Many Minds. One Mission.
At 650, we operate as a true partnership, drawing our strength from complementary skill sets, varied perspectives, and deep domain expertise across geographies and sectors. We’re an ideal combination; we are grounded in a shared foundation of investing experience, global exposure, and strong ethics, and we are shaped by a strong mix of industry knowledge, seniority, differentiated skills, and a deep expertise in Japan. In a world that often celebrates solo heroes, we believe long-term success is built on collaboration. Our team’s collective experience and alignment create a force multiplier for the founders and companies we back.
Founding Partners
Grace Stanat
OPERATIONS
Grace specializes in early-stage operational efficiency and scaling strategies. His active engagement with startups was instrumental in transforming 415 Investments and 650 into top-performing VCs with >40% IRR.
- Early-Stage Ops/Efficiency
- Competitive Positioning
- Scaling Strategies (Seed Stage)
- Culture
- Deal Diligence
Dominik Steiner
TECHNOLOGY
Dominik specializes in technology analysis, product-market fit, and business strategy. As a succesful multi-founder he drove >25x valuation increase in businesses globally.
- Technology And IP Analysis
- Product And Market Fit
- Business/Sales Strategies
- Engagement Strategies
- Market Analysis
General Partners
Phil Rothenberg
LEGAL
Phil brings over 20 years of legal expertise as former VP of Legal at Tesla and an attorney with the SEC. He has practiced corporate finance and regulatory compliance across major markets.
- Legal Strategies
- Scaling Strategies
- Regulatory Compliance
- Finance
- Fundraising
Richard Joye
INVESTMENTS
Richard has over 25 years of experience deploying capital into companies, leading M&A deals, structuring and managing funds and bringing co-investors to companies for subsequent rounds.
- Finance
- Fundraising and LP management
- Investment Strategies
- Mergers And Acquisitions
- Fund Management
Jean-Daniel Sciboz
TALENTS & SOURCING
Jean-Daniel specializes in strategic sourcing and executive recruitment, with over 200 senior hires for a wide range of organizations. He is also well versed strategic fundraising campaigns.
- Investor Relations (Europe & Asia)
- Fundraising and Financing
- Strategic Headhunting & Sourcing
- Corporate Advisory and Business Development
- Product Development & Growth
Venture Partners
James Kuffner
DOMAIN EXPERT
James is a pioneer in AI, robotics, and autonomous systems. Founding CEO of Woven by Toyota and the author of numerous patents, he has led significant advancements in autonomous driving.
- Deal & Team Review, Due Diligence
- Advanced AI, Robotics, EV / AV
- Cloud Robotics
- Scalable Software Architecture
Yutaka Kitade
DOMAIN EXPERT
Yutaka, a market entry and strategy expert with a track record of growing revenues, has led several successful ventures and advised numerous companies on orchestrating entry into the Asian market.
- Marketing & Business Strategy
- Emerging Market Entry
- Business Process Outsourcing
- Start-Up Incubation