Tim Chen
Tim Chen is the Founder and Managing Partner at Essence Venture Capital and serves as an Operator Advisor at Bessemer Venture Partners. He previously founded Hyperpilot and is a co-host of Open Source Startup Podcast and The Infra Pod. His expertise includes pre-seed and seed investing in DevTools, infrastructure, and Data SaaS.
Tim Chen’s Essence VC Raises New $7 Million Fund to Boost Infrastructure Startup Investments
Essence VC, led by Tim Chen, is raising a new $7 million fund to lead larger pre-seed rounds and have greater investment flexibility, focusing on infrastructure startups. This fund is separate from their previous $41 million fund raised last year.
Tim Chen Raises $41 Million for Fourth Fund at Essence VC, Emerging as a Leading Solo Investor Backing Infrastructure Startups
Tim Chen, initially rejected by Seattle venture capital firms for being 'too nerdy,' launched his own firm, Essence VC, which has grown to raise $41 million for its fourth fund and gained a strong reputation backing infrastructure startups. His technical background and experience as a software engineer have made him a sought-after solo investor, with notable portfolio successes including the $2.2 billion acquisition of Tabular by Databricks.
Organizations
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The Infra Pod Co-host 2024–present · current
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Bessemer Venture Partners Operator Advisor 2021–present · current
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Open Source Startup Podcast Co-host 2021–present · current
Education
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University of Washington B.S., Informatics
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DigiPen Institute of Technology Computer Science
