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Drew Volpe

Founder and Managing Partner at First Star Ventures

Drew Volpe is a prominent investor and entrepreneur based in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of First Star Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in deep technology startups focusing on data, machine learning, and decentralization.1

Investment Experience

Drew Volpe has invested in numerous companies, including:

  • Vistapath (Investor since December 2021)1
  • Jellyfish (Seed round investor since July 2017)
  • Salient Predictions (Founding Investor since January 2020)
  • Oort (Led pre-seed round, investing since August 2019)
  • ChiselStrike Inc. (Investor since August 2021)
  • Robigo (Pre-seed investor since October 2021)
  • Nomic Bio (Pre-seed investor since September 2019)

Professional Background

Entrepreneurial Experience:: Drew co-founded Locately, a pioneer in using mobile phone sensor data for consumer insights and marketing measurement. The company was successfully acquired by SMG.1

Corporate Experience::

  • VP Product Development at Semantic Machines (acquired by Microsoft)
  • Director of Product Development at Endeca Technologies
  • Software Engineer at Idiom and Elytics

Education

Drew Volpe holds an AB in Computer Science from Harvard University, where he also served as a Teaching Fellow.1

Current Focus

As the Managing Partner of First Star Ventures, Drew focuses on investing in entrepreneurs solving real-world problems with deep technology. His areas of interest include AI/ML, data, Bitcoin, crypto, climate, and techbio.2

Drew Volpe's extensive experience in technology and investment makes him a valuable asset to the companies he supports, including Vistapath.

Highlights

Feb 24 · twitter

Cambridge, after the snow https://t.co/FBsUTcnidV

Cambridge, after the snow https://t.co/FBsUTcnidV
Feb 14 · twitter

Hearing this story a lot: sales/marketing team uses agents to build their own tools without developers. Works great and then they create a gaping security hole that risks the whole company.

Apr 11 · The Boston Globe
Boston needs to get smarter about AI - The Boston Globe
Boston needs to get smarter about AI - The Boston Globe
'Any medicine is at risk': Biotech execs condemn judicial overturning ... - The Business Journals
'Any medicine is at risk': Biotech execs condemn judicial overturning ... - The Business Journals

Related Questions

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How did Drew Volpe start his career in tech?
What is the focus of First Star Ventures under Drew Volpe's leadership?
What are Drew Volpe's key interests outside of investing?
How has Drew Volpe's experience at Harvard influenced his investment strategy?
Drew Volpe
Drew Volpe, photo 1
Drew Volpe, photo 2
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Experience

Founder / Managing Partner at First Star Ventures since November 2016
VP Product Development at Semantic Machines, Co-founder and CTO at Locately

Education

AB in Computer Science from Harvard University, 1997 - 2001

Location

Boston, Massachusetts, United States