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    Defy

    Woodside, California, United StatesFounded 2016
    defy.vcLinkedIn
    AISaaSEnterprise SoftwareFintechConsumerDefense & SpaceRobotics & AutomationManufacturingClimate & Energy

    Defy is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2016 by Neil Sequeira and Trae Vassallo, based in Woodside, California. The firm backs authentic entrepreneurs building enduring companies, primarily investing at the seed and Series A stages.

    Deal activity decreased year-over-year (3 deals in the last 12 months vs 7 prior). Average disclosed round size is $18.0M (across 77 rounds with reported amounts).

    Find people at Defy on Goldilocks AI

    Portfolio

    60

    Fund Size

    —

    Top Stage

    Series A

    Last 12 Mo

    3

    Team

    Adam Lewis

    Adam Lewis

    risk manager >> essential worker recruiter

    Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger

    Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger

    concert violinist >> concert platform-builder

    Colin Webb

    Colin Webb

    MIT class president >> robot fleet commander

    Edward Chung

    Edward Chung

    Square money manager >> democratizing consumer money

    Hamza Jawaid

    Hamza Jawaid

    CEO whisperer >> Worldclass CEO

    Jon Carr-Harris

    Jon Carr-Harris

    technology data services >> AI predictive intelligence

    Saad Jangda

    Saad Jangda

    product manager at iconic companies >> iconic company builder

    Sujal Patel

    Sujal Patel

    data manager >> biodata visionary

    Bangaly Kaba

    Bangaly Kaba

    Ben Cary

    Ben Cary

    Brian Krausz

    Brian Krausz

    Brian Shin

    Brian Shin

    Portfolio Breakdown

    Stage Distribution

    Sector Distribution

    Investment Activity

    DealsAvg Round Size

    Portfolio

    84 investments
    CompanyRoundAmountDate
    ChampAI logoChampAISeed$8.5MMay 2026
    Interface logoInterfaceSeed$3.5MNov 2025
    Birches Health logoBirches HealthSeries A$20MSep 2025
    Mastra logoMastraSeed$13MAug 2025
    CRED logoCREDSeed$15MJun 2025
    Hakimo logoHakimoSeries A$10.5MMar 2025
    Eudia logoEudiaSeries D$105MFeb 2025
    Eudia logoEudiaSeries A$105MFeb 2025
    Eudia logoEudiaSeries A$100MJan 2025
    Safara logoSafaraUnknown—Dec 2024
    Reveal Technology logoReveal TechnologySeries A$11.2MDec 2024
    Writ logoWritSeed$3.8MApr 2024
    VectorShift logoVectorShiftSeed$3MFeb 2024
    Sendowl logoSendowlSeed$9MFeb 2023
    Arena Club logoArena ClubSeries A—Dec 2022
    Mother Science logoMother ScienceSeed—Nov 2022
    Craniometrix logoCraniometrixSeed$6MAug 2022
    Airspace logoAirspaceSeries C$70MMay 2022
    Perfect Venue logoPerfect VenueSeed$3.6MApr 2022
    Apploi logoApploiSeries B$25MMar 2022
    BBazaar TechnologiesSeries B$70MMar 2022
    Novi logoNoviSeries B—Feb 2022
    Fable Food logoFable FoodSeries A$15MDec 2021
    Sendowl logoSendowlSeed$4.5MDec 2021
    Hakimo logoHakimoSeed$4MNov 2021
    Page 1 of 4

    Top Co-Investors

    Y Combinator8 shared
    Tiger Global Management, LLC7 shared
    Khosla Ventures6 shared
    General Catalyst6 shared
    Gaingels6 shared
    Bezos Expeditions5 shared
    Madrona Venture Group5 shared
    Cercano Management5 shared
    Scale Venture Partners5 shared
    Slow Ventures5 shared
    Sequoia Capital4 shared
    Greylock Partners4 shared
    Lightspeed Venture Partners4 shared
    Founders Fund4 shared
    Qualcomm Ventures4 shared
    Gradient Ventures4 shared
    Icon Ventures3 shared
    Floodgate Fund3 shared
    Sierra Ventures3 shared
    B3 Capital3 shared

    Last updated: 7 October 2026