Adina Tecklu
Partner
Khosla Ventures
Khosla Ventures partner investing in early-stage software, AI and fintech.
Bio
Professional summary
Sven Strohband is a Partner and Managing Director at Khosla Ventures. The firm describes him as an engineer at heart, focused on technologies that forge new industries and enable novel user experiences. He previously led technical diligence at Mohr Davidow Ventures across infrastructure IT and sustainability, worked on technical projects at Volkswagen's Electronics Research Lab, and was lead engineer and project lead for Stanford's Stanley autonomous car, which won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. He also co-founded and served as CEO of MetaMind, later integrated into Salesforce's Einstein AI product. His official profile lists Purdue and Stanford degrees and board roles including Waabi and ThoughtSpot.
Investment focus
Stage, sector, and overall fit
Stage
early-stageventure/growth
Sector
AIrobotics and autonomous systemsaerospace and frontier technologyinfrastructure IT and sustainability
Thesis
technologies that forge new industriesAI and machine learningrobotics and autonomous systemsinfrastructure IT and sustainability
Notable companies
Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed
{
"name": "Berkshire Grey",
"confidence": "high",
"source_basis": "official profile"
}{
"name": "GitLab",
"confidence": "high",
"source_basis": "official profile"
}{
"name": "Hermeus",
"confidence": "high",
"source_basis": "official profile"
}{
"name": "Rocket Lab",
"confidence": "high",
"source_basis": "official profile"
}{
"name": "Waabi",
"confidence": "high",
"source_basis": "official profile"
}{
"name": "ThoughtSpot",
"confidence": "high",
"source_basis": "official profile"
}{
"name": "MetaMind",
"confidence": "high",
"source_basis": "official profile"
}
How to approach
Framing and angles for outreach
Pitch framing
Lead with technical depth, category creation, and why the technology can unlock a new market rather than just improve an existing workflow.
Personalization hooks
- 1Reference his engineering-led background and interest in novel user experiences.
- 2For robotics, autonomy, AI infrastructure, or frontier hardware, connect the pitch to his Stanley, MetaMind, Rocket Lab, Hermeus, or Waabi background.
Recent signals
What the partner has said or done recently
Official profile links to AI-related content and discussion of AI in the physical world.
Background
Career, education, and skills
Career history
- Khosla VenturesPartner & Managing DirectorUnknown – Present
- Mohr Davidow VenturesTechnical Diligence LeadUnknown – Unknown
- Volkswagen Electronics Research LabTechnical Project LeadUnknown – Unknown
- Stanford Racing TeamLead Engineer & Project LeadUnknown – 2005
- MetamindCo-Founder & CEOUnknown – Unknown
Education
- Stanford UniversityPh.D., Mechanics and Computation
- Purdue UniversityB.S., Mechanical Engineering
Skills
Deep TechRoboticsAutonomous SystemsAITechnical Diligence
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