EC Ad_dark.png

Engineering Capital partners with great entrepreneurs driven by technical insights. We boldly invest before traditional venture firms are willing. We lead seed rounds in companies defining new categories with the ambition to shape the future of information technology.

 

Portfolio

The investments represented above and below are not representative of all investments in the portfolio of Engineering Capital I, II, III or IV (the “Funds”). Information regarding the full portfolio, including historical performance of the portfolio are available upon request. There is no guarantee that investors in the Funds will have access to these or similar investments. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Previous Investments

 

About

Ashmeet SidanaCHIEF ENGINEER

Ashmeet Sidana

CHIEF ENGINEER

Adina LuoOPERATIONS (P/T)

Adina Luo

OPERATIONS (P/T)

Jim AndersonMENTOR

Jim Anderson

MENTOR

 
Steve BlankMENTOR

Steve Blank

MENTOR

Scott BonhamMENTOR

Scott Bonham

MENTOR

George KadifaMENTOR

George Kadifa

MENTOR

Kathryn GouldMENTOR  in memoriam

Kathryn Gould

MENTOR
in memoriam

 

Founders Talk

Our founders are at the heart of the Engineering Capital ecosystem.

We invest early. And we lead.

We invest in our founders before they even start a company.

Having successfully built a startup before, I knew what I wanted in an investor when I started thinking about vFunction. Ashmeet exceeded expectations—helping us even before we started in ways few investors can. Ashmeet brings a visceral understanding of technology combined with pragmatic wisdom on how to actually build a business from scratch, a hard combination to find. If you want to start a true technology company, I recommend you speak with Ashmeet first.

Moti Rafalin, Founder & CEO, vFunction

Ashmeet is my “co-founding” investor. He was the first investor in Yotascale and has been an amazing source of practical wisdom that can sometimes seem contrary to "convention". Ashmeet's prior experience as a founder & CEO makes him an invaluable asset to a startup founder & CEO compared to investors who lack that experience.

Asim Razzaq, Founder & CEO, YotaScale

Ashmeet helped us start Baffle in a way no investor can. He introduced the idea as a challenge to me, introduced me to my co-founder, helped vet the idea, co-authored our initial patent, and then wrote the first check! He is unique amongst the many VCs in Silicon Valley with his intellectual curiosity that highlights massive opportunities, the access his powerful network creates for his portfolio, and his focus on a relentless pursuit of product-market fit.

Ameesh Divatia, Founder & CEO, Baffle

Ashmeet was my first Investor in Asimily. He has provided constant support, encouragement, advice, and fresh perspectives through all our ups and downs and continues to stay engaged. He is always there when you need him but at the same time, gives you the space you need to execute. We are lucky to have Ashmeet!

Shankar Somasundaram, Founder & CEO, Asimily

Ashmeet was the first investor to commit to invest in Robust Intelligence. We had lots of interest, and his creative, out of the box approach created a foundation for our cap table which paid off handsomely in later rounds. He has a deep understanding of all aspects of venture, and plays win-win which makes him a great partner.

Yaron Singer, Founder & CEO, Robust Intelligence

 

We understand technology deeply.

“Venture capital for engineers” is not just a tagline. We get technology in a way few VCs do.

Ashmeet thinks fast and moves fast, and he actually understands the tech he invests in. His product experience gives him a real edge in his ability to support and advise founders, which have resulted in an active community of builders forming around Engineering Capital. Ashmeet was the third investor in my company, but he's my first call when I'll raise money for the next one.

Avner Braverman, Founder & CEO, Reshuffle

Since TCP/IP was adopted as the standard for enterprise networking in the 1980s, the principles behind its design have been taken for granted. Airgap has key insights that aim to disrupt this status-quo. When we approached Ashmeet for our seed round of funding, we not only found a great investor, but a partner who understood the fundamental technical gaps, aligned with us on the breakthrough technology led innovation and, most importantly, was equally eager to disrupt the market. If you are looking for a seasoned investor with deep business skills, an engineer with deep technical background, and a partner you can trust, you must connect with Ashmeet.

Ritesh Agrawal, Founder & CEO, AirGap Networks

 

We build long-term working relationships.

We work hard for our companies. Multiple, successful CEOs have chosen to work with us again and again.

Ashmeet was the first investor and board member in my first startup, Altor Networks, and is also the first investor I chose for Menlo Security. He has been an advisor, a friend, a trusted confidant. Few investors have seen startups from truly a clean sheet of paper like Ashmeet has—and it shows!

Amir Ben-Efraim, Founder & CEO, Menlo Security

I met Ashmeet when I was running my first startup, HTBase. We didn’t work together then, but I still reached out when I started Shipa. I am so glad I did! Ashmeet led the pre-seed at Shipa, and has been an incredible help ever since. He knows how to add tremendous value, but with a feather-light touch. Never a burden, and yet always available to help. The Shipa journey is still being written so we don’t know what lies ahead. But regardless of what the future brings, I know I want Ashmeet as my partner.

Bruno Andrade, Founder & CEO, Shipa

Ashmeet was a natural choice to be my first investor at Auditoria. He was also a seed investor in Palerra, my previous startup, which was bought by Oracle; and given the winding, complicated road that startups go through, I knew there was no one better to start this journey with, as well as support us through our growth and evolution.

Rohit Gupta, Founder & CEO, Auditoria



Ashmeet was a small investor in StackStorm, but added value disproportionate to size. He is gifted in efficiently getting to the crux of any matter with speed and empathy. In addition to ongoing advice, he rolled up his sleeves and helped create our exit. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him and would do it again, in a heartbeat!

Evan Powell, Founder & CEO, StackStorm

Ashmeet thinks long term. He led the seed and served on the Board of my first startup, Azure Power. After the very first board meeting his feedback was “you are running a marathon, not a sprint”. Combining that with practical advice from the amazing diversity of his real-world experiences set us on a path to our eventual IPO on the NYSE (AZRE).

Inderpreet Wadhwa, Founder & CEO, Azure

I had multiple choices and chose Ashmeet to the first investor in FluxNinja after working with him as the first investor in my previous company, Netsil. Ashmeet is the best investor to start your company with. He started and built a company himself and knows what it actually takes to build a startup from scratch. He understands technology, moves quickly, and knows how to help founders in just the way they need

Harjot Gill, Founder and CEO, FluxNinja

(formerly Founder and CEO, Netsil)

My perspective on VCs changed a lot after working with Ashmeet. The deal would not have been possible without your guidance and support

Sanjay Kalra, Founder & CEO ShiftRight, Founder & CPO Lacework

 

All statements above were made by CEOs of companies in which the Fund or managing member of the General Partner has made one or more investments and may invest in the future.  Testimonials are based on the individual experience of the CEOs and are not representative of all CEO experiences. No cash or non-cash compensation was provided in exchange for testimonials.  Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Features & Interviews

Data Is the New Oil... And the New Asbestos
Facebook, Google, Twitter, TikTok only work because of the vast troves of data they have collected. However, just like oil, data is dangerous, and can become toxic to the companies that collect them.

Stanford Online: 7 Myths about Venture Capital, Debunked
Ashmeet Sidana and Prof. Michael Lepech debunk some popular myths about Venture Capital.

Investor Connect with Hall Martin
Hall Martin and Ashmeet discuss what’s exciting in venture and the tectonic shifts now underway in the structure of technology investing itself.

Software Engineering Daily
Ashmeet and Jeff Meyerson discuss why reasoning by induction doesn’t work in venture investing, and how to evaluate an “open source Stripe”.

The Scott Becker Private Equity Podcast
Scott Becker interviews Ashmeet on how Engineering Capital invests and whether an MBA or Engineering background is more important.

The Best fertilizer is the dirt on your shoes
Fei Bo interviews Ashmeet on Loving Life.

Venture Unlocked with Samir Kaji
Ashmeet interview on being a Solo GP, investing in technical teams, and how data is the new oil … and the new asbestos.

She-VC by Gayatri Sarkar
Gayatri Sarkar interviews Ashmeet on the rise of Solo GPs, bringing operating skills to investing in venture capital and why the market needed yet another venture capital firm.

Sure Shot Entrepreneur with Gopi Rangan
Ashmeet interview on how Venture Capital is a service business, great entrepreneurs are good storytellers and creating unfair advantages with technical insights.

100x Entrepreneur with Siddhartha Ahluwalia
Ashmeet interview on why a company can be ONLY as big as its market and building a fund for engineers.