What I invest in
I look for founders who are building the operating system for entire industries. This requires extraordinary taste, grit, drive, and a vision for the future.
In practice that means I invest at the seed and early stage in companies building AI developer tools and the infrastructure underneath them. I have invested in and advised over sixty companies.
The best developer tools eliminate toil. AI is the most powerful lever for eliminating toil since we stopped writing assembly. Delegation is the new automation.
Founders develop taste and product instinct by solving a problem they know firsthand. The founders I get excited about build products that change the way you see the world the first time you use them.
I invest in AI and developer tools because I have shipped and operated the same kinds of software my portfolio companies are building. I pay particular attention to open source as a go-to-market strategy and to developer experience.
Further reading
- Seed 100: The Best Early-Stage VC Investors — Business Insider, 2026
- Jesse Robbins on the NYSE Floor — NYSE, 2019
- The Future of DevTools — Shift Magazine, 2024
- What Investors Look For in AI Startups — Shift Conference, 2024
- Why Market Size Trumps Everything in VC Deals — airCFO, 2026
About Jesse Robbins
Jesse Robbins cofounded Chef and the DevOps movement. He invests at the seed stage in AI developer tools and infrastructure. Learn more about Jesse.