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Anku Madan
Principal at Obvious Ventures
Ankesh Madan is a Principal at Obvious Ventures, focusing on early-stage investments in climate technology and deep tech sectors. Here are some key details about his background and current role:
Career Transition
Ankesh recently joined Obvious Ventures in 2023 after spending 3.5 years at Hitachi Ventures.5 At Obvious Ventures, he is part of a team investing in early-stage, purpose-driven entrepreneurs reimagining trillion-dollar industries.2
Investment Focus
As a Principal at Obvious Ventures, Ankesh concentrates on:
- Climate technologies
- Synthetic biology
- Carbon dioxide removal
- Geothermal energy
- Energy asset data
- Transmission grid technologies4
Previous Experience
Before joining Obvious Ventures, Ankesh's career included:
- Senior Associate at Hitachi Ventures (2020-2023)
- Roles at institutional VC firms Propel(x) and Plug and Play Tech Center
- Co-founder of a date rape drug detection company during college1
Investment Philosophy
Ankesh is particularly interested in:
- Teams that can quickly execute and adapt in nascent markets
- Startups working in areas without established playbooks, like synthetic biology and carbon dioxide removal
- Entrepreneurs who can help build the foundations of new industries3
Education and Background
- Holds a Bachelor of Science degree
- Describes himself as a "recovering materials scientist"4
Ankesh's diverse background as an entrepreneur, scientist, and investor in deep tech and climate technologies has shaped his approach to venture capital and his focus on transformative technologies.
Highlights
After an incredible 3.5 years at Hitachi Ventures, I’m excited to take on a new adventure - I’m joining Obvious Ventures as a Principal focused on climate solutions!
I’m forever grateful to Pete Bastien and the partnership at Hitachi Ventures for taking a bet on me in 2020 in the middle of a chaotic time; as I reflect on my time at the firm, I’m prouder than ever of the platform we've built and the founders we've backed to date.
The journey is still in its early stages, but I’m excited to bring my learnings and experience (back) to San Francisco to join Andrew Beebe and the Obvious Ventures team.
Stay tuned, we’ll have lots of exciting things to share in the months to come.
Climate/SF community, let’s hang!
I am excited to announce Hitachi Ventures' latest investment into Proscia!
Proscia is digitizing the pathology workflow through its platform-plus-AI approach to enable pathologists to diagnose better and faster, and we couldn't be more excited to participate in their $23M Series B funding alongside Scale Venture Partners.
It's been six years since first meeting David West at the Kairos Summit in Los Angeles and hearing about his early vision for Proscia, and it is truly inspiring to see that vision be executed against in real-time.
From the press release: “It’s incredible how analog this space is,” West said. “It’s the last ‘-ology’ to go digital, so this is really in the first inning.”
Congratulations to the Proscia team, we're looking forward to being a part of your journey!
Pete Bastien
