Useful intelligence, not demos.
Agents, inference infra, vertical copilots that compound data. Having shipped LLM systems at Google, I can tell demo-ware from product-ware in 10 minutes.
I find pre‑seed companies that
turn into tomorrow's unicorns.
I'm Karl Qu — AI engineer at Google by day, venture scout by night. I back ambitious technical founders across AI, space, and fintech, and connect them with the right checks at seed and Series A.
01
What I'm looking for
Technical founders, obviously hard problems.
Three focus areas where I have the deepest networks and highest conviction —
Atoms, but with venture returns.
Launch economics, in-space services, Earth observation, and dual-use defense. Patient on physics, impatient on go-to-market and unit economics.
Rebundling the boring parts.
Infra for payments, treasury, and underwriting; vertical fintech where software eats a pre-software P&L. I care about distribution more than features.
02
How to pitch me
A 5-minute email beats a 45-minute deck.
I read everything that lands in my inbox. Here's the shortest path to a real conversation and an intro to a fund.
avg. first-reply < 72h
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01
5 min
One paragraph, one link
What you're building, for whom, and why now. Link to a live product or a 5-slide deck — whichever shows more.
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02
—
The one metric
The single number that proves you're onto something — retention curve, unit economics, waitlist growth, a signed LOI.
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03
30 min
30-minute call
If there's fit, we do a no-slides call. I ask mean questions so the real VCs don't have to.
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04
1 wk
Intros, warm and fast
I double-opt-in every intro. You get context; partners get conviction. Expect 2–4 intros within the week.
— Do send
- A link I can click in 5 seconds
- One specific ask (intro to X, feedback on Y)
- A screen recording > a slide of screenshots
- Technical founders — even if the deck is ugly
- Weird ideas that "wouldn't fundraise"
— Don't send
- "Quick call to explore synergies"
- NDAs before first conversation
- Revenue projections past year 3
- A 40-slide deck without a product
- "We have no competitors"
03
For funds & GPs
A dedicated channel into US technical founders.
I currently scout for a handful of pre-seed and seed funds. If your fund is looking for a focused, technical scout in SF with deep coverage of AI, space, and fintech — let's talk.
01
Deal flow
~600 inbound & sourced decks per year, filtered to the top ~5%.
~600 inbound & sourced decks per year, filtered to the top ~5%.
02
Technical diligence
First-pass read on product, architecture, and defensibility.
First-pass read on product, architecture, and defensibility.
03
Founder network
Google eng alumni, YC, SPC, and deep-tech labs across the Bay.
Google eng alumni, YC, SPC, and deep-tech labs across the Bay.
04
Structure
Standard scout program — carried interest on sourced deals; open to bespoke.
Standard scout program — carried interest on sourced deals; open to bespoke.
04
Notes & writing
What I'm seeing, one essay at a time.
Currently writing — Space is cheap again · What I got wrong in 2025 · A scout's contract, explained · Fintech's boring middle
05
Get in touch
Tell me what you're actually building.
Building something obviously hard?
Running a fund that needs more signal?
Tell me what you're building in a paragraph. If there's a fit with my thesis or network, I'll reply within 72 hours.
Happy to chat about scout programs, co-investment, or just compare notes on what we're each seeing in AI, space, and fintech.
Based in San Francisco · Pacific Time · Reply within 72h