Anorak Capital

Anorak Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm established in 2016, with offices located in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The firm focuses on investing in pre-seed and seed stage companies that are developing differentiated and disruptive technologies. Anorak Ventures aims to assist these early-stage companies in achieving product-market fit and securing subsequent rounds of financing. The firm has built a substantial portfolio, having invested in over 120 seed-stage technology companies that collectively represent an aggregate market capitalization of $125 billion.

The firm's investment thesis, termed "Computing in the Third Dimension," centers on the convergence of several key technological areas. These include computer vision, robotics, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), and generative artificial intelligence. Anorak Ventures seeks out highly specialized teams, often referred to as "Anoraks," who possess a strong, sometimes obsessive, interest and deep expertise in niche technical subjects relevant to the fund's focus. They are particularly interested in companies that are tackling tough, complex problems at the intersection of the digital and physical worlds, including hardware-enabled services and advanced manufacturing.

Anorak Ventures was founded by Greg Castle, who serves as the Managing Partner. Castle brings a background as an entrepreneur and corporate marketer, with a significant track record in venture investing. He has been involved with over 150 seed-stage companies, with eight of these achieving unicorn status, including notable names like Oculus, Flexport, Anduril, Mux, Onebrief, Flock Safety, Sesame, and Rec Room. In July 2024, Charlie Leggate joined the team as a Partner, further strengthening the firm's expertise in deep tech and frontier technologies. Amal Dorai is also listed as a Partner.

The firm has actively raised funds, closing its debut fund at $13.5 million in 2017 and currently investing from its second fund, which has a target of $25 million. A first close for Fund 3 was scheduled for Q4 2024. Recent investments include Arinna, a space power startup, and ZeroTier, a software-defined networking company. Anorak Ventures' portfolio spans various innovative companies, reflecting its commitment to transformative technology across diverse sectors.