Nihal Mehta

Nihal Mehta is a prominent figure in the early-stage venture capital landscape, best known as a Co-Founder and General Partner at Eniac Ventures, a New York-based firm he established with three other partners. Eniac Ventures distinguishes itself as one of the first venture capital firms founded by four general partners who are all engineers, bringing a deep technical understanding to their investment decisions. The firm primarily focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage investments, targeting companies building disruptive technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, enterprise software, and other deep tech sectors.

Eniac Ventures' investment strategy revolves around identifying and supporting founders at the earliest stages, often before significant product-market fit. They are known for their hands-on approach, leveraging their collective experience as engineers and entrepreneurs to help portfolio companies navigate the initial challenges of building and scaling. The firm typically writes initial checks ranging from $500,000 to $2 million, often leading or co-leading these early rounds. Their commitment to early-stage companies was further solidified with the closing of their fifth fund, Eniac Ventures V, which raised $125 million to continue their investment thesis.

Mehta's background is deeply rooted in entrepreneurship, having founded several successful companies prior to Eniac. His ventures include LocalResponse, a social media advertising platform acquired by AddThis, and ipsh!, one of the first mobile marketing agencies, which was acquired by Omnicom. This firsthand experience as a founder provides him with a unique perspective and empathy for the entrepreneurial journey. Beyond his work at Eniac, Mehta is also recognized for his prescient angel investments, notably being an early investor in ride-sharing giant Uber, demonstrating his ability to spot transformative companies at their nascent stages.

His investment philosophy emphasizes long-term partnerships with founders, providing not just capital but also strategic guidance and access to a robust network. Eniac Ventures prides itself on its disciplined yet founder-friendly approach, aiming to be the first institutional capital for promising startups. This strategic focus on deep tech and early-stage support has allowed Eniac, under Mehta's leadership, to build a diverse and impactful portfolio.