DeepTech Series Ep # 4: Betting on Mission-Driven Deep Tech—with Maryanna Saenko of Future Ventures

If a VC is excited about a deep tech company upfront, what can we do to temper our enthusiasm and make a rational decision on whether to invest?

Maryanna Saenko is Cofounder and Partner at Future Ventures, an early-stage VC firm that focuses on mission-driven companies at the cutting edge of disruptive technology.

Future Ventures looks to back visionaries who push the boundaries of possibility. Some of their recent investments include Beeflow, Deep Genomics and Earthshot Labs.

On this episode of Boost VC, Maryanna joins us to share her definition of deep tech, describing how Future Ventures looks for opportunities ‘unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.’

Maryanna offers her take on why the two-person structure of a venture firm is ideal and discusses some of the deep tech deals she wishes she’d been closer to.

Listen in for Maryanna’s insight on building organizations around big shifts in science or technology and learn her process for dialing down the excitement after a pitch to decide whether her YES will hold.

Topics Covered

Maryanna’s biggest accomplishments before age 20

• Recognized she wouldn’t survive public high school
• Got into Hopkins prep school on scholarship

How Maryanna got into venture capital

• Worked for early-stage company out of college
• Job offer from Daimler to figure out driverless cars
• Introduced to head of innovation lab at Airbus

The most important lessons Maryanna has learned as a VC

• Trust your intuition
• Don’t waste time justifying a startup’s relevance

How Maryanna defines deep tech

• ‘Unlike anything we’ve ever seen before’
• Index on novelty at Future Ventures

What Maryanna does when she’s all-in on a company right away

• Asks what she must believe about reality for YES to hold
• Discussion with partner to temper her excitement

Why Maryanna prefers the two-person structure in venture

• Ideal for its efficiency and intellectual honesty
• Never puts someone in tie-breaker position

Maryanna’s superpowers as a venture investor

• Confident in ability to assess tech on first principles
• Know how to build orgs around shifts in science or tech 

What deals Maryanna wishes she had been closer to

• Structure of open AI
• Deep seabed mining, recycling battery technology

Maryanna’s definition of success

• Feel landscape of possibility was totally exhausted
• ‘Everything I could give to this, I did’

Connect with Maryanna Saenko

Future Ventures https://future.ventures/ 

Future on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FutureVenturesVC

Future on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/future.ventures/

Future on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/futureventures/

Maryanna on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryannasaenko/

Maryanna on Twitter https://twitter.com/FutureSaenko

Resources

Lux Research https://www.luxresearchinc.com/

DARPA Grand Challenge https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/timeline/-grand-challenge-for-autonomous-vehicles

Airbus BizLab https://www.airbus.com/en/innovation/innovation-ecosystem/airbus-bizlab

Beeflow  https://www.beeflow.com/

Decoding the World by Po Bronson and Arvind Gupta https://www.amazon.com/Decoding-World-Questioner-Po-Bronson/dp/1538734311

Redwood Materials https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin https://www.amazon.com/American-Prometheus-audiobook/dp/B000OZ0J0W/

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/