Cherubic Ventures Completes $68.88 Million Fund VI, AUM Exceeds $500 Million
Cherubic Ventures Closes $68.88 Million Fund VI
Cherubic Ventures, a notable player in the venture capital landscape, has recently announced the closing of its sixth fund, Fund VI, which successfully raised $68.88 million. This pivotal event not only underscores the firm's ongoing commitment to fostering innovation but also brings its total assets under management to over $500 million across all six funds.
The significance of the fund size, resonating with the symbolism of the number eight in East Asian cultures—often associated with prosperity and fortune—highlights the firm's strategic alignment with culturally meaningful values. Investors in Fund VI include a seasoned roster of global institutional investors, foundations, as well as numerous publicly listed companies and high-net-worth individuals.
Focus on Early-Stage AI Investments
Cherubic Ventures has retained its focus on early-stage investments, specifically targeting AI-native companies. The firm seeks to back innovators in diverse areas such as infrastructure, developer tools, enterprise software, healthcare, physical AI, and robotics. One standout in its portfolio is Sudo AI, a robotics startup that has quickly gained traction and is now valued at nearly $2 billion, barely two years after its inception. This valuation places it firmly within the coveted unicorn category.
Matt Cheng, Founder and Solo General Partner of Cherubic Ventures, reflects on his ten-year journey, stating, "After ten years, I am more certain than ever about why I chose to invest at the earliest stages. Working alongside exceptional founders, finding a path through uncertainty, and ultimately changing an industry is what keeps driving me."
As artificial intelligence continues to revolutionize various sectors, Cherubic Ventures is on the lookout for founders employing this technology to craft innovative products that will reshape markets. Since 2024, the firm’s commitment has generated an impressive array of investments in AI-related enterprises.
Notable Portfolio Highlights
Within its robotics investments, Sudo AI is co-founded by leading researcher Hao Su, recognized for his work in embodied AI and 3D vision. His innovation, the sudo R1 robotic system, is distinctive because it is trained through virtual simulation, enabling it to reliably manage new objects without needing extensive real-world manipulation data. This capability effectively dismantles a critical barrier to scaling robotics.
Cherubic Ventures has also positioned itself as an early investor in Entire, a development platform spearheaded by former GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke, which raised an unprecedented $60 million earlier this year—the largest seed funding for a developer tools startup to date.
Fund VI, albeit in its infancy, has seen portfolio companies amass more than $500 million in subsequent funding rounds. Other promising investments include Patlytics, an AI-powered patent technology platform, alongside healthcare and drug development firms like Max AI, Generation Lab, and therapiAI.
Emphasizing a Decade of Innovation
Founded in 2015, Cherubic Ventures was among the first firms globally to adopt the solo GP (General Partner) model and has successfully invested in over 200 companies across various sectors. Their early investments remain noteworthy, including pioneering companies such as Hims & Hers, Flexport, Calm, and Astranis—all of which underscore the firm’s ability to identify and cultivate ground-breaking ventures.
As Fund VI represents the onset of Cherubic Ventures' second decade, Founder Matt Cheng expresses, "The past ten years have made me more certain that believing in founders before the answers are clear, and backing them through uncertainty, is at the heart of early-stage investing. In the next decade, we will continue to 'Stay Early' and work with the most exceptional founders to build the future we want to see."
Cherubic Ventures stands as a testament to the power of early-stage investing, combining a unique model with a commitment to nurturing the next generation of industry leaders that will shape tomorrow's world.