Michael Carney

Michael Carney is the Managing Partner at Zarathustra Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco, California. He holds a degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and previously served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Founders Fund. Before entering venture capital, Carney worked as an operating executive at several materials science startups. He has since built an investment portfolio of over 20 companies, with notable exits including the autonomous vehicle developer Cruise, which was acquired by General Motors. In March 2025, he led a $15 million Series A funding round for a quantum computing startup, adding to a public profile that includes a recent Forbes op-ed and 50,000 social media followers. His current investment focus centers on backing early-stage founders developing frontier technologies across the deep tech, biotechnology, and climate tech sectors.