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Helen Zelman Boniske is the Co-Founder and Partner at Lemnos, an early-stage venture capital firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and previously spent five full seasons working in the front office of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Since establishing Lemnos in 2011 to address early-stage funding gaps for physical products, she has helped to raise multiple investment vehicles, including a $50 million third fund closed in 2017. Her firm has executed investments in more than 40 hardware and deep tech startups, backing notable portfolio companies such as Spire Global, Swift Navigation, and Built Robotics. Boniske currently focuses her professional efforts on directing pre-seed and seed capital toward emerging technical founders operating within the robotics, aerospace, and connected device sectors.
Helen Zelman Boniske is a distinguished General Partner at Lemnos VC, a pioneering early-stage venture capital firm renowned for its strategic investments in hardware, deep technology, and frontier tech companies. At Lemnos VC, Helen plays a crucial role in shaping the firm's investment strategy and identifying the next generation of innovators who are building the physical world's future. Her leadership helps guide startups from their foundational stages through significant growth, emphasizing companies that develop tangible products and the essential infrastructure supporting them.
Helen Zelman Boniske's investment focus at Lemnos VC is broad yet specialized, encompassing critical sectors such as robotics, artificial intelligence hardware, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and sustainable technology solutions. She is particularly interested in ventures that leverage cutting-edge engineering and scientific breakthroughs to solve complex real-world problems. Her portfolio involvement reflects a commitment to companies pushing the boundaries in areas like autonomous systems, new materials, IoT devices, and energy efficiency, all contributing to a more technologically advanced and sustainable future.
Before ascending to General Partner, Helen Zelman Boniske held positions as a Principal and Senior Associate at Lemnos VC, demonstrating a deep, progressive understanding of the firm's investment thesis and the hardware ecosystem. Her career background also includes valuable experience in product management and operations at prominent technology companies like Square and Google. This blend of operational expertise and venture capital acumen provides her with a unique perspective, enabling her to effectively evaluate technical founders and guide them through the challenges of product development, market entry, and scaling. Helen's educational foundation includes an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA from Yale University, further solidifying her analytical and strategic capabilities.
Under her guidance, Lemnos VC continues to be a leading force in supporting companies that are often overlooked by traditional software-focused investors. While specific individual investments are part of the firm's collective strategy, Helen Zelman Boniske's influence is evident across Lemnos's diverse portfolio, which includes groundbreaking companies in areas from space exploration to advanced robotics. Her dedication to fostering innovation in hardware and deep tech underscores her commitment to building a robust ecosystem for physical product startups. Helen Zelman Boniske is not just an investor; she is a partner to founders, helping them transform ambitious ideas into impactful realities.
Helen Zelman Boniske is a General Partner at Lemnos VC, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on hardware and deep technology investments. She is known for her expertise in identifying and supporting innovative startups in sectors like robotics, AI hardware, and sustainable tech.
Helen Zelman Boniske invests in early-stage hardware, deep technology, and frontier tech companies through Lemnos VC. Her focus areas include robotics, AI hardware, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, IoT, and sustainable technology solutions that build physical products and infrastructure.
Helen Zelman Boniske works as a General Partner at Lemnos VC. Lemnos VC is an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco, California, specializing in investments in hardware and deep technology startups.
