AI Investor - Principal (USA)

About the role

A leading early-stage venture capital fund is looking for an AI-focused Investor to lead its thinking and investing across the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence ecosystem. This is a full-time investing role for someone who wants to spend all day, every day developing conviction around AI, building relationships with exceptional founders, and identifying the companies that will define the category. The fund has approximately 20 team members, including an investment team of around 12, and recently raised a new approximately $220 million fund that remains early in its deployment. Its AI portfolio includes companies across consumer applications, infrastructure, research, and agents. The investment model combines early entry positions with the ability to concentrate capital behind the opportunities where the team has the strongest conviction.

Responsibilities

• Build and own a distinctive investment perspective across the AI landscape
• Source and evaluate new opportunities
• Develop relationships with founders and technical communities
• Lead investments from initial thesis through diligence and decision-making
• Assess emerging technologies, markets, competitive dynamics, business models, and valuations
• Help the wider partnership maintain a current, differentiated view of the ecosystem

Requirements

• Already deployed capital as part of an investment team
• Can demonstrate genuine, independently developed conviction about AI
• Strong investment judgement
• Access to exceptional founders
• Credible experience evaluating or deploying capital

Qualifications

• Experience around consumer-facing AI companies
• Built own networks and reputations rather than relying solely on an established firm’s brand
• Background in venture capital or less traditional investing backgrounds (angel investing, founding and exiting a technology company, operating within a leading AI business, relevant academic and technical communities)
• Preferred level is Principal, but open to exceptional candidates from Principal through Partner
• New York or San Francisco preferred (location not an absolute requirement)

Skills

• Capable of discussing foundation-model competition
• Open-source versus closed-source ecosystems
• AI infrastructure
• Application-layer opportunities
• Consumer adoption
• Changing valuation dynamics
• Strong technical breadth (though the role is investing, not engineering)