Obvious Ventures
About Obvious Ventures
Obvious Ventures was founded in 2014 by Evan Williams, James Joaquin, and Vishal Vasishth. Williams also co-founded Twitter, Blogger, and Medium. Crunchbase and Dealroom list San Francisco as the firm's base, which differs from the Sao Paulo headquarters in our records, so the location should be checked before publication. The firm's fifth fund closed in January 2026 with $360,360,360, according to TechCrunch. Tracxn lists Deepa Shiva among the team members.
The firm's stated thesis is backing entrepreneurs who aim to reimagine very large industries across planetary, human, and economic health. Its AI activity includes Radical Numerics, an AI research lab building general biological intelligence, which raised a $50M seed round in June 2026 led by Emergence Capital, with Obvious participating. Obvious also led an earlier round in Zanskar, which uses data and AI to locate geothermal energy. Inductive Bio, which applies AI to generative chemistry, appears in its 2025 activity. The sources reviewed do not name the partners who lead the firm's AI investing.
Public trackers list Seed and Series A as the firm's stages. Seedtable counts 12 seed deals and 40 Series A deals among rounds with a recorded stage. Check sizes conflict across sources: f4 lists $5M to $12M, while vcsheet lists $250K to $6M. Neither source is an official firm disclosure, so founders should confirm terms directly with the firm.
- Radical Numerics: AI research lab building general biological intelligence; $50M seed round in June 2026, led by Emergence Capital with Obvious participating.
- Boltz: AI round listed on the Lounge deals desk; $28M seed round in January 2026.
- Zanskar: uses data and AI to identify and develop geothermal energy; Obvious led its previous round before a $115M Series C announced in January 2026.
- Inductive Bio: AI-powered generative chemistry; Obvious investment listed for 2025.
- Dexterity: AI-driven robotics for warehouses; listed in the firm's portfolio.
- crunchbase.com/organization/obvious-ventures
- cnbc.com/2025/02/26/obvious-ventures-started-by-twitters-williams-rais
- techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/obvious-ventures-lands-fund-five-with-a-360-
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Williams_(Internet_entrepreneur))
- hustlefund.vc/post/angel-squad-lev-williams-investments-the-man-who-bu
- f4.fund/firms/obvious-ventures
- vcsheet.com/fund/obvious-ventures
- seedtable.com/investors/obvious-ventures
Investing activity
Obvious Ventures has made 198 investments according to Crunchbase across 124 portfolio companies, and has led 56 rounds and seen 24 exits, 5 of them by IPO.
Obvious Ventures appears in 2 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $78M. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $50M. The most recent are Radical Numerics (Seed, $50M, Jun 2026) and Boltz (Seed, $28M, Jan 2026).
Obvious Ventures most often invests alongside Emergence Capital, Factory, Triatomic and First Spark Ventures, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Obvious Ventures
Does Obvious Ventures invest in AI startups?
Yes. Its public portfolio includes AI-driven companies in biology, chemistry, robotics, and geothermal energy, such as Radical Numerics and Zanskar.
What stages does Obvious Ventures invest in?
Public trackers list Seed and Series A as its stages. Seedtable counts 12 seed deals and 40 Series A deals among rounds with a recorded stage.
What is the typical check size at Obvious Ventures?
Sources disagree. f4 lists $5M to $12M and vcsheet lists $250K to $6M, so confirm current terms with the firm before pitching.
When was Obvious Ventures founded and by whom?
The firm was founded in 2014 by Evan Williams, James Joaquin, and Vishal Vasishth. Its fifth fund raised $360,360,360 and closed in January 2026.
Where is Obvious Ventures headquartered?
Crunchbase and Dealroom list San Francisco, California as the base. The Sao Paulo location in our records has not been confirmed by any source reviewed.
What AI companies has Obvious Ventures invested in?
Obvious Ventures's AI investments include Radical Numerics and Boltz. The 2 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Obvious Ventures based?
Obvious Ventures is based in San Francisco, California, United States.
What stage does Obvious Ventures invest at?
In the rounds tracked on AI Lounge, Obvious Ventures has invested at Seed, with a median round of $50M.
Who does Obvious Ventures co-invest with?
Obvious Ventures's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Emergence Capital (1 deal), Factory (1 deal), Triatomic (1 deal), First Spark Ventures (1 deal) and Zetta Venture Partners (1 deal).
How can founders reach Obvious Ventures?
Founders on AI Lounge can see Obvious Ventures's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Obvious Ventures to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.