Zero Shot

Profile

Zero Shot is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, founded by alumni of OpenAI including former applied engineering chief Evan Morikawa. The firm, launched in 2026, has five general partners who collectively bring experience in AI product engineering, research, and operations from their time at OpenAI and prominent tech companies. Zero Shot distinguishes itself by leveraging its deep AI expertise and insider knowledge of frontier model roadmaps to guide its investment decisions.

Zero Shot invests in seed-stage companies with a focus on AI applications and infrastructure that maintain a competitive moat despite advancements in foundation model capabilities. Their sectoral focus includes robotics, energy, automation, infrastructure, security, and observability. The typical investment ranges from $1 million to $4 million, aligning with their $100 million fund size. Geographically, they focus on US-centric startups, particularly those in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Notable investments by Zero Shot include Worktrace AI, a workflow automation startup founded by an ex-OpenAI PM, and Foundry Robotics, which focuses on AI-enhanced factory robotics. These investments align with Zero Shot's thesis of backing companies positioned to maintain their market advantage over evolving AI models, rather than betting on categories likely to be commoditized into new model releases.