Llama Ventures is a Silicon Valley–based early-stage venture capital firm investing in founders who combine cutting-edge artificial intelligence with deep domain expertise to transform industries. We specialize in AI-native companies across sectors including industrial automation, healthcare, fintech, climate, enterprise software, and next-generation developer tools.
We invest at the pre-seed and seed stages, backing technically exceptional teams building foundational technologies with long-term defensibility. Our partners are experienced technical founders themselves, bringing empathy, credibility, and hands-on support to entrepreneurs.
Though we are a new and fast-growing VC firm, our early portfolio already includes category-defining companies such as Fasikl, xAI, Anthropic, and several stealth startups innovating across the AI stack. We believe in disciplined investing, high-conviction partnerships, and giving founders freedom when they want it and support when they need it.
Role Description
This is a full-time, on-site Summer Analyst position based in the Bay Area (San Francisco / Peninsula). As a Summer Analyst, you will play a meaningful role in helping the investment team evaluate emerging technologies and identify high-potential founders building in AI and adjacent sectors.
You will conduct market research, analyze industry dynamics, evaluate new investment opportunities, and build internal frameworks to strengthen our thesis areas. Analysts work closely with partners, engage with top-tier AI researchers and founders, attend industry events, and participate in the firm’s decision-making processes.
This role offers an exceptional opportunity to gain exposure to early-stage venture capital, frontier technologies, and the practical realities of backing AI startups in a rapidly evolving market.
ResponsibilitiesInvestment Research & Analysis
Conduct deep research on AI subfields, technical breakthroughs, and market landscapes
Evaluate early-stage startups through product analysis, founder backgrounds, and competitive mapping
Build financial models, scenario analyses, and market size estimates for potential investments
Support due diligence efforts by synthesizing technical documents, customer feedback, and product roadmaps
Deal Flow & Sourcing
Assist in sourcing promising founders, teams, and technologies through events, networks, and inbound channels
Prepare internal memos, deal briefs, and investment recommendations
Track pipeline metrics and help maintain CRM systems
Portfolio Support
Collaborate with existing portfolio companies (e.g., Fasikl, xAI, Anthropic, others) to support research, hiring, product insights, and ecosystem mapping
Facilitate communication between founders and the Llama Ventures investment team
Contribute to portfolio reporting and strategic updates
Industry Engagement
Attend AI conferences, meetups, hackathons, and technical seminars across the Bay Area
Represent Llama Ventures at events and help identify promising ideas and teams
Build and maintain relationships across academia, developer communities, and startup networks
Firm Development
Contribute to internal operational improvements as we scale
Help refine and expand investment theses in areas such as agentic workflows, next-gen AI infrastructure, robotics, developer tools, and applied AI
Support special projects, community initiatives, and thought leadership content
Qualifications:
Required
Strong research, data analysis, and writing abilities
Familiarity with emerging technology trends, especially in AI, LLMs, robotics, or applied ML
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and basic data visualization tools
Highly self-motivated, detail-oriented, and able to operate independently in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment
Preferred
Pursuing or holding a degree in Business, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related fields
Prior experience in one or more of the following:
Venture capital
Startups or founder experience
Management consulting
Software engineering
AI/ML research or applied machine learning
Experience using tools like Notion, Airtable, Affinity/HubSpot, PitchBook, or Tableau
Additional Details
Location: Bay Area, CA (in-person)
Program: Summer 2026 (full-time Summer Internships)
Compensation: TBD depending on qualifications
Potential for Full-Time Offer: High-performing Summer Analysts may be considered for a full-time Analyst role