothy Spong(CEO & Founder)Ben Burley(COO & Founder)Jacob Guggenheim(CTO)
Zanskar develops geothermal energy projects using AI and advanced geoscience to map subsurface resources and deliver utility-scale, carbon-free power. The company operates projects in the western United States that provide 24/7 firm power generation.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechEnergy
Zep provides infrastructure that manages and governs agent memory at scale across multiple data sources including chat, documents, events, and business data. The company serves enterprise organizations deploying AI agents that need persistent, temporal context across their deployments.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US
Daniel Chalef(Founder)in
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does First Star Ventures invest at?
- First Star Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed stage.
- What sectors does First Star Ventures focus on?
- First Star Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cybersecurity, Deep Tech, Robotics.
- Where is First Star Ventures located?
- First Star Ventures is headquartered in Cambridge, US.
- Does First Star Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, First Star Ventures leads investment rounds.
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