Deep Checks — Investment Thesis & Preferences

Deep Checks Research

Overview

Deep Checks is a founder-to-investor matching platform built by Julian Capital, a deeptech seed fund, to efficiently connect deeptech founders worldwide with venture capital investors specializing in their specific technology niches. Launched as a free service, Deep Checks has become "the largest source of deeptech deal flow in the world" according to Julian Capital's own positioning.

Investment Model

Deep Checks operates as a matching and curation platform rather than a traditional venture fund. The platform is built by Julian Capital (a deeptech seed investor writing $750K-$1M checks) but serves a network of 50+ deeptech-focused VCs, angel investors, and startup founders. The platform does not invest directly but facilitates warm introductions between founders and relevant investors.

Core Value Proposition

For Founders:

Submit a single deck and reach 50+ deeptech VCs simultaneously
Pre-screened introductions (Deep Checks reviews every deck and routes to relevant investors)
No program to attend, no application process friction
Typical check sizes: $500K-$5M for deeptech startups
Average response time: deals reviewed every 3 weeks

For Investors:

Access to curated deeptech deal flow across all sectors
Quality pre-screening of founders and business plans
Network effects with 50+ other active deeptech investors
Founder CRM with deep coverage of niche deeptech sectors (mining robotics, photonic chips, biotech, climate, etc.)

The Network

Deep Checks has assembled a network of prominent deeptech investors including:

Lead Investors Featured:

Leo Polovets (Humba Ventures, Susa Ventures co-founder)
Chris Sacca (Lowercase Capital, Lowercarbon Capital)
Ali Tamaseb (DCVC, author of "Super Founders")
Rayyan Islam (8090 Industries)
Julian Shapiro (Julian Capital)
Joe Wilson (Undeterred Capital)
Ian Rountree (Cantos Ventures)
Ariana Thacker (Conscience VC)
Seth Bannon (Fifty Years)
Packy McCormick (Not Boring Capital)
Victor Wang (HOF Capital)

Deeptech Founder Angels:

Gaurab Chakrabarti (CEO, Solugen - synthetic biology)
John Gedmark (CEO & Cofounder, Astranis - satellite communications)

Investment Thesis

Deep Checks targets the full spectrum of deeptech sectors where traditional venture capital has historically underinvested due to complexity and scientific risk:

Sector Coverage:

Semiconductors and chips (photonics, isotope enrichment)
Energy (nuclear, solar, geothermal, hydrogen)
Robotics (manufacturing, mining, food processing)
Biotech and life sciences (synthetic biology, cell culture)
Space and aerospace (satellites, materials)
Climate and sustainability technologies
Manufacturing and advanced materials
Defense and security technologies

Stage and Check Size

Deep Checks predominantly serves pre-seed and seed stage founders:

Typical valuation cap: ~$20M (lower valuations receive more attention)
Check sizes: $500K-$5M from participating investors
First-check investors: Multiple funds (Julian Capital, Undeterred, Humba, etc.)
Average check from Julian Capital: $750K-$1M
Decision timeline: 14 days for Julian Capital; varies for other partners

Geographic Focus

Global with emphasis on:

United States: San Francisco Bay Area (HQ), New York, Seattle
Europe: London, Berlin
Israel: Growing presence
Platform explicitly welcomes worldwide deeptech founders

Founder-Friendly Characteristics

No Program Requirements: Founders submit decks directly; no accelerator or bootcamp
Pre-screening Value: Deep Checks team reviews every deck and explains to investors why the founder is interesting
Warm Intros: Not cold outreach - Deep Checks sends contextualized introductions
Speed: 3-week review cycle; individual investors decide quickly (Julian Capital: 14 days)
Network Effects: Being featured creates pressure on investors to evaluate quickly, potentially improving founder negotiating power
Operator Support: Julian Capital provides post-investment operator support (website design, GTM strategy, customer intros)

Recent Momentum and Activity

As of early 2026:

Events: Quarterly Deep Checks founder dinners (SF Dec 2024, NYC Feb 2025)
Scout Program: Launched advanced scout program for experienced VCs and scientists (fewer than 25 participants)
Portfolio Velocity: Recent notable portfolio companies (2025) include Heritable Ag (pre-seed funded through Deep Checks), GreenLib ($1.5M pre-seed), and others
Decks Reviewed: Continuously processing submissions with accelerating founder interest
Network Growth: Expanding from initial core VCs to 50+ institutional investors

Competitive Advantages

Deeptech Specialization: Unlike general founder networks (Doordash, etc.), Deep Checks is exclusively deeptech-focused
Founder Network Effects: Built-in relationships with thousands of scientific founders (Solugen CEO, Astranis CEO, etc.)
VC Network: 50+ investors with genuine deeptech expertise, not financial generalists
Curation Quality: Deep Checks team personally reviews and contextualizes every submission
Builder Mindset: Founded by operators (Julian Shapiro: Webflow, DemandCurve; Jacob Jackson: MedStack, Mammoth)
Post-Investment Value: Operator support beyond capital (Julian Capital designs websites, does GTM strategy)

Fundraising Success Stories

Heritable Ag: Closed $1M seed through Deep Checks (founder Brad Zamft: "Once I submitted, my email started blowing up with DocSend notifications. I booked meetings with a dozen firms and closed oversubscribed in 2-3 weeks")
GreenLib: $1.5M pre-seed entirely funded through Deep Checks (founder Fred Rostami: "The entire pre-seed through Deep Checks. We got warm, well-matched intros to investors who actually got what we were building")
Multiple portfolio companies with successful fundraising rounds in 2025

Unique Model Characteristics

Deep Checks operates a three-party marketplace:

Supply: Deeptech founders submit decks (valuation cap ~$20M)
Curation: Deep Checks team reviews and routes to relevant investors
Demand: 50+ investors (institutional VCs and founder angels) browse curated deal flow

This differs from traditional venture capital:

Not a fund with committed capital
Not an accelerator with a cohort or program
Not a standard founder network with broad participation
Instead: a specialized deal routing and curation service connecting founders with capital

Decision Process and Involvement

Decision Process: Individual investors (not committee) make investment decisions
Timeline: Varies by investor (Julian Capital: 14 days; others: 3-week batches)
Involvement Level: Ranges from passive (some investors) to board-seat operators (Julian Capital, others)
Co-investment: Multiple checks common; founders often close rounds oversubscribed

Data and Transparency

Deep Checks provides:

Deck review counter (live countdown) on homepage
Quarterly "Deep Checks Dozen" highlighting best startups
Success stories and founder testimonials
Transparent fee structure (free for founders, institutional participation)
Public investor bios and investment theses

Technical Infrastructure

Founder CRM: Unparalleled coverage across deeptech niches (per Julian Capital)
Deck Processing: Automated routing to relevant investors based on technology/sector
Communication: Integrated email system (DocSend integration for tracking)
Built by: Team at Julian Capital with input from deeptech community

Weaknesses and Limitations

Deeptech Only: Explicitly excludes traditional SaaS/software companies
Valuation Cap: Companies above ~$20M valuation receive less attention
Capital Check Size: Most common range is $500K-$1M (smaller than some later-stage focused VCs)
No Feedback: Deep Checks does not provide feedback to rejected founders
Investor Discretion: Individual investors make decisions; no guaranteed capital

Recent Announcements and Innovations

Agentic Workflow Evaluation: Deep Checks (the software product at deepchecks.com) launched LLM evaluation for agentic AI systems (distinct from the VC platform)
Scout Program: New program for deeptech scouts and scientists to gain deal flow access and financial upside
Expanded Geography: Recent NYC event (Feb 2025) signals expansion beyond SF
Founder Education: Growing content (fundraising guides, pitching guides, founder resources)

Team and Leadership

Julian Shapiro (Managing Partner, Julian Capital & Creator of Deep Checks)

VP of Marketing at Webflow ($4B valuation)
Founder of DemandCurve (Y Combinator S19)
Creator of Velocity.js (popular open-source animation library, used by Uber, Samsung, WhatsApp)
Known for longform startup handbooks and growth marketing expertise

Jacob Jackson (General Manager, Deep Checks)

Founder and startup revenue leader
CRO at MedStack (healthcare DevOps)
Head of Growth at Mammoth (climate tech)
Extensive sales and operations experience

John Forbes (General Manager, Deep Checks)

Partner at Dorm Room Fund (4 years, led competitive investments)
Chief of Staff at disaster coordination platform
Sales and product experience from 0 to PMF

Conclusion

Deep Checks represents a new model in venture capital: a specialized matching platform that solves a real problem in deeptech fundraising (founders can't easily find relevant VCs, and VCs struggle with deeptech deal flow). Rather than managing a traditional fund, the Deep Checks team has built infrastructure and network effects to facilitate connections at scale.

The platform's success is evidenced by:

Hundreds of deeptech startups submitting decks
50+ institutional investors participating
Multiple founder success stories with oversubscribed rounds
Rapid growth and geographic expansion
Becoming the "largest source of deeptech deal flow in the world"

Deep Checks is particularly useful for science-first founders building hardware, biotech, robotics, or infrastructure (not traditional B2B SaaS) who need to identify and reach out-of-market investors with domain expertise in their specific niche.