Ex/ante

Ex/ante defines agentic technology as tools that support human agency by increasing privacy, security, and information integrity. The firm's thesis argues that current technology is often deployed for oppression, manipulation, and control, and that democratic resilience requires tools that let individuals own their data, assets, and information. This framing was shaped in part by work done by ecosystem member Anastasia Uglova, whose graduate thesis coined the term.

The firm does not publicly identify a single managing partner or CIO. The investment team listed on its website comprises Zoe Weinberg, Michael Mosier, Matt, and Farhan — all with deep operational and policy backgrounds rather than traditional venture careers. Weinberg's prior roles at the National Security Commission on AI and Google AI, combined with Mosier's experience as Acting Director of FinCEN, suggest investment decisions draw heavily on national security and regulatory expertise.

Ex/ante is structured as a venture fund but distinguishes itself by fusing investment with a policy mission. Its team includes former White House National Security Council directors and Treasury officials, and its ecosystem extends to AI governance specialists at Deloitte. This blurs the line between a venture capital firm and an advocacy organization — it invests exclusively in companies that advance a specific vision of digital rights.

The firm describes itself as values-forward but tech-agnostic, targeting companies across AI/ML, web3, data infrastructure, cybersecurity, enterprise software, and fintech. The unifying requirement is that portfolio companies advance privacy, security, or information integrity. Ex/ante has not publicly named sectors it avoids.

Ex/ante has not published a list of excluded sectors. By its mandate, any company whose business model relies on surveillance, data exploitation, or manipulation would fall outside its thesis, but the firm has not formalized a public exclusion policy.