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Rackhouse Venture Capital adds to team

Monday, January 27, 2025
Opalesque Industry Update - Rackhouse Venture Capital, a San Francisco-based, early-stage, AI-focused venture capital firm, today announced the appointment of Brendan Baker as its newest Partner. Baker brings over a decade of experience building modern venture capital firms, advising founders, and investing in software solutions for underexplored industries.

Joining Rackhouse Ventures at a pivotal time, Baker will focus on investing alongside Founder and GP Kevin Novak helping to build Rackhouse Ventures' long-term strategy as a firm. His addition to the team marks a key milestone in Rackhouse Ventures' mission to empower early-stage startups with transformative AI/ML solutions.

Baker's journey into venture capital began in Silicon Valley in 2011 as the second employee at AngelList, where he managed most of the first 10,000 deals on the platform and worked with thousands of investors. After a successful tenure at AngelList, Baker joined Greylock Partners, where he founded a team and program to systematize the firm's venture process through data, research, and code.

In recent years, Baker has been instrumental in creating algorithmic approaches to venture capital and working with leading firms to build systematic programs. Most recently, he served as Partner at Ridge Ventures, where he focused on investing in software teams tackling complex, high-impact industries such as returns management and enterprise resource planning (ERP).

"We are thrilled to welcome Brendan to Rackhouse Ventures," said Novak. "His deep experience in building early-stage venture capital firms and advising more than 1,000 founders on their fundraising journeys will be invaluable as we continue to grow and evolve."

As a Partner at Rackhouse Ventures, Baker will bring his passion for pragmatic investing and systematic approaches to venture investing. He will help guide Rackhouse Ventures' investments in founders who are building AI-driven solutions with hard-to-replicate distribution strategies and a strong customer focus.

"I am excited to join Rackhouse Venture Capital at such a pivotal moment in its growth," said Baker. "The goal of focusing on overlooked niches and our commitment to backing founders who solve real-world problems with AI resonates deeply with me. I'm looking forward to working with this talented team to continue building a great seed firm for many years."

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