Swell partners

General contacts

Investor type

PE / VC

Founded

2018

AUM

Location

New York, New York, United States

Investment Ticket

$0-1 m

Investment Stage

Pre-seed Seed

Region of investment

North America

Investor profile last updated: 13 August, 2026

Profile

Swell VC is a New York-based pre-seed and seed fund specializing in AI investments for critical infrastructure. The firm was founded by Rusty Ralston and Jay Patil, who have worked together as partners for over 15 years, first meeting in 2008 at an AI startup. Swell VC emphasizes their operational experience and direct involvement with portfolio companies, offering more than just capital by actively helping in building early-stage teams and providing strategic insights.

Swell VC invests in Enterprise AI, Space & Defense, Bio, and Industrial sectors. They focus on autonomous systems, programmable biology, and technology that makes physical infrastructure as efficient as software. The firm operates primarily in North America and writes checks mainly in the $0-1 million range at the pre-seed and seed stages.

Their portfolio includes notable companies such as Loft Orbital - space infrastructure, Crisp - reducing global food waste using AI, Deepnight - AI-powered night vision, and RyboDyn - therapies using untapped proteins. Their investment strategy is driven by a founder-focused mentality, recognizing and nurturing talent that others may overlook.

Industry

AI Industrial Internet and Web Services Robotics Media and Entertainment Marketing and Advertising

Swell partners Funds

Name	Type	Industry	Stage	Region	Size	AUM	Launch date
Swell Partners Fund II	Private Equity (PE) Venture Capital (VC)	Robotics Media and Entertainment Marketing and Advertising Internet and Web Services Industrial AI	Pre-seed Seed	North America	$1-5 m	—	January 2024

Contacts

Name

Title

Social Networks

Rusty Ralston Partner

Partner

r•••@•••

Jay Patil Partner

Partner

j•••@•••

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Investment-team contacts for Swell partners — including verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — are available to Private Equity List subscribers.
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Contacts sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn, re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.

FAQs about Swell partners

Is Swell partners a venture capital or private equity firm?

Swell partners is a venture capital and private equity firm. It backs companies at Pre-seed and Seed, writing tickets of $0-1 m.

Where is Swell partners located?

Swell partners is located in New York, New York, United States.

When was Swell partners founded?

Swell partners was founded in 2018.

What sectors and industries does Swell partners invest in?

Swell partners invests in companies and startups in AI, Industrial, Internet and Web Services, Robotics, Media and Entertainment, Marketing and Advertising.

What is Swell partners geographical focus of investments?

Swell partners invests in companies and startups in North America.

At what stages of companies and startups does Swell partners typically invest in?

Swell partners invests in companies and startups at Pre-seed, Seed.

What is the usual amount of Swell partners investment?

Swell partners usually invests $0-1 m on average.

What are the contacts of Swell partners?

Swell partners can be reached through its website swell.vc, its LinkedIn page and its X account. Its general enquiries address is [email protected]. Cold-mailing a general inbox rarely reaches a partner, so Private Equity List also lists the investment-team contacts for Swell partners — names, roles, verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — available on a Pro plan from $129/month (see pricing). Contacts are sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn and re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.

Can I access Swell partners data via API or MCP?

Yes. Every field on this page — profile, funds, investment criteria, portfolio and investment-team contacts — is available programmatically through the Private Equity List REST API and MCP server, so AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT can query Swell partners directly instead of scraping this page. One subscription covers both the web app and machine access — see API & MCP.

When was the Swell partners profile last updated?

Private Equity List re-verifies investor profiles on a rolling cycle, pulling from the firm's own website and LinkedIn rather than a one-off import. This profile was last updated on 13 August, 2026. Something out of date here? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.