What Zygote Ventures does

Zygote Ventures is a privately held seed/angel venture capital fund founded in 2013 by Jerry Fiddler and based in Berkeley, California. The fund invests first or very early in innovative enterprises, with a stated focus on technology, biotech, and agriculture companies that can "change the game." Unlike traditional venture capital firms, Zygote invests exclusively the principal's own capital, has no limited partners, charges no management fees, and earns no carried interest — the firm profits only when portfolio companies appreciate in value. This structure is intended to align interests tightly with entrepreneurs and allow less risk-averse, more selective deal-making than institutional VC funds.

The portfolio spans approximately 17 named companies, including Bolt Threads, Nanomix, People Power, Sylvatex, Solazyme/TerraVia, Brillouin, mOasis, NexSteppe, CellScape, Crossbow, Arrayent, GreenWizard, Cullen Creek Olive Oil, Muse Research, Servo, and Tensilica. Zygote typically takes board or director seats in addition to equity positions and positions itself as complementary to traditional VCs — either preparing companies for larger follow-on rounds or co-investing alongside them. The fund has no fixed office, operates with 1–10 people, restricts activity to the San Francisco Bay Area / Northern California, and has shown no recent public activity beyond 2016.

The business is effectively a personal investment vehicle tied to a single principal. Revenue consists solely of realized capital gains on portfolio exits (e.g., Wind River's acquisition by Intel in 2009 and Solazyme/TerraVia's 2012 IPO and 2017 acquisition by Corbion). There are no recurring fee streams, no payroll, and no growth signals — the principal has publicly stated he sells portfolio stock to fund living expenses. The fund's competitive position rests entirely on Fiddler's track record as founder/CEO/Chairman of Wind River for 23 years and Chairman of Solazyme/TerraVia for 13 years.

Name

Zygote Ventures

Legal name

Zygote Ventures

Website

https://zygoteventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zygote Ventures is a privately held, Berkeley-based seed/angel venture capital fund founded in 2013 by Jerry Fiddler, investing the principal's own capital (no fees, no carry, no limited partners) in early-stage technology, biotech, and agriculture companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seed and Angel Venture Capital Investing

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

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

• Seed stage investing
• Angel capital
• Venture funding
• Early stage investment
• Startup financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Equity Investment Returns: Zygote Ventures earns returns exclusively through appreciation in the value of portfolio companies. As the principal invests only his own money with no fees or carry, profits come entirely from successful exits. This alignment of interests with entrepreneurs means the firm profits only when the enterprise increases in value.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Zygote Ventures is a privately held seed/angel venture capital fund that invests first or very early in innovative enterprises, most often in technology, biotech, and agriculture. The fund invests solely the principal's own capital, earning no management fees or carried interest, and profits only when a portfolio company's enterprise value increases. It is complementary to traditional VC, helping bring companies to readiness for larger venture rounds or co-investing alongside VCs and other angels.

Product overview

Zygote Ventures is a privately held seed/angel venture capital fund that invests first, or very early, in innovative enterprises across technology, biotech, and agriculture sectors. As an angel investor, the firm provides capital and hands-on expertise to entrepreneurs building transformative companies. The firm has no products of its own; its portfolio consists of equity investments in early-stage companies including Bolt Threads, Nanomix, People Power, Sylvatex, Solazyme/TerraVia, Wind River, Brillouin, mOasis, NexSteppe, CellScape, Crossbow, Arrayent, GreenWizard, Cullen Creek Olive Oil, Muse Research, Servo, and Tensilica.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seed and Angel Equity Investment Early-stage equity investment using the principal's own personal capital, targeted at first-round or very early financing for innovative technology, biotech, and agriculture companies. The fund takes no management fees and no carried interest, and typically partners with founders where the principal can add value as a board member or advisor.
• Co-Investment with Traditional VCs and Other Angels

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Entrepreneurs (Portfolio Companies)coreOthersZygote Ventures partners with early-stage entrepreneurs at the seed/angel stage. Portfolio companies include Bolt Threads, Nanomix, People Power, Sylvatex, Solazyme/TerraVia, Brillouin, mOasis, NexSteppe, CellScape, Crossbow, Arrayent, GreenWizard, Cullen Creek Olive Oil, Muse Research, Servo, and Tensilica. The firm seeks entrepreneurs with big ideas that can change the world.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• Greycroft: Greycroft is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on seed and Series A investments in consumer and enterprise technology — a direct peer in stage, geography (US) and investor mandate.
• 500 Global: 500 Global (formerly 500 Startups) is a leading early-stage seed accelerator and venture capital firm that invests in founders at the earliest stages across many geographies — directly comparable to Zygote's seed-stage, founder-friendly thesis.
• Techstars: Techstars operates one of the world's largest early-stage accelerator programs, providing seed capital and mentorship to technology startups at pre-seed and seed stages — closely aligned with Zygote's seed/angel orientation.
• Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the dominant pre-seed/seed accelerator and investor in software and deep-tech startups; its standard-dollar seed checks and founder-first model mirror Zygote's early, hands-on operator-investing approach.
• True Ventures: True Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on seed-led investing in technology companies, with a strong founder-community emphasis similar to Zygote's operator-led, seed-stage model.
• Lerer Hippeau: Lerer Hippeau is a New York-based seed-stage venture capital firm investing in early-stage consumer and enterprise tech companies — directly comparable to Zygote as a dedicated seed investor led by operators.
• Uncork Capital: Uncork Capital (formerly SoftTech VC) is an early-stage seed venture capital firm investing in software and internet-enabled startups — comparable to Zygote as a dedicated seed-stage operator-led fund.
• Boldstart Ventures: Boldstart Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on seed investments in enterprise software and developer tools — a direct peer to Zygote's seed-first, operator-supported model.

Broad incumbents

• AngelList: AngelList is the largest platform for angel investing and rolling funds in early-stage technology startups — a structural peer in the seed/angel ecosystem that Zygote participates in as a single-principal angel.
• Foundation Capital: Foundation Capital is a multi-stage venture capital firm where Jerry Fiddler served as Executive-in-Residence; it operates in adjacent stages but is highly comparable given the direct personal relationship to Zygote's principal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments12 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zygote Ventures