Felicis Ventures has positioned itself at the forefront of AI investment, with 70% of its active portfolio now consisting of AI-native startups.1 The firm is betting big on artificial intelligence, believing that "dozens of $100B+ AI companies will emerge this decade."1 Their AI portfolio spans multiple categories including AI applications that augment labor, AI infrastructure powering next-generation compute needs, and foundation models enabling significant performance improvements.2

The venture firm's approach to AI investing is characterized by a deep understanding of what makes AI-native companies unique. Felicis emphasizes the importance of data feedback loops in AI startups, where more data improves model predictions and product quality over time.2 They also recognize the shifting dynamics in AI businesses, where companies now often spend more on compute than talent, while still valuing the critical balance between AI as leverage for people and people as leverage for AI.2 Their portfolio includes notable AI companies like Browser Use, Poolside, Runway, and Supabase, demonstrating their commitment to backing transformative AI technologies across various domains.1

Aydin Senkut's path from Google's first product manager (employee #63) to founding Felicis Ventures exemplifies a remarkable entrepreneurial journey. After joining Google in 1999, Senkut launched the company's first ten international sites and pioneered its online search licensing products before departing in 2005 to pursue venture investing.12 His early fundraising efforts were challenging—he received 50 rejections before securing his first "yes" for Felicis's initial $41 million fund in 2009, with early backers including Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen.3

The Turkish immigrant's persistence has paid off dramatically. Named to the Forbes Midas List for eleven consecutive years (2014-2024) and the New York Times Top 20 Venture Capitalists list for four years (2016-2019), Senkut has transformed Felicis from a "super angel" operation into a multi-stage powerhouse.42 His international background—having lived and worked in Morocco, Germany, Switzerland, and Brazil—and multilingual abilities (speaking five languages) have shaped his global investment perspective and ability to connect with founders across cultures.41 Senkut's philosophy emphasizes proper measurement of success, noting that "the most underrated aspect of success is proper instrumentation—if you want a daring outcome, make sure to measure what truly matters."4

Felicis's tenth fund continues the firm's strategy of backing early-stage companies with transformative potential, with 94% of investments in Fund IX occurring at the seed or Series A stage, and 87% of capital deployed in rounds where Felicis led or co-led.1 Fund X maintains this focus on companies "inventing the future," with particular emphasis on frontier AI, healthcare innovation, and infrastructure technology.23 The firm's investment thesis targets companies right before explosive growth—like Semgrep, which scaled from scanning thousands of code lines monthly to over 100 million annually, and Prenuvo, which expanded from 7 clinics to 40+ locations with over $100M in ARR.2

To strengthen its AI investment capabilities, Felicis hired OpenAI's Peter Deng (former consumer VP leading the ChatGPT team) as a general partner in 2025.1 The firm distinguishes itself through its deliberate approach to founder meetings, coming prepared with conviction in the space and optimism in the team's solution rather than taking meetings "for the sake of taking meetings."2 Felicis was also the first VC firm to prioritize founders' mental health support, demonstrating their commitment to building "unbreakable" companies by investing directly in founder wellbeing alongside capital deployment.4

Felicis has established itself as a significant player in the venture capital ecosystem with 717 investments to date, most recently participating in Chalk's $50M Series A round in May 2025.1 The firm's portfolio showcases strategic investments across emerging technologies, with recent additions including LMArena's $100M seed round and Operand's $3.1M seed funding.1 Felicis maintains a founder-centric approach, including a distinctive term sheet provision guaranteeing never to vote against founders—creating contractual alignment with entrepreneurs.2

The firm's current portfolio includes established tech companies like Notion, Plaid, and Canva, alongside AI-focused startups such as Supabase, Mercor, Runway, and Skild AI.3 Recent investments demonstrate Felicis's continued focus on transformative technologies, including Chalk's real-time feature engine for AI inference4 and Exowatt's revolutionary energy system addressing renewable energy challenges.5 This strategic positioning across both established companies and emerging startups reinforces Felicis's reputation for identifying high-potential ventures before their explosive growth phase.