by Conrad Shang
We are extremely targeted with the companies we approach.
We spend all of our time playing offense––making sure we’re objective and aggressive in connecting with every outlier team we’ve identified.
Our investment process starts with proprietary insights on team quality, so when we meet with companies, it’s because we already see something special. We’re not perfect, but our goal is to follow a general set of investment process principles below.
- Curiosity Over Skepticism: Our first meetings are about exploring potential, not imposing biases. We aim to discover unique opportunities, not limit them to familiar schools, networks, or backgrounds. Founders shouldn’t need to conform to a mold to get funded, and we’re committed to fostering innovation by expanding the conversation.
- Two-Way Value in Every Meeting: A great meeting is a collaborative exchange. Whether it’s sharing insights, challenging ideas, or providing actionable feedback, our goal is to add value—even if we’re not the right partner. Founders’ time is precious, and we respect that.
- Respect the Builder’s Journey: Founders drive the business; our role is to support that effort. We prioritize speed and clarity in our decision-making and encourage founders to hold us accountable to timelines that match their pace.
- Be Prepared, Be Engaged: We come to meetings ready and excited to engage with your vision. Anything less reflects poorly on how a VC might act post-investment, and we believe founders deserve engaged, committed partners at every stage.
These principles reflect our belief that venture capital should serve and amplify the work of founders, and we strive to embody that in every interaction.
Conrad Shang joins 'Venture with Grace' podcast to talk AI, Deep Tech, Healthcare, and the future of VC
In a recent interview with Grace Gong, Ensemble founding partner Conrad Shang explains how the firm’s AI-native infrastructure and software-first approach give it a competitive edge in winning deals and supporting founders. He highlights Ensemble’s long-term conviction in data-driven venture—built before it was fashionable—and how their proprietary tools like GTM 2.0 turn vague promises into tangible results. At its core, Ensemble believes that while data guides attention, it’s the people you surround yourself with who drive outcomes.
WATCH: Collin West talks next-gen VC on the VC10X podcast with Prashant Choubey
In his recent appearance on the VC10X Podcast, Ensemble founder Collin West laid out the art of data-driven venture and the future of the industry. As we've said many times before, there's a lot more to our approach than just collecting data. Over the last decade, Ensemble has been at the forefront of developing the processes integral to converting data insights into actionable, outbound strategies.
From Brains to Nervous Systems: The Agentic Revolution in AI Infrastructure
In the second installment of Lilly’s series on AI infrastructure, we explore why Agentic AI is more than a passing trend. As organizations move beyond basic LLMs, autonomous agents are emerging as the key to real-world impact—driving action, orchestration, and results. Learn how this shift is reshaping the AI stack from the ground up.
Press Release: Ensemble VC “Unity” launch
Ensemble VC launches Unity, a first-of-its-kind AI platform to derisk venture capital investing by ranking startup teams with hundreds of objective data points. Already in use by Draper Associates, Boost, Overmatch, and Wilson Sonsini, Unity empowers VCs to source, select, and support high-potential startups with precision across sectors like SaaS, AI, defense tech, and space.
Welcome to the team, Hannah Vu!
We’re excited to welcome Hannah Vu to Ensemble VC as a Data Engineer, where she’ll help scale the back-end infrastructure that powers Unity, Ensemble's proprietary data platform.
Rare Earth Elements: The Next Big Thing Is Buried
In a world obsessed with software, the next decacorn might come from a mine. With China controlling 90% of rare earth processing, a new industrial frontier is opening for founders to rebuild the backbone of modern technology—starting with the ground beneath our feet.
