TechFlow reports, according to Forbes, that Ex/Ante, a venture fund focused on online privacy and security led by 32-year-old Zoe Weinberg and spun out of billionaire Eric Schmidt's philanthropic venture group Schmidt Futures, has raised $33 million.
The fund will invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups and has already secured backing from other major industry players including Cendana Capital, Marc Andreessen, the Ford Foundation, and Union Square Ventures. It places particular emphasis on "agency technology"—an emerging field relating to human behavior and rights in the digital age.
Michael Mosier, the fund’s partner, previously served as a top lawyer at crypto startups Espresso Systems and Chainalysis, and was a former senior official at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Justice. The duo will target companies requiring investments between $500,000 and $1 million, and are prepared to co-lead rounds in traditionally competitive sectors such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data infrastructure, digital identity, fintech, and web3. Ex/Ante has so far made nine investments, including deepfake detection startup Reality Defender, consumer identity company Lockr, and self-custody firm Webacy.
