the home for exceptional founders embarking on good quests.
the home for exceptional
founders embarking
on good quests.
the home for exceptional founders embarking
on good quests.
[we read every submissions on a rolling basis]
[we read every submissions on a rolling basis]
what will you build to move civilization forward?
silicon valley is in a crisis of bad quests.
We are living in the most important technological inflection point of our lifetimes, yet our best builders are chasing safe bets, ai wrappers, or early retirement.
at savant, we exist for the few who choose otherwise.
we back exceptional founders taking on civilization-defining problems at the earliest stage. these quests are hard – they’re operationally complex, capital-intensive, and technically near-impossible. but they’re the only quests that matter.
If you’re the kind of person who didn’t come here to play it safe. you came to push humanity forward. we built this for you. this is your arena.
silicon valley is in a crisis of bad quests.
We are living in the most important technological inflection point of our lifetimes, yet our best builders are chasing safe bets, ai wrappers, or early retirement.
at savant, we exist for the few who choose otherwise.
we back exceptional founders taking on civilization-defining problems at the earliest stage. these quests are hard – they’re operationally complex, capital-intensive, and technically near-impossible. but they’re the only quests that matter.
If you’re the kind of person who didn’t come here to play it safe. you came to push humanity forward. we built this for you. this is your arena.
Our focus areas
Our focus areas
These are the 4 areas we believe will have the most transformative impact in the next decade of our lives.
Robotics
Robotics is crossing the threshold from research to deployment, unlocking the physical layer of intelligence. Costs are falling, models are becoming reliable, and global labor constraints are accelerating adoption.
AGI infra
The race to AGI is no longer bottlenecked by bits, but by atoms: energy, chips, infrastructure, and data movement. The next generation of dominant companies will be built around these constraints.
Space
Falling launch costs are unlocking real & fast growing commercial markets. The space economy is emerging as a new layer of economic infrastructure.
Defense
Geopolitics, AI, and autonomy are changing how power is measured and projected. The next generation of defense companies will be built in software-defined, hardware enabled integrated systems.
exploring an idea? read our request for good quests
Supercharging founders tackling civilization's hardest & most necessary problems from -1 to 0
Supercharging founders tackling civilization's hardest & most necessary problems from -1 to 0
exceptional Founders choose us because we help them navigate the unknown with an unfair advantage and move faster than they could alone.
accelerate your build from our lab space in sf
accelerate your build from our lab space in sf
6,200 sq ft private hardware lab purpose-built for the most ambitious founders working on frontier technologies. This is the launchpad for your quest.
6,200 sq ft private hardware lab purpose-built for the most ambitious founders working on frontier technologies. This is the launchpad for your quest.
founder community that pushes you
founder community that pushes you
Join a highly selective community of founders pursuing civilizational quests. these are founders who raise your standards, challenge your thinking, and push you to grow faster as a founder. To support that growth, we host office hours, weekly lunches, and curated events with experts—helping accelerate your learning, expand your network, and strengthen the bonds within the community.
Join a highly selective community of founders pursuing civilizational quests. these are founders who raise your standards, challenge your thinking, and push you to grow faster as a founder. To support that growth, we host office hours, weekly lunches, and curated events with experts—helping accelerate your learning, expand your network, and strengthen the bonds within the community.
Join a highly selective community of founders pursuing civilizational quests. these are founders who raise your standards, challenge your thinking, and push you to grow faster as a founder. To support that growth, we host office hours, weekly lunches, and curated events with experts—helping accelerate your learning, expand your network, and strengthen the bonds within the community.
raise from the most strategic investors through demo day
raise from the most strategic investors through demo day
There is no shortage of capital in the market. What is hard is finding deeply strategic investors who can accelerate your company far beyond capital alone. Our biannual Demo Day brings together a small group of elite deep tech investors to help you build the right relationships and speed up your fundraising.
There is no shortage of capital in the market. What is hard is finding deeply strategic investors who can accelerate your company far beyond capital alone. Our biannual Demo Day brings together a small group of elite deep tech investors to help you build the right relationships and speed up your fundraising.
Savant is run by a team of repeat founders
Jeson Lee
general partner
read bio
Adeel Zaman
AGI venture partner
read bio
Ashis Ghosh
robotics venture partner
read bio
onkar batra
space & defense venture partner
read bio
onkar batra
space & defense venture partner
read bio
FAQ
What is Savant, really?
What:
savant is home to exceptional technologists embarking on good quests at the earliest stage—ideas that are hard, consequential, underserved, and civilizational.
Who:
we look for people (“explorers”) who are still very early in their journey: those preparing to leave their jobs within the next 2 months, or those already exploring full-time, often before raising their first institutional round.
What you get:
a rare concentration of exceptional peers to help navigate the brutal -1 to 0 phase, plus: access to a hardware lab & office space to build and gather, office hours, weekly lunches, events with industry experts, and access to our network—before we ever write a check.
what does the community look like?
our community is a tight-knit group of highly technical, deeply ambitious founders starting new companies, many of whom have spent time at frontier-leading labs, startups, and tech companies.
we screen for individuals who possess high agency, deep mission alignment, and long-term thinking: people committed to dedicating the next chapter of their lives to building companies that push civilization forward.
by joining, you will be surrounded by exceptional peers who raise your standards, challenge your thinking, and push you to grow faster as a founder.
How long do I get to explore at savant?
Explorers typically spend up to 4 months exploring at Savant. After these 4 months, many explorers raise capital for their companies or graduate to work on their next endeavor full-time.
Do I need to be located in San Francisco to be a part of the community?
yes — the community we are building is intentionally in person. we are looking for explorers who can fully take advantage of what we offer: lab & office space, in-person accountability, and curated events. in practice, that usually means being based in SF.
When is the deadline to apply?
We admit Explorers on a rolling basis and will start processing your application whenever you apply. Once admitted, you can choose when to start. From that point, you will have access to our resources for the next 4 months.
what does the physical ai lab consist of?
the lab is a 6,200+ sq ft space located in a vibrant part of san francisco (just a 4-minute walk from openai and physical intelligence). for selected explorers and portfolio founders, it is free to use with 24/7 availability.
the savant lab includes:
a manufacturing room with a cnc machine, 3d printers, soldering stations, laser cutter, and more
a fully equipped podcast/media room
meeting & conference rooms
office space with individual & group workstations
event space with a built-in stage & audio system to host your own events and/or demos
Do you invest? And how?
yes, we do invest. there are two main ways:
(1) fellowship: for select explorers, we invest $50k via an uncapped safe, typically as the first check in.
(2) seed investment: for pre-seed or seed-stage founders, we invest up to $500k.
I'm exploring /starting something new. how can I be an "explorer" or raise funding from you?
apply directly through our website. no warm intro needed. we read every application and keep the process fair & merit-driven. if there’s a fit, we’ll reach out for a conversation.
What if my startup idea is not within your focus areas?
you’re still welcome to apply, as we are open to investing in a select few companies outside our thesis. however, our resources, support, and expertise are best suited for those who are in-thesis.
What is Savant, really?
What:
savant is home to exceptional technologists embarking on good quests at the earliest stage—ideas that are hard, consequential, underserved, and civilizational.
Who:
we look for people (“explorers”) who are still very early in their journey: those preparing to leave their jobs within the next 2 months, or those already exploring full-time, often before raising their first institutional round.
What you get:
a rare concentration of exceptional peers to help navigate the brutal -1 to 0 phase, plus: access to a hardware lab & office space to build and gather, office hours, weekly lunches, events with industry experts, and access to our network—before we ever write a check.
what does the community look like?
our community is a tight-knit group of highly technical, deeply ambitious founders starting new companies, many of whom have spent time at frontier-leading labs, startups, and tech companies.
we screen for individuals who possess high agency, deep mission alignment, and long-term thinking: people committed to dedicating the next chapter of their lives to building companies that push civilization forward.
by joining, you will be surrounded by exceptional peers who raise your standards, challenge your thinking, and push you to grow faster as a founder.
How long do I get to explore at savant?
Explorers typically spend up to 4 months exploring at Savant. After these 4 months, many explorers raise capital for their companies or graduate to work on their next endeavor full-time.
Do I need to be located in San Francisco to be a part of the community?
yes — the community we are building is intentionally in person. we are looking for explorers who can fully take advantage of what we offer: lab & office space, in-person accountability, and curated events. in practice, that usually means being based in SF.
When is the deadline to apply?
We admit Explorers on a rolling basis and will start processing your application whenever you apply. Once admitted, you can choose when to start. From that point, you will have access to our resources for the next 4 months.
what does the physical ai lab consist of?
the lab is a 6,200+ sq ft space located in a vibrant part of san francisco (just a 4-minute walk from openai and physical intelligence). for selected explorers and portfolio founders, it is free to use with 24/7 availability.
the savant lab includes:
a manufacturing room with a cnc machine, 3d printers, soldering stations, laser cutter, and more
a fully equipped podcast/media room
meeting & conference rooms
office space with individual & group workstations
event space with a built-in stage & audio system to host your own events and/or demos
Do you invest? And how?
yes, we do invest. there are two main ways:
(1) fellowship: for select explorers, we invest $50k via an uncapped safe, typically as the first check in.
(2) seed investment: for pre-seed or seed-stage founders, we invest up to $500k.
I'm exploring /starting something new. how can I be an "explorer" or raise funding from you?
apply directly through our website. no warm intro needed. we read every application and keep the process fair & merit-driven. if there’s a fit, we’ll reach out for a conversation.
What if my startup idea is not within your focus areas?
you’re still welcome to apply, as we are open to investing in a select few companies outside our thesis. however, our resources, support, and expertise are best suited for those who are in-thesis.
start application
start application
start application
No referrals or intros needed. We read every submission, and review apps on a rolling basis. You will hear back from us within 2 weeks.
No referrals or intros needed. We read every submission, and review apps on a rolling basis. You will hear back from us within 2 weeks.