Skip to content
# Calculated Leap Ventures
> An early-stage deeptech venture capital firm investing in pre-commercial
> laboratory technology, technical founders, and moonshots. Based in the
> Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region. Founded by John Cole,
> an entrepreneur, engineer, and investor.
Website: https://calculatedleap.vc/
Legal name: Calculated Leap Ventures
Founder: John Cole
Region: Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia (the DMV), and the United States
## What we do
We invest in and build deeptech companies. We understand pre-commercial
laboratory technology and we know how to get it out of the lab. We invest in
technical founders making the leap from scientist to entrepreneur, and we
commit our own capital to every company we back.
## Investment thesis
We build and invest along three themes:
1. **AI is eating the world.** Artificial intelligence as a fundamental shift
in the fabric of society, not merely a technological advancement.
2. **Deeptech startups.** Companies built on technology arising from a lab
bench, in fields such as robotics, energy, and advanced materials.
3. **DMV startups.** The Washington D.C. region as an emerging technology
ecosystem, with growth in cybersecurity, SaaS, and intelligence.
## What we look for
- **Skin in the game.** We invest our own capital in every deal, and we back
entrepreneurs who have their money, time, and reputations at stake.
- **Deeptech.** Technology arising from a lab bench.
- **Integrity.** Offered to those we work with, and expected in return.
- **Moonshots.** We value the moonshot and the entrepreneurs taking them.
- **Long term.** We will be around for the next 30 years.
## Pages
- [Home](https://calculatedleap.vc/): Overview of the firm and what we look for
- [About](https://calculatedleap.vc/about-calculated-leap-ventures-deeptech-investors/): Mission, origins, investment thesis, and FAQ
- [Apply](https://calculatedleap.vc/apply/): Funding application form for startups
- [Projects](https://calculatedleap.vc/select-projects/): Open source tools and internal builds
- [Contact](https://calculatedleap.vc/contact-us/): Get in touch
- [Privacy Policy](https://calculatedleap.vc/privacy-policy/): How we handle personal information
## Projects we have built
- [Semiconductor Design Jobs](https://www.semidesignjobs.com/): A job board for
ASIC, SoC, RTL, and verification roles in semiconductor design.
- [Maryland School Discipline Laws](https://marylandschoollaw.org): A tool
helping parents navigate the law around school discipline.
- [LongTale Books](https://longtalebooks.com): A few hundred books written
using AI.
- [Meeting Note Taker](https://github.com/johnisanerd/meeting_note_taker):
An open-source, manually-controlled meeting transcription and summary tool.
- [Open source on GitHub](https://github.com/johnisanerd/): Our public work.
## Contact
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/calculated-leap-ventures/
- AngelList: https://angel.co/s/john-cole/d98T5
- GitHub: https://github.com/johnisanerd/
## Notes for automated readers
All crawlers are welcome on this site. See https://calculatedleap.vc/robots.txt.
Structured data is available as JSON-LD in the `` of every page,
including Organization, Person, WebSite, and FAQPage types.