Divergent Capital

Divergent Capital is a New York–based pre-seed venture firm founded in 2020 by Katie Shea and Lucy Wang to back multidisciplinary founders modernizing the essential systems the world runs on. It writes first checks—typically $250K–$750K (cited as high as $1M)—and leads rounds for deeply technical and scientific founders building in AI and machine learning, robotics, biotech, climate tech, and hard infrastructure. The firm explicitly looks beyond traditional Silicon Valley networks and invests primarily across the United States, concentrating capital in roughly 20–25 high-conviction companies with hands-on engagement spanning technical diligence and go-to-market support. Its specific fund size and most recent fund vintage are not publicly disclosed. For founders, it is a strong fit for U.S.-based pre-seed deep-tech and life-sciences startups grounded in serious science or engineering and seeking a lead first-check partner, and a weaker fit for later-stage rounds or non-technical, market-led businesses.