James Detweiler
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The odds of finding a four-leaf clover are 1 in 10,000, roughly the same as founding a generational company. And yet, people set out to defy these odds every day—clover hunters and entrepreneurs alike. I admire these people.
James Detweiler is a Deal Partner at Felicis. Prior to joining Felicis, James was an investor at Zetta, a venture capital firm in San Francisco focused exclusively on AI. At Zetta, James was a Board Observer at Fixie. He formulated Zetta's investment theses in generative AI, TinyML, data-centric ML, and climate tech. Before Zetta, James was an investor at SVB Capital, where he served as a Board Observer at Shield AI, Molekule, Proxy, and Ripcord. James graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College with a bachelor's degree in Physics and Mathematical Finance. He lives in the Outer Richmond district of San Francisco with his wife, Hannah.
The odds of finding a four-leaf clover are 1 in 10,000, roughly the same as founding a generational company. And yet, people set out to defy these odds every day—clover hunters and entrepreneurs alike. I admire these people.
How has your upbringing impacted who you are today?
I grew up in Santa Clara as the youngest of five. My parents are artists—an actress and a painter—and, through osmosis, made me a decent abstract thinker. I directed this toward physics, where abstract thinking is useful, and eventually investing, where abstract thinking is crucial. As a child, I was lucky to spend a few years in Florence while my parents taught abroad. This sparked a lifelong passion for Italian culture.
What’s similar between physics and investing?
Capital is like potential energy. In a reductive sense, it converts into business traction in the same way potential energy converts into kinetic energy. Some entrepreneurs are so good at this conversion that their companies produce more energy (traction) than they absorb (capital). This doesn’t happen in classical physics, where the law of energy conservation rules everything, but it does in business. Sustaining this conversion, capturing lightning in a bottle, is how generational companies are made. It’s my job to identify when this happens and then offer my unyielding support.
How do you like to connect with founders?
There’s nothing like sharing a founder’s excitement for the future. It’s infectious. Anyone can see failure modes, but seeing the path to success, however narrow, and encouraging founders to traverse that path is my forte. I have an 8’x4’ chalkboard that serves as a canvas for brainstorming with founders, and I also love to share an espresso or hike the Lands End trail to think through unsolved problems.
Who is someone you admire?
My uncle Bobby. He has the lowest “fascination threshold” of anyone I know. He’ll stop mid-walk to admire a native plant, follow his nose at the public library, or board a new bus line just to see where it takes him. We often exchange musings on economics and physics, and his adventures in the Galapagos Islands have become lore in my family. The best startups identify a secret or unique insight the rest of the market hasn’t caught on to. Finding these secrets requires staying curious and embracing a low fascination threshold.
What’s something you’re proud of?
I like tackling big challenges. Examples include biking a “century,” hiking the “Dartmouth 50,” running the SF marathon, and learning muay thai. If you have ideas for what my next challenge should be, reach out!
