Ventures Associate - AI & Deeptech

Delphiventures; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Delphiventures is seeking an Investment Associate in San Francisco. This role focuses on sourcing pre-seed and seed-stage founders in AI and Deeptech, requiring a strong existing network in the SF Bay Area tech scene. Ideal candidates bring 2-5+ years of experience, exceptional relationship-building skills, and a deep technical background. Responsibilities include proactive deal sourcing, conducting initial diligence, and managing the deal pipeline while expanding Delphi's network in the tech ecosystem.

Qualifications

• 2-5+ years of relevant experience in venture capital or high-growth startup.
• Existing high-quality network in the SF Bay Area tech ecosystem.
• Deep technical background in AI or related fields strongly preferred.
• High-energy, extroverted, persistent, and hungry for action.

Responsibilities

• Proactively source and build relationships with founders in AI and Deeptech.
• Attend and host events in the SF tech scene to build network.
• Lead initial diligence for sourced deals and present to investment team.
• Manage early-stage pipeline and track sourced deals.

Skills

Networking

Market Analysis

Relationship Building

Analytical Skills

Technical Acumen in AI/Deeptech

Job description

Company Description

Delphi Ventures is a thesis-driven, high-conviction firm that allocates across core themes that we believe will dramatically shape the world.

Delphi Ventures is a member of the Delphi Digital family, a group of separate companies sharing the same brand and vision.

The Delphi Digital family has evolved since its inception. Delphi Research was born in 2018 as a firm focusing on producing institutional-grade research. Delphi Ventures launched in 2020 and operates as an independent venture capital firm that invests in world-changing founders. Delphi Labs was established in 2021 as an incubator and launchpad for projects building in the blockchain and digital asset space. Delphi Intelligence debuted in 2025 as an AI & deep tech focused research platform focused on the fast-evolving worlds of artificial intelligence, robotics, and beyond. By combining the researcher, builder, and investor perspectives, we have built a unique investing foundation that naturally extends beyond crypto.

You can learn more about Delphi Research and Delphi Labs via delphidigital.io and delphilabs.io.

Delphi Ventures partners with founders building the future. If you’re working on something and want to connect with our team, reach out via delphiventures.io.

Your Role

We are seeking a high-energy, very well-networked, and driven Investment Associate to join our investment team, hyperfocused on the San Francisco Bay Area. This is a sourcing-first role. Your primary mandate will be to be Delphi's boots-on-the-ground, identifying and building relationships with the most promising pre-seed and seed-stage founders in AI and Deeptech before anyone else.

The ideal candidate is a natural connector who lives and breathes the SF tech ecosystem. You are an "insider" who thrives on being at the center of the action, attending events, and meeting founders. While you will be responsible for initial diligence, your main measure of success will be the quality and quantity of proprietary deal flow you generate.

Your Responsibilities

• Proactive Deal Sourcing: Be the primary boots-on-the-ground presence for Delphi in the Bay Area. Proactively build and maintain relationships with founders, academics (e.g., Stanford, Berkeley, etc), lab researchers, and early-stage operators to source the most promising pre-seed and seed AI/deeptech opportunities.
• Ecosystem & Event Leadership: Live and breathe the SF tech scene. Attend, and where relevant, host events, meetups, and dinners. Become a trusted, value-add node in the AI ecosystem and a go-to contact for founders seeking pre-seed advice and funding.
• Thesis-Driven Sourcing: Work with the research team to build expertise and a unique perspective on emerging trends. Use this thesis to inform your sourcing, build conviction, and separate signal from noise.
• Diligence & Conviction: Lead the initial diligence for all sourced deals. You must be able to quickly assess founder quality, technical novelty, and market opportunity to build conviction and present the most promising companies to the wider investment team.
• Pipeline Management: Maintain disciplined oversight of the early-stage pipeline. You will be responsible for tracking, managing, and reporting on your sourced deals and relationships.
• Network Expansion: Actively build and expand Delphi's network. Map the ecosystem of talent to help build our reputation as the first-call for AI/deeptech founders.

Qualifications & Characteristics

• Experience: 2-5+ years of relevant experience, ideally in venture capital (in a sourcing-heavy role), or a founding/early-operator role at a high-growth startup.
• SF-native Network: You must have a demonstrable, existing, and high-quality network in the SF Bay Area tech ecosystem, particularly among founders, angels, and early-stage VCs.
• Technical Acumen: A deep technical or academic background in AI, machine learning, computer science, or related deeptech fields is strongly preferred. You must be able to "speak the language" of highly technical founders.
• Personal Traits: A natural connector and relationship-builder. You are high-energy, extroverted, and thrive in social and networking environments. You are persistent, hungry, and have a high bias for action.
• Analytical Rigor: While this is a sourcing-first role, you must have the analytical skills to conduct rigorous initial diligence and build data-driven investment cases.
• Passion & Conviction: A genuine passion for and strong existing theses on the future of AI and its potential to reshape industries.
• Writing & Communication: Exceptional ability to synthesize complex concepts and communicate your conviction clearly and concisely.

Additional Information

• Language Skills: Fluent English, both spoken and written
• Location: SF
• Application Task: As part of the process, candidates will be asked to submit a 2-6 page research piece. The prompt will be:
  1. An investment thesis on an emerging, investable opportunity in AI or Deeptech.
  2. As part of the piece, identify 3-5 companies (ideally SF-based and pre-seed/seed) that you believe are the best expression of this thesis, with a brief explanation for each.