Aaron Anderson

Aaron Anderson is a Principal at Impact Venture Capital, a Silicon Valley-area venture firm that invests alongside corporate venture groups and top-tier investors in seed-stage technology startups. He joined Impact VC in November 2015 and manages deal flow analysis, corporate engagement, and the firm's innovation programs. In addition to his investing role, Anderson serves as Director of the UC Davis Student Startup Center, where he teaches entrepreneurship and mentors early-stage student founders.

Anderson holds an MBA from Harvard Business School (2013) and a dual Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University (2008), where he studied economics and political science with a minor in international development. His career before venture capital was rooted in public service and economic development. He worked at the U.S. State Department on the Near Eastern Affairs desk during the Iraq surge, focusing on business recruitment. He subsequently spent two years with Habitat for Humanity International in South Africa, deepening his commitment to development-oriented work.

Following his MBA at Harvard, where he was a Leadership Fellow, Anderson served as Director of Business Initiatives in the Office of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (2013-2015). In that role he led the Mayor's workforce and economic development programs and managed public-private partnership initiatives. This combination of government, nonprofit, and academic experience informs his approach at Impact VC, where he is passionate about working with corporates, governments, and startups to solve major global challenges.

Anderson and Impact Venture Capital take a problem-first, industry-agnostic approach to seed-stage investing. Their core thesis centers on identifying founders tackling "huge pain points that somebody has and somebody's willing to pay for," rather than starting from a technology or idea. Anderson emphasizes team quality above all else, viewing a startup investment as analogous to a long-term partnership -- he prioritizes founder experience, team dynamics, and the ability to weather challenges together.

Impact VC builds deliberate portfolios that deploy AI and emerging technology into high-growth industry verticals. Key sectors of focus include:

The firm invests alongside major corporate co-investors including Intel, Zoom, Qualcomm, Applied Materials, SK Hynix, Yamaha, and Kubota, among others. Anderson is cautious about inflated late-stage valuations driven by excess capital and advocates for the discipline and realistic expectations found at the seed stage.

• Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
• Cybersecurity
• AgTech / Food & Agriculture
• GovTech
• Digital Health / Health IT
• FinTech
• AR/VR
• Robotics, Drones & Autonomous Vehicles
• Education
• Enterprise Applications
• Entertainment & Sports