We kicked off 2024 with a bang by adding a new exciting manager to the AQVC portfolio!

Ex/ante I is a $35 million US-focused emerging manager investing in "agentic tech" that relates to human agency and rights in the digital age, spanning privacy, data, security, crypto, web3, and digital identity. This one-of-its-kind fund is well-positioned to tackle daunting global issues, from internet-based threats to democracy to intellectual property. At a time when the World Economic Forum identifies "AI-generated misinformation and disinformation", "cyberattacks", and "societal or political polarization" among the top five risks likely to cause a global crisis in 2024, investing in technologies that prevent and counteract these risks is more crucial than ever.

The fund’s founder and managing partner, Zoe Weinberg began her professional career at Goldman Sachs and, during her tenure at the IFC - International Finance Corporation’s the World Bank Group, gained insights into how technology can bring out the best and worst of society. Her work took her to Kenya with stops in Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Later in her career, she gained valuable political experience and served on the Congressional National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence in Washington.

Zoe started building ex/ante in 2020 under Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt’s public benefit venture facility, Schmidt Futures, before spinning it out in 2022. Schmidt Futures continues to be an LP in the fund. She was joined by Michael Mosier in early 2023, who is also a Partner in the fund. Michael, previously the top lawyer at crypto startups Espresso Systems and Chainalysis, has held leadership roles at the U.S. Treasury and the Department of Justice.

Ex/ante will be investing $500 thousand to $1 million checks in pre-seed and seed rounds, and has started to build the portfolio with companies including deep-fake detection startup Reality Defender, consumer identity company lockr, and self-custody business Webacy, among others.