Defined VC Research
Investment Thesis
Defined VC is a thesis-driven, product-first venture capital firm specializing in artificial intelligence and frontier technology investments. Founded with the mission to "shape the AI Frontier," the firm believes that data equals human potential and that the convergence of humans and machines will unlock profound innovations across every industry. The firm has been investing in AI and frontier technology since 2015 and positions itself as a first believer in founders building at the frontier of AI's possibilities.
Investment Philosophy
Defined operates with a "thesis-first" approach, meaning they have deeply researched views on emerging technologies and problem spaces. They are product-first in their analysis, focusing on companies solving technical and impactful problems that will fundamentally reshape industries. The firm takes a full-stack approach, investing across the compute layer to application layer.
Stage Focus
Defined invests as early as possible, with a demonstrated track record of early-stage investments. Based on their portfolio companies and public disclosures, they focus on:
- Seed and Series A investments
- Occasional pre-seed for exceptional technical founders
- Strategic follow-on investments in portfolio companies
Sector Focus
Defined's investment thesis organizes around several core themes:
- Agent Economy - Multimodal agent systems, agentic AI for various domains (insurance, commerce, cybersecurity, legal discovery)
- Scalable Infrastructure - DevOps compliance, data management, AI infrastructure for finance
- Next-gen Compute - Power-efficient AI processors, advanced computing hardware
- Engineered Science - AI for drug discovery (foundation models for small molecule), extreme weather modeling, autonomous AI scientists
- Physical AI - Robotics + AI, autonomous vehicles, physics-based models for labor automation
Geographic Focus
No explicit geographic restriction. Portfolio includes companies from North America (US, Canada) and international locations. The firm appears to be open to investing globally.
Check Size & Investment Range
Based on portfolio company data and operational structure:
- Estimated check size: $500K - $5M for seed investments
- Follow-on reserves for existing portfolio companies
Team & Decision Process
Founding Partner: Mark Trevitt - Former engineer, operator, and product leader (ex-analytics startup acquired by S&P). Kauffman Fellow with two-time CVCA Deal of the Year wins. Has backed companies worth over $20B in enterprise value since 2014.
Key Partners:
- Sean Brownlee (Venture Partner) - 25+ years operational and venture experience, board member, CFA. Built multiple globally successful businesses (IPOs and acquisitions)
- David Roberts (Venture Partner) - President of Y Tara Capital, active investor in technology ventures, $3B+ AUM from prior fund management
- Johnny Dewan (Vice President) - $1B+ financing and transaction experience as technology banker supporting high-growth companies
- Gautam Chintapenta (Investor) - Product marketing background in biotech, climate-tech, and cloud infrastructure
The firm operates with Mark Trevitt as the lead decision-maker with strong support from venture partners and operational team members.
Recent Activity
Based on portfolio research and company websites, recent notable investments include:
- Zyphra (Multimodal agent systems for enterprise) - 2025-2026
- Foundation.bot (Physics action models for labor shortage) - 2025-2026
- Mythic AI (Power-efficient AI processors) - Active
- Quandri (AI agents for insurance intelligence) - 2025-2026
- Variational AI (Foundation models for drug discovery) - Recent
- Arcanna AI (Cybersecurity with human + AI partnership) - Recent
Portfolio Highlights
Notable Exits:
- D-Wave Systems (Quantum computing, NYSE: QBTS) - IPO
- Bit Stew (ML data ingestion for industrial IoT, acquired by GE for $153M)
- Dark Vision Technologies (Industrial acoustic imaging, acquired by GE)
- Energy company (Smart grid/home energy management, acquired by Generac)
- Infineon acquisition (Data center power density startup)
Active Portfolio: 25+ portfolio companies across AI infrastructure, agentic AI, robotics, biotech applications, climate tech, and emerging compute platforms.
Founder Preferences
Defined seeks founders who are:
- Building at the frontier of AI and emerging technologies
- Solving technical and impactful problems with radically new approaches
- Willing to "re-architect" how problems are solved
- Often technical founders, engineers, or academics
- Entrepreneurs with proven ability to innovate and execute
Decision Timeline & Involvement
- Full-stack approach with active operational support
- Board seat typical for lead investments
- Cultivation of network and expertise sharing
- Connection-making across the "Defined Frontier Network"
Fund Status
Firm is actively deploying capital with consistent recent investments across multiple thesis areas. The portfolio activity and depth suggests an established fund in active deployment mode.
Anti-Thesis
Based on portfolio composition, Defined avoids:
- Consumer-focused applications (non-technical)
- Non-AI/non-frontier technology businesses
- Incremental innovations vs. step-change innovations
- Companies not solving systemic problems