Untapped Ventures

Yohei Nakajima is the Founder and General Partner and makes all investment decisions as a solo GP. He built BabyAGI, an early open-source autonomous AI agent framework, and previously served as a venture partner at Scrum Ventures. His technical background in AI development and startup operations forms the core of the firm's sourcing and diligence approach.

The firm invests in pre-seed and seed-stage startups where AI is the core product, not a wrapper around an existing workflow. Nakajima has focused particularly on autonomous agents, developer tools for AI-native applications, and platforms that enable non-engineers to build software. The thesis holds that AI autonomy represents a structural shift in how companies are built and who can build them.

Untapped Ventures writes first checks at the pre-seed and seed stages and can lead or participate depending on the round. As a solo GP, the firm has flexibility to move quickly and take concentrated positions when conviction is high. It reserves capital for follow-on investments in its strongest-performing portfolio companies.

Nakajima's public presence as an AI builder creates significant inbound founder interest. His work on BabyAGI and related autonomous agent projects attracts technical founders working on similar problems. The firm also draws deal flow from the Los Angeles and Bay Area AI ecosystems, where Nakajima has built relationships through his operating and venture experience.

It operates as an emerging solo GP fund, meaning one individual manages the entire investment operation. This structure differs from multi-partner venture firms in that decision-making is faster and the fund's strategy is tightly tied to one person's expertise and network. The firm has not disclosed fund size or LP composition publicly.

Untapped Ventures does not publicly maintain negative sector screens. Its stated focus is AI-native startups, which implicitly excludes sectors where AI is not central to the product value proposition. The firm has not indicated interest in capital-intensive sectors like hard tech manufacturing, biotech, or traditional enterprise services that lack an AI-autonomy component.

Pre-seed and seed. Nakajima invests at the earliest institutional stage, often before a startup has significant revenue or a fully built-out team. His operating background as a founder and solo developer informs an investment approach that evaluates technical architecture and founder capability over traction metrics.