Vanessa Larco, co-founder of Premise VC, discusses her transition from NEA to focus on early-stage technical founders. Premise VC, co-founded with Mercedes Bent, targets pre-seed and seed rounds with check sizes from $500,000 to $3 million.

Larco emphasizes founder potential over initial ideas, seeking teams leveraging AI to dramatically improve speed, cost, or ease of use, rather than just acting as wrappers. She notes a shift in founder preference towards specialized funds where their investment feels like a top priority, a trend accelerated by the Silicon Valley Bank collapse.

Premise VC evaluates founders based on seven core attributes, looking for world-class expertise in at least two. Larco's own background includes product leadership roles at Microsoft, Twilio, and Box, as well as founding and selling a startup before joining NEA. She served on the investment committee at NEA, leading investments across enterprise software, developer tools, and consumer tech.