Dolby Family Ventures

Guiding Principles

Invest early for the long haul

Since our founding in 2014, we’ve prioritized early stage investments at the preseed, seed and Series A stage, and often make follow-on investments across a portfolio company’s lifecycle.

Solve the hardest problems

To be an inventor, you have to be willing to live with a sense of uncertainty, to work in this darkness and grope towards an answer, to put up with anxiety about whether there is an answer.

Ray Dolby

We believe in addressing humanity’s most intractable diseases and engineering problems. We look for the highest unmet needs in difficult, complex fields like Alzheimer’s Disease and Depression. We embrace the long horizons that come with this work.

Support many hypotheses

You have to have the will not to jump at the first solution, because the really elegant solution might be right around the corner.

Ray Dolby

We take a poly-solution approach to complex diseases and engineering challenges. We are funding numerous approaches to Alzheimer’s disease because we believe a multitude of drugs and technologies will be required to treat patients across the population. We’re also working collaboratively with leading Alzheimer’s organizations to advance the field and help the most patients and families.

Double bottom line

First and foremost, we strive to realize a positive societal impact. We judge our portfolio companies and our own work in terms of both societal impact and financial impact.

Dolby Family Ventures have been a lasting partner from Series A through D. In matters of governance, fundraising, and business operations they care to take time to understand our needs and provide valuable insight.

Joe Laurienti

Founder and former CEO

Ursa Major Technologies

I appreciate the genuine commitment of the DFV team to overcoming Alzheimer’s Disease, and believe that their multipronged approach to AD effectively matches the complexity of this disorder.

Lennart Mucke

Director and Joseph B. Martin Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience

Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease & UCSF

The DFV team were great mentors with a values driven mission and a steady hand. You made yourselves available in all the right ways, giving the company guidance but also letting the team figure out their own culture and direction.

Todd Huffman

Co-founder and former CEO

3Scan/Strateos

Investing Approach

Criteria

We review several hundreds of opportunities every year, but only invest in select early stage companies with the potential to solve major science and engineering challenges.

Strong syndicates

We only invest in companies in conjunction with strong investment syndicate partners. Our support of innovative management teams is not constrained by formal board participation over time, though we typically have a fiduciary or observer position initially.

Sector-specific focus

We believe our greatest impact is realized by focusing on a multitude of solutions within specific sectors. These include precision neuroscience, life sciences platforms, aerospace, climate tech, and digital deep tech. You can see our portfolio companies here.

Carrying on the legacy of Ray Dolby

Ray Dolby was a passionate engineer who inspired the world with breakthrough technologies in electronics, audio, recording, and signaling processing – including the development of the video tape recorder, and noise reduction advances that revolutionized music and film.

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He valued technical excellence above all, and believed in the transformative power of entrepreneurs working together to solve society’s biggest problems. Dolby Family Ventures carries on Ray Dolby’s legacy by providing vital early support and expertise to visionary scientists and engineers working on the forefront of technology.

Carrying on the legacy of Ray Dolby

Carrying on the legacy of Ray Dolby