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Ryan Gembala

Ryan Gembala

Founder & Managing Partner atPathbreaker VenturesSan Francisco Bay Area
LinkedIn X Pathbreaker Ventures websiteFirm profile

Ryan Gembala founded Pathbreaker Ventures in 2015 to invest in AI, robotics, and computer vision. He previously led acquisitions at Meta and invested at Azure Capital.

What Ryan can write

Writes checks of$250K to $3M
Comes in atPre-seed, SeedCan lead the round
Best routeA short note on LinkedInA warm intro from a founder they backed works better.

Pathbreaker Ventures writes $250K to $3M checks, larger than 33% of firms in the atlas.

Bars: how many firms report each check band. Highlighted: Pathbreaker Ventures.

Career

  1. H.E.R.O. for Children · co-founder
  2. Azure Capital · investor and operator
  3. Meta (Facebook) · deal lead on the corporate development team
  4. Pathbreaker Ventures · Founder & Managing Partner
    Now
  5. H.E.R.O. for Children
  6. Telly · VP of Business Development & Partnerships
  7. Convercent · VP of Business Development & Partnerships
  8. Meta (Facebook) · deal lead

Companies founded

Pathbreaker VenturesH.E.R.O. for Children

Investments named in public bios

OculusPrivateCoreLiveRailTeehan LaxNimbleVRTripItCooking.comGet SatisfactionTellyConvercent

Focus

ai/mlcomputer visionvr/arnovel hardwareroboticshardware

Education

University of Chicago Booth School of Business, M.B.A.University of Georgia, B.B.A. from the Terry College of Business

Partners like Ryan

At firms with a similar stage, sector and check size.

Julian ShapiroFounder, Julian Capital
Raed MasriFounder / Managing Partner, Transform VC
Ari Stiegler
Ari StieglerFounder, Flux Capital
Brad Corona
Brad CoronaManaging Director, Vertical Venture Partners
Ben ChelfGeneral Partner, Elementum VC
Peter LeeGeneral Partner, Embark Ventures

Alert me when Pathbreaker Ventures is active

One email when Ryan's firm raises a fund, adds a partner or shows new activity.

Founders and investors at a Mode VC gathering

Send Mode VC your deck

Raising a pre-seed or seed round? We write $1M to $5M first checks and help founders with distribution. A partner reads every deck.

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Questions

Who is Ryan Gembala?

Ryan Gembala founded Pathbreaker Ventures in 2015 to invest in AI, robotics, and computer vision. He previously led acquisitions at Meta and invested at Azure Capital.

How much does Ryan Gembala invest?

Ryan Gembala invests through Pathbreaker Ventures, which writes checks of $250K to $3M at pre-seed, seed.

How do I pitch Ryan Gembala?

A warm intro from a founder Pathbreaker Ventures backed works best. A short LinkedIn note with one line on traction is the next best route.

What did Ryan Gembala do before Pathbreaker Ventures?

co-founder at H.E.R.O. for Children; investor and operator at Azure Capital; deal lead on the corporate development team at Meta (Facebook); H.E.R.O. for Children; VP of Business Development & Partnerships at Telly; VP of Business Development & Partnerships at Convercent; deal lead at Meta (Facebook).

Last updated 2026-10-15. Is this you? Ask for a correction.