First‑check capital for outsiders building the essential software that quietly runs the world.
Schema Ventures is an early‑stage venture fund backing technical founders at the pre‑seed and seed stage. We invest in enterprise software, developer infrastructure, and industrial technology – the essential systems that power how the world actually works.
If you're building something interesting and want to reach out, send me a note at aarthi@schemavc.com.
At a Glance
Check Size
$250K–$500K
Pre-seed & seed
Stage
Day Zero
Often first money in
Focus
Enterprise
Infrastructure, developer tools, robotics
About
I'm Aarthi Ramamurthy (X). I grew up an outsider, moved to San Francisco, shipped some really fun products at Microsoft, Netflix and Meta, and built two startups of my own.
My story is the blueprint for Schema. I want to back outsider founders who don't have traditional access points. We focus on the earliest stages of company building – sometimes before there's even a fully formed idea. Many of the founders we back haven't raised a dollar or found a co‑founder yet. But they're building from lived experience, with deep conviction and technical insight. They may not come from the expected places – but that's the point.
Areas That Interest Us
Developer Tools & Infrastructure
Devtools and backend that power enterprises and increase productivity. Everyone is going to be writing code, and engineers are going to be writing 10x more of it. All that code still needs auth, security, infrastructure. We back the tools and plumbing that scale alongside it.
Workflow Intelligence
Tools that clean up administrative sludge inside every enterprise. Finance, legal, HR, compliance – these functions still eat up enormous time and headcount. AI changes what’s possible here, and the companies that get it right will be enormous.
Industrial Software
Robots + intelligence for factories, construction, supply chain and logistics. These are trillion-dollar industries still running on paper and phone calls. The founders rebuilding this layer tend to come from the industries themselves, and they build for real operators, not demos.
What We Offer
- Networks & distribution – our tech podcast puts founders in our inbox long before they hit Demo Day. It also helps our companies find the right resource quickly when they need it.
- Founder‑grade help – we are usually the first call when you need help. GTM (pilots? pricing?), fundraising, hiring? Zero‑ego – whatever keeps the company alive.
- We just get to work – we've been there as a first-time founder and we know how hard it can be. We'll meet you where you are and help you as much as we can.
What Founders Say
Stephen Xu
Founder, Veria Labs
"Aarthi is one of the best investors we have on our cap table. She’s been super helpful, providing connections and introductions that have directly led to us signing real revenue for Veria Labs. She’s also a former founder, and thus one of the first people I text when I have any sort of question or problem – she responds in minutes with super helpful advice. Truly lucky to have her as an investor!"
Chetan Reddy
Founder, Confido Health
"Aarthi has been one of those rare people who genuinely shows up in your corner without expecting anything in return. From our very first conversation, she’s been incredibly thoughtful – whether it’s sharing honest perspectives, helping me think through tough decisions, or just asking the right questions that make you pause and rethink your approach."
Sudarshan Kamat
CEO, Smallest AI
"Aarthi is like our experienced team member as she goes above and beyond being just an investor – bringing in an operator mindset and helping us navigate uncertainties and commonly made mistakes – helping us focus on important things and removing distractions. Despite being extremely resourceful and well connected, she is also extremely approachable, kind and humble."
James Emerick
Founder, Cosmic Robotics
"Our favorite investors are founder/operators turned investors, and Aarthi is exactly that. Her operating experience and sharp judgment have already helped accelerate Cosmic’s growth. More importantly, she’s only ever one text away, always down to help, and is the most supportive member of our cap table both professionally and personally."
Latest from the Portfolio
Cosmic Robotics’ robots could speed up solar panel deployments
Robotic assistants designed to handle heavy-lifting tasks on solar installation job sites, accelerating deployment timelines.
Inside the race to improve the patient experience with AI agents
How Confido Health is using AI to transform the front-office experience for hospitals and patients.
Better Auth, an authentication tool by a self-taught Ethiopian dev, raises $5M from Peak XV, YC
Bereket Engida secured $5M in seed funding for Better Auth, an open-source authentication framework developers praise for its ease of use.
Bolna nabs $6.3M from General Catalyst for its India-focused voice orchestration platform
India-based voice AI startup Bolna secured $6.3M, with 75% of revenue coming from self-serve customers.
Community
We bring our founders together regularly – dinners, working sessions, and intros that actually matter. Here are a few moments from our most recent portfolio dinner.
Schema portfolio dinner, March 2026
Writing
Thoughts on building, investing, and the industries we care about. Subscribe on Substack →
Hello from Schema
Get in Touch
Building something interesting? We'd love to hear from you. Drop us a note or DM us on X.