Rich Schmelzer

Rich Schmelzer is the Managing Partner of Cognition Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. In March 2025, he led the successful raise of over $100 million for the firm's second fund, which targets investments in agentic artificial intelligence and enterprise autonomy across a growing portfolio of more than 20 companies. Prior to his venture capital career, Schmelzer founded and led A3 Ventures at Boston Dynamics, and he previously held product leadership positions at both Vecna Technologies and DEKA Research. The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute mechanical engineering alumnus also hosts the "Autonomy in the Wild" podcast, which features over 100 episodes, and frequently contributes articles to Forbes regarding emerging technology trends. His current professional focus centers on identifying and scaling early-stage hardware and software startups that are developing next-generation autonomous systems and advanced robotics.