Zero Knowledge
Zero Knowledge Ventures is a San Francisco-based pre-seed venture capital fund that writes first checks into ambitious founders across a generalist set of sectors including AI, crypto, fintech, space, and energy. The firm is currently investing from Fund II, backed by institutional LPs including a16z and Y Combinator.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Zero Knowledge does
Zero Knowledge Ventures, L.P. is a San Francisco-based pre-seed venture capital firm structured as a limited partnership, currently investing from its second fund (Fund II). The firm positions itself as a 'first check' investor that deploys capital into founders 'before there is anything to show,' taking a generalist approach across sectors rather than concentrating on a single vertical. The fund's disclosed portfolio of 14 investments spans space technology (Orbital), AI infrastructure (Pixeltable, Attestable), DeFi (EtherFi), fintech (Phygitals, Please), payments (ECSA, Cedar, Corsa Finance), energy (Marathon Fusion), gaming (Castle), identity (Opacity), and manufacturing (NOX Metals), reflecting an explicit thematic breadth rather than sector specialization.
The firm's core 'product' is capital and pre-seed-stage conviction-based investing. It does not build proprietary technology; its operational tooling is limited to a website (zero-knowledge.xyz), Twitter/X presence, and LinkedIn. The investment model is a long-horizon equity vehicle: the firm takes ownership stakes in portfolio companies and generates returns through exits, IPOs, or secondary sales. Revenue mechanics are standard VC: management fees on committed capital plus carried interest on realized returns, with the most material unrealized position being EtherFi (disclosed $7.1B TVL as the 7th largest DeFi protocol).
The firm serves two customer sets: portfolio companies (pre-seed startups needing first-check capital) and limited partners (institutional investors providing fund capital). The LP base comprises 10 institutional backers including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Y Combinator, SV Angel, Draper, Liquid 2, Endurance, Fundora, Inception, CyberStarts, and Cerca Partners — a roster that provides deal-flow pipeline through accelerator affiliations and co-investment networks. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct founder outreach, portfolio referrals, and accelerator channels rather than traditional enterprise sales motions.
Zero Knowledge firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zero Knowledge
- Legal name
- Zero Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
- Website
- https://zero-knowledge.xyz
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Zero Knowledge Ventures is a San Francisco-based pre-seed venture capital fund that writes first checks into ambitious founders across a generalist set of sectors including AI, crypto, fintech, space, and energy. The firm is currently investing from Fund II, backed by institutional LPs including a16z and Y Combinator.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zero Knowledge industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where Zero Knowledge is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Zero Knowledge business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: As a VC firm, Zero Knowledge Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage startups. The firm takes ownership stakes in portfolio companies and realizes returns upon exits, IPOs, or secondary sales. This is a long-horizon investment model typical of pre-seed/seed funds.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Zero Knowledge product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zero Knowledge Ventures is a pre-seed venture capital fund based in San Francisco that writes first checks for ambitious founders building unreasonable companies. The firm invests before there is anything to show, taking a generalist approach across sectors including space technology, trading algorithms, AI, fintech, gaming, and enterprise software. It is currently deploying from Fund II.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Zero Knowledge Ventures Fund
Companies that use Zero Knowledge
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Zero Knowledge technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Zero Knowledge partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Zero Knowledge competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pioneer Fund: Pre-seed focused fund investing in Y Combinator-adjacent startups; shares Zero Knowledge's first-check, high-conviction thesis at the earliest stage and is even a co-investor in Zero Knowledge portfolio company ECSA.
- 1517 Fund: Pre-seed fund backing young founders building unconventional companies; shares the 'invest before there's anything to show' conviction-driven model and is a follow-on co-investor in Zero Knowledge portfolio company Marathon Fusion.
- Liquid 2 Ventures: Pre-seed fund led by Joe Montana focused on community-driven, first-check investing; LP and co-investor alongside Zero Knowledge in portfolio companies like Pixeltable, making it a directly comparable early-stage peer.
- Afore Capital: Pure pre-seed venture firm focused exclusively on first checks at company inception; comparable in stage, check size, and conviction-based thesis to Zero Knowledge Ventures.
- Night Capital: Crypto-native pre-seed fund investing at the earliest stages of web3 companies; directly comparable to Zero Knowledge's crypto-heavy portfolio approach and conviction-driven pre-seed model.
- Bedrock: Early-stage venture firm writing initial checks and partnering closely with founders from inception; closely mirrors Zero Knowledge's 'first check, generalist pre-seed' positioning.
- Soma Capital: Pre-seed fund led by operators targeting technical founders at the earliest stage; directly comparable on stage, generalist thesis, and community-led sourcing approach.
- Hustle Fund: Pre-seed fund writing $1M+ initial checks into diverse early-stage startups; shares the pre-seed generalist mandate and community/network-driven deal flow model.
- South Park Commons: Founder community and pre-seed investor that supports founders 'before the start'; comparable model of providing capital plus community support at the earliest stage, and a co-investor with Zero Knowledge in Pixeltable.
- Long Journey Ventures: Cryptocurrency-focused pre-seed fund making initial investments in web3 protocols and infrastructure; directly comparable crypto-first pre-seed mandate overlapping with Zero Knowledge's crypto/web3 portfolio concentration.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Zero Knowledge social profiles
Digital presenceZero Knowledge financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zero Knowledge leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Zero Knowledge funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zero Knowledge M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments18 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zero Knowledge
What does Zero Knowledge do?
Zero Knowledge Ventures is a pre-seed venture capital fund based in San Francisco that writes first checks for ambitious founders building unreasonable companies. The firm invests before there is anything to show, taking a generalist approach across sectors including space technology, trading algorithms, AI, fintech, gaming, and enterprise software. It is currently deploying from Fund II.
Is Zero Knowledge a public or private company?
Zero Knowledge is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Zero Knowledge founded?
Zero Knowledge was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Zero Knowledge based?
Zero Knowledge is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Zero Knowledge make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Returns.
Who are Zero Knowledge's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pioneer Fund, 1517 Fund, Liquid 2 Ventures, Afore Capital, Night Capital, Bedrock, Soma Capital, Hustle Fund, South Park Commons and Long Journey Ventures.
Does Zero Knowledge have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zero Knowledge.
What industry is Zero Knowledge in?
Zero Knowledge's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 525 and its SIC code is 6282.