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John Frankel

John Frankel

Founding Partner·ff Venture Capital

New York, New York, United States

Bio

Professional summary

John Frankel is the Founding Partner of ff Venture Capital. The firm’s team page and public profiles describe him as a technology investor focused on helping founders build large technology businesses. He founded ffVC in 2008 and has been active in seed and early-stage investing since the late 1990s. Public profiles also note prior experience at Goldman Sachs and a focus across applied AI, cybersecurity, drones, enterprise software, crowdfunding, data analytics, and financial technology. Because the official page was partially inaccessible during enrichment, details beyond the firm-page snippets are treated with medium confidence unless supported by additional public sources.

Investment focus

Stage, sector, and overall fit

Stage

seed and early-stage

Sector

Artificial Intelligencecybersecuritydronesenterprise softwarecrowdfundingdata analyticsfinancial services technology

Thesis

seed and early-stage technology companiesapplied artificial intelligencedrones and roboticsfinancial services technologycybersecurity, enterprise software, crowdfunding, and data analytics

Notable companies

Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed

Cornerstone OnDemandIndiegogoIonic SecurityUnikeySocureSkycatchPlated500pxDistil NetworksBottlenose

How to approach

Framing and angles for outreach

Pitch framing

Approach with a clear early-stage technology thesis, especially if the company fits applied AI, fintech, cybersecurity, robotics, drones, enterprise software, or data analytics.

Personalization hooks

  1. 1Position the company as a category-building early-stage technology business.
  2. 2Highlight how the company could become a large business rather than only a feature or narrow product.

Recent signals

What the partner has said or done recently

  • Public profiles continue to identify him with ff Venture Capital and seed/early-stage technology investing.

Background

Career, education, and skills

Career history

  • ff Venture CapitalFounding PartnerFeb 2008 - Present
  • Goldman, Sachs & Co.Capital MarketsSep 1986 - Apr 2008
  • Arthur Andersen & Co.Chartered AccountantJun 1982 - Sep 1986

Education

  • New College, University of OxfordMA, Mathematics, Philosophy and Logic1979-1982
  • University College SchoolSecondary

Skills

Start-up Consulting

Other partners at ff Venture Capital

8 more profiles

Alex Katz

Alex Katz

Partner and General Counsel

ff Venture Capital

ffVC partner and general counsel overseeing legal, finance, compliance, and investment processes.

FinanceInvestment processesLegal operationsRegulatory complianceVenture capital
Katie Weiss

Katie Weiss

Principal

ff Venture Capital

ffVC Principal leading due diligence, sourcing, AIPS and platform work.

AIDue diligenceEarly-stage investingManufacturingRoboticsSeed-stage investing
Maciej Skarul

Maciej Skarul

Partner, PL

ff Venture Capital

Partner at ff Venture Capital in Poland, with investment banking and M&A experience.

European marketindustrialsTMT
Mariusz Adamski

Mariusz Adamski

Partner, PL

ff Venture Capital

Partner at ff Venture Capital in Poland, focused on European operations, fundraising, and CEE investments.

Central and Eastern Europeearly-stage tech
Masayuki Ohta

Masayuki Ohta

Partner / JP

ff Venture Capital

ffVC Partner focused on CEE startups, Japan connectivity, technology and healthcare investing.

Central EuropeCross-border investmentEnterprise startupsHealthcareJapan market accessTechnology
Michael J. Woods

Michael J. Woods

Partner / US

ff Venture Capital

Public sources identify Michael J. Woods as associated with ff Venture Capital and as an investor/advisor with finance, venture, and infrastructure experience.

energyinfrastructure
Oliver Mitchell

Oliver Mitchell

Partner

ff Venture Capital

Partner at ff Venture Capital focused on robotics, AI, drones, industrial automation, and climate tech.

AIclimate techdronesindustrial automationrobotics
Taro Hizume

Taro Hizume

Partner / JP

ff Venture Capital

ffVC Partner focused on CEE venture investing and Japan-Europe cross-border growth.

Central EuropeCross-border M&AElectronicsEnterprise startupsPE/VC investingTMT