Strange Ventures

Strange Ventures is a San Francisco-based pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2024 by Tara Tan (formerly at IDEO CoLab Ventures), specializing in writing first checks into deeply technical inventor-founders building the next frontier of computing, with a strong emphasis on AI infrastructure, deep software, developer tools, and the intersection of technology with human creativity. The firm takes a design-driven approach, acting as the first creative and capital partner to bold founders whose ideas often seem "strange" at the outset but have transformative potential, offering unique programs like Blueprint (pairing design experts with portfolio companies) and the Strange 100 (a global network of creative leaders in AI and tech). With a growing early portfolio including investments in Archetype AI (foundation models for physical AI), VideoDB (video infrastructure for AI applications), BLNG (creative tools), and others focused on generative AI and multimodal systems, Strange Ventures distinguishes itself through hands-on product and go-to-market support rooted in design thinking to help build generational companies.