Naval Ravikant isn’t your typical tech investor. He’s not loud. He doesn’t flood Twitter with threads. But when Naval speaks, or invests, people listen. Why? Because he’s that good. He spotted Uber and Twitter before they became giants. He co-founded AngelList and changed startup funding forever. Now, in 2025, everyone’s asking: Where is Naval putting his money next?
Let’s dive into the bold, brainy, and quietly brilliant bets Naval is making — from AI and biotech to infrastructure that could shape the next decade.
Who Is Naval Ravikant?
Naval was born in India and moved to the U.S. at age 9. His early years weren’t flashy. No silver spoon. Just books, curiosity, and a sharp mind. He eventually landed in Silicon Valley and slowly started building a name — not just as a thinker, but as someone who could spot the future before it arrived.
He invested early in some of the biggest tech companies of the past decade. But more than that, he became a kind of philosopher-capitalist — part investor, part monk, part modern Stoic.
The Early Bets That Paid Off Big
Uber
Naval got in early. When Uber was still a scrappy idea about turning your phone into a taxi-hailer, he saw its potential. That small check? Turned into a massive $100M+ return.
Before it became the town square of the internet, Naval was there. His investment in Twitter turned out to be another big win — again, worth over $100M.
Postmates, Stack Overflow, Yammer
These weren’t just lucky guesses. Naval had a pattern: He backed tools and platforms that empowered people. He didn’t chase trends — he chased deep utility.
Co-Founding AngelList
When Naval launched AngelList, he wasn’t just creating a website — he was building a new system. Until then, startup funding was a closed club. AngelList opened the doors.
Founders could raise money directly from accredited investors. Syndicates made it easier for smaller investors to get in. It was revolutionary — and it’s still changing how startups raise money today.
Naval’s Investment Philosophy
Naval once said:
“Play long-term games with long-term people.”
That one line explains a lot. He invests in people, not just companies. In principle, not just profits.
- Small Checks, Bold Bets: Naval rarely leads rounds. He writes $50K–$500K checks. Small amounts, but high conviction.
- Focus on Founders: He backs thinkers and builders who don’t just chase hype.
- Ignore the Noise: While others chase FOMO, Naval sits back and looks 10 years ahead.
Where Is Naval Investing in 2025?
Thanks to startup tracking platforms like Harmonic, we got a peek behind the curtain. The pattern? Naval is diving head-first into the most innovative corners of the startup world — especially AI, infrastructure, health tech, and crypto security.
Let’s break it down.
AI, Deep Tech, and Infra
Extropic
What if computing could run faster, not just by brute force, but by mimicking the laws of thermodynamics? That’s what Extropic is building. Naval’s in.
Cal.com
A developer-friendly, open-source version of Calendly. It’s cleaner, hackable, and perfect for teams that hate cookie-cutter tools.
Nomic AI
Run LLMs locally? Explore massive datasets from your machine? Nomic is making this dream real for researchers and indie builders.
Chroma
Every AI app needs a brain — and Chroma is that brain. It’s an open-source vector database powering smarter retrievals for AI systems.
OpenBB
Think Bloomberg Terminal, but open-source and AI-native. Perfect for the new wave of quant nerds and finfluencers.
Atomic Semi
Yes, Naval is backing hardware. Atomic Semi is building next-gen chip fabs, which could help fix global chip shortages.
Mindstate Design Labs
AI meets consciousness. Sounds wild, right? This company is exploring how AI can aid mental health and expand human awareness.
dWallet Labs
The future is decentralized — but only if it’s secure. dWallet is making wallet access safer and smarter for the next generation of crypto users.
Biotech, Health, and Infrastructure
Perplexity
It’s an AI-powered answer engine going head-to-head with Google. Fast, smart, and minimal — just how Naval likes it.
Vibe Bio
Big pharma is slow. Vibe uses AI to move faster, helping researchers make better drug decisions in less time.
Pylon
Building mortgages into your app with just a few lines of code? That’s Pylon — fintech infrastructure done right.
The Coterie
Managing funds is messy. This platform helps fund managers clean up back-office chaos.
Darwinium
Fraud prevention powered by behavior tracking. A must-have in today’s data-breach-prone world.
Andalusia Labs
Secure infrastructure for digital assets. As crypto matures, companies like this will be essential.
Webstudio
Think Webflow, but open-source. Drag-and-drop web design with full freedom.
NocoDB
Turns your SQL database into an Airtable-style UI. The future of internal tools.
Blowfish
Security for wallets that interact with millions of Web3 transactions. One of the smartest layers of defense.
Monad Foundation
A new L1 blockchain, ultra-fast, EVM-compatible, and battle-ready.
Patented.ai
Uses AI to scan, detect, and flag patent infringements. Finally, a weapon against copycats.
Look closer and you’ll see the pattern:
- Open-source is the foundation.
- AI isn’t a feature; it’s a core function.
- Infrastructure, from APIs to security, is being rebuilt smarter, leaner, and faster.
Naval’s not chasing shiny apps. He’s investing in the builders who empower other builders.
If you’re a founder looking to attract someone like Naval, forget the pitch decks full of fluff. Build something real. Make it open, make it useful, and make it 10x better than what exists.
Naval doesn’t need noise; he needs a signal.
Will he keep writing small checks? Probably. But don’t be surprised if he also launches a new vehicle for syndicates or backs the next breakout fund.
One thing is clear: He’s still playing the long game. And he’s still winning.
Naval Ravikant isn’t just an investor; he’s a compass. When he puts his money into a startup, it signals something deeper: This might be the future.
So, if you’re building bold ideas in AI, biotech, crypto, or open-source infra, Naval might just be watching.
