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Sven Strohband
InvestorPartner and Managing Director at Khosla Ventures
Mountain View, California
Writes $500K – $50M checks · typically $25M
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About
Sven Strohband is a rare VC technical lead—Stanford Stanley's lead engineer on the winning 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge—offering deep robotics/autonomy expertise and CTO-style help on architecture and simulation frameworks.
Contact· self-published, not guessed
Invests in
AI & Machine LearningBiotechCleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechRobotics
Beyond investing
- Founded
- Strohband co-founded and was CEO of the AI company Metamind, which became a key component of Salesforce's Einstein AI product.
- Education
- Studied at Purdue University (BS, Mechanical Engineering) Studied at Stanford University (PhD, Mechanics and Computation)
- Communities
- Strohband regularly serves as a mentor for Stanford's E245 'Lean Launchpad' class.
- Hobbies
- In his spare time Strohband enjoys teaching his kids to code, flying autonomous drones and cycling.
- Family
- Strohband teaches his kids to code in his spare time.
- More
- Strohband was lead engineer and project lead for Stanford's autonomous car Stanley, which won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge and is now displayed at the Smithsonian Museum. During his PhD, funded by IBM and Intel, Strohband researched the simulation of failure in semiconductor structures using high-performance computing clusters. Strohband served as system administrator for Purdue's mechanical engineering department computer network to finance his studies.
From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.
Deals · 6
Compound Eye, Inc.Board seat
via Khosla Ventures · filed May 2025 · $13M raise
Adyton PBCBoard seat
via Khosla Ventures · filed May 2022 · $12M raise
ZendarBoard seat
via Khosla Ventures · filed Mar 2019 · $10.9M raise
Alveo EnergyBoard seat
via Khosla Ventures · filed Nov 2017 · $12M raise
Momentum MachinesBoard seat
via Khosla Ventures · filed Jun 2017 · $21.8M raise
Rocket LabLed round
via Khosla Ventures
Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.
Other disclosed investments
Led
Berkshire GreyGitlabHermeus
Investor
AIMAkash SystemsAttackIQAvaBerkshire GreyCollaborative RoboticsCompound EyeDaedalusGiant.aiGitlabHermeus Mach 5 engineIdibonKind HumanoidNetSpringNomagicOpentronsOpenWaterReplikaSingularitySpeakThoughtSpotUhnderVeeda AIVelo3DVicariousVoyageWaabiWindBorne
Sources: the firm's website · SEC Form D filings · curated public sources.
Colleagues at Khosla Ventures
Network1
Investors connected to Sven in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Sven Strohband?
- Sven Strohband is a rare VC technical lead—Stanford Stanley's lead engineer on the winning 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge—offering deep robotics/autonomy expertise and CTO-style help on architecture and simulation frameworks.
- Where does Sven Strohband work?
- Sven Strohband is Partner and Managing Director at Khosla Ventures.
- What does Sven Strohband invest in?
- Sven Strohband invests in AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Deep Tech, Enterprise Software, Healthtech, Robotics.
- What check size does Sven Strohband write?
- Sven Strohband typically writes checks of $500K – $50M.
- What boards does Sven Strohband sit on?
- Sven Strohband holds tracked board seats at Adyton PBC, AIM Intelligent Machines, Alveo Energy, Alveo Energy, Compound Eye, Inc., Hermeus Mach 5 engine, Momentum Machines, Opentrons, ThoughtSpot, ThoughtSpot.
- What companies has Sven Strohband invested in?
- Investments tracked here include Berkshire Grey, Gitlab, Hermeus, Rocket Lab, Adyton PBC, AIM, Akash Systems, AttackIQ, Ava, Berkshire Grey, Collaborative Robotics, Compound Eye, and 23 more.
- Does Sven Strohband lead rounds?
- Yes — Sven Strohband has led 4 tracked investments.
About this profile. Compiled from public sources — Khosla Ventures's own website, regulatory filings and public professional profiles — and summarised by Fundraising Fox; every fact is kept with where it came from. Spotted an error, or would rather not be listed? Email privacy@fundraisingfox.com · How we build profiles · Your rights