Discipulus Ventures
Investment Thesis
Discipulus Ventures is an El Segundo, California pre-seed firm led by General Partner Jakob Diepenbrock. Its thesis is that the smartest young builders in the West are being diverted from the problems that matter most to the nation, and that a tight, value-driven network in El Segundo can redirect them. The firm backs "new industrialists" building hard tech and software for the Western interest: defense tech, aerospace and space, energy and nuclear, mining and chemicals, manufacturing and other critical industries. The website describes the ideal founder as virtuous, futurist and renegade: devoted to truth and goodness, holding a transformative vision of industry, and driven by impact more than wealth or Silicon Valley convention. The brand is openly patriotic and mission-coded by design, which works as a sorting filter for founders.
Stage Focus
The firm invests at the earliest stage, pre-seed and seed. Founders do not need an incorporated company or even a team to apply. Many cohort alumni have gone on to raise oversubscribed pre-seed or seed rounds, and testimonials describe the team helping with fundraising messaging and introductions.
Check Size
The Discipulus Cohort page states that acceptance into the program "includes a $175,000 investment". Beyond that program check, the firm has not published a range, so the stated check is the only evidence. Fund II is $30M, which implies a concentrated book of small first checks with limited capacity to follow on in capital-intensive hardware companies.
Lead Tendency
The program check is made on acceptance into the cohort, which suggests the firm is often the first money in and shapes the first round. Whether it leads subsequent rounds is not documented, so lead tendency is recorded as unknown.
The Cohort Model
The core product is the Discipulus Cohort: a two-week, fully paid, in-person residency in El Segundo with about ten other early-stage founders. A typical day runs from a 6am founder workout through guest speaker sessions, unicorn-founder office hours, investor office hours and a dinner with a guest. Past speakers include Palmer Luckey (Anduril), Tom Mueller (Impulse Space), Isaiah Taylor (Valar Atomics), Katherine Boyle (a16z), Shaun Maguire (Sequoia), Delian Asparouhov (Varda), Chris Power (Hadrian), Scott Nolan (General Matter) and Bryon Hargis (Castelion). After the program, founders get a plan to raise a round with help from HF0 and access to a Demo Day for the Western Interest, plus yearly retreats. Applicants from outside the US are welcome but must travel to El Segundo.
Recent Activity and Fund Status
Axios reported on 2026-06-29 that Discipulus closed a $30M fund, described as Fund II, targeting defense tech, energy, mining, manufacturing and other critical industries. LPs reportedly include Palmer Luckey and Brian Armstrong. Jakob Diepenbrock spoke at Global Alts Miami in March 2026 about the cohort model and a 4x first fund. The firm is actively deploying and recruiting its Spring Cohort. Press coverage includes TechCrunch (March 2024), Forbes (February 2025), the LA Business Journal (June 2025) and Deseret News (April 2026).
Portfolio Highlights
The cohort page features Rune, Durin, Rainmaker, Poseidon Aerospace, General Galactic, Framework, Vanguard Defense, Watoga, 1AU Technologies, Tex, Aleph, Western Chemicals and Actinide. These span defense software, unmanned cargo aircraft, spacecraft, weather modification, chemicals, nuclear materials and robotics. Third-party listings also mention Petra Power and Axis Robotics, which the firm's own site does not show, so they are left out here.
Team
Jakob Diepenbrock is founder and General Partner, a 22-year-old with early exposure to venture through Steve Ballmer's family office. Augustus Doricko, CEO of Rainmaker, is Venture Partner. Chase Caffrey is an Investor and Kristina Dayback is CFO. Senior advisors include Josh Manchester, Kevin Hartz, Ben Kohlmann, Josh Steinman and Isaiah Taylor.
Decision Process
The firm is led by a single GP, with a venture partner and an investor supporting. Admission to the cohort is by application, and decisions appear to sit with Diepenbrock. No formal timeline is published.
Founder Preferences
Value-aligned, mission-driven builders, from students to full-time founders, working on hard tech and software for national-interest problems. They must be willing to relocate to El Segundo for the cohort and favor the area's hardware and defense ecosystem. Founders who want a conventional Silicon Valley path are not the target.
Geographic Focus
United States, anchored in El Segundo, California, with international founders welcomed if they travel for the program. The firm treats El Segundo ("the Gundo") as the center of gravity for American hard tech.
Risks and Notes
Key-person risk on a young GP, geographic concentration, a narrow cultural brand and a small fund relative to hardware capital needs. Warm intros are not documented as required, since applications are open through a public form.