ff Venture Capital Elects Ryan Armbrust General Partner, Alex Katz Named Managing Partner, David Teten Appointed Venture Partner
During the past year, ff Venture Capital (ffVC) has continued to grow its portfolio companies and expand its operations and investment teams. ffVC’s 4th fund, ff Sapphire (IV), is fully invested and now we are investing in new portfolio companies from our 5th seed- and early-stage VC fund, ff Graphite (V), which is targeted at $150 million.
In addition, ffVC’s partnership with New York University Tandon School of Engineering and NYU Future Labs continues to expand, both with the Future Labs AI Summit, a national conference focused on artificial intelligence (AI) that will be held on April 5th, as well as ffVC’s investment in five promising AI-focused startups now operating as part of the program at the NYU/ffVC AI NexusLab.
Today, in continuation of ffVC’s growth, we are pleased to announce that Ryan Armbrust has been elected General Partner, Alex Katz has been named Managing Partner, and David Teten has become a Venture Partner.
Ryan Armbrust’s election to General Partner comes after more than five years at ffVC, most recently in the role of Managing Director. Ryan previously served for seven years at Columbia Technology Ventures, where he commercialized the early-stage technology developed within the research labs of Columbia University. With a deep technology background, Ryan is focused on seed- and early-stage investments in such areas as AI & machine learning, robotics, drones, cybersecurity and enterprise software. Most recently, Ryan has been responsible for ffVC’s investments in many companies, including serving as a director of Dashbot, Skip, GreatHorn, and Bloomz, as well as board observer for Plated.
We are thrilled that Ryan has agreed to join the partnership. He clearly has earned it through his successful track record of investments, strong company-building skills, and his ability to work extraordinarily well with both other investment professionals and brilliant technologists. Ryan is a leading and sought-after investor, a frequent speaker on emerging technologies, and will continue to serve as ffVC’s representative to the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). In addition, Ryan, along with John Frankel, leads the team responsible for ffVC’s partnership with NYU Tandon.
Alex Katz’s appointment to Managing Partner is further recognition of the responsibilities he has long held as a co-founder of ffVC. As an attorney and an accountant, Alex has both guided the firm’s expansion and led more than 30 investments since 2009, including his current duties as a director of the Better Software Company, DocAuthority, Foundersuite, and Hijro, and as board observer of Ionic Security and Muse by InteraXon. Alex’s designation as Managing Partner reinforces and clarifies his acknowledged role as a leader in ffVC’s growth and future strategic plans.
We also announce that David Teten will transition to Venture Partner at the Firm. He will continue to work with ffVC to oversee select portfolio companies. In particular, David will continue to serve as a director of Authorea and SignUp.com, and as an advisor to Earnest Research Corp. We appreciate David’s role in the New York City startup and angel investing community and, after serving as a General Partner at ffVC, we respect David’s interest in developing and expanding his personal opportunities in the venture capital industry. It is anticipated that David will serve a one-year term as a Venture Partner, and his other endeavors likely will create new opportunities for ffVC and its portfolio companies.
At ffVC, we are believers in the benefits and returns from investing in venture capital, and we are extraordinarily optimistic about the positive impact and universal reach of new technologies on enterprises and individuals. Artificial intelligence, data analytics, robotics and computer processing will continue to drive new efficiencies as well as create new capabilities, markets, and industries. We are pleased to have a strong team of investment and technology professionals driving ffVC’s growth and investment success. We respect and appreciate our colleagues and we are grateful for the confidence of our institutional and individual limited partners.
