Daniel Ramirez - 10VC
“Try to make the right decision and then try to make your decision right.”
Connect with Daniel
linkedin.com/in/daniel-ramirez-maz/
VC Uncovered’s View
Investment in deep tech and biotech is not a high-risk gamble on isolated scientific breakthroughs. It is an exercise in platform engineering. For Daniel Ramirez, the goal is not to fund a single "lucky" discovery, but to back underlying transformational technologies that can expand across multiple use cases and markets. The same principle applies to software. 10VC operates on the reality that large value pools lie in the creation and development of transformational platforms.
The operational reality at 10VC is defined by high-touch concentration rather than high-volume betting. In the early institutional stage, getting it "almost right" is often a prelude to failure; a founder who lacks the muscle memory to pivot based on feedback or fails to de-risk key milestones quickly will hit a wall that capital alone cannot fix. Daniel acts as an "agile athlete," moving across verticals and business problems, leveraging his international exposure as an investor, management consultant, and corporate executive. The hardest part of his day involves the intensive work of "making the decision right" after the check is written, engaging with founders bi-weekly to navigate the friction of early-stage growth where any lapse in alignment can stall a platform’s momentum.
Daniel holds a conviction that the current hierarchy of the tech stack is nearing a total inversion. He believes that the massive, standalone platforms dominating today’s headlines are destined to become mere features of the more specialized, integrated mega platforms of tomorrow.
Meet Daniel
Q: You can be anywhere. Eating, drinking, and reading your favorite thing. What is it?
A: My favorite moments correlate with family; we are a family of four, and when we share time and everybody is fully present, the energy that can be felt in the air fills me up. California nature also fills me up significantly. I also enjoy traveling, engaging with people from different backgrounds, and learning what they like.
Key Quotes
“Our philosophy -and I think this is pretty important: try to make the right decision and then try to make your decision right. That changes a lot the way you invest. Once you invest, you have to work on it.”
“We get as involved as possible. We believe we can de-risk or help the companies de-risk their own business. For that reason, we dedicate a lot of time to founders.”
“AI is changing the whole thing. One trend that excites me a lot is that the platforms of today are going to be the features of the platforms of tomorrow.”
“What we want to see is platform thinking. They know already where to expand and how to expand. The more you know your customer, the more likely you are going to have PMF.”
“Interconnectivity is the biggest area for improvement in the Venture Ecosystem.”
Original Responses (Lightly Edited for Clarity and Flow)
Background and Personal Journey
Experiences Shaping My Investment Approach
My path started as an industrial engineer. Upon graduation, I joined McKinsey and Company, where I spent time working with banks, petroleum firms, and insurance providers. Later, I served as an innovation director at the Coca-Cola Company. My journey eventually led me to a Danish pharmaceutical company where I helped create digital health startups in Copenhagen. This journey naturally opened the door to an invitation to lead a small venture capital fund; I view every experience as a source of growth and value.
The Moment That Inspired My Venture Career
Life usually takes me to new places rather than me following a strict, intentional plan. The opportunity to start 10VC alongside Ben Patterson arrived at the perfect time. Ben possesses an extraordinary track record and a wonderful personality. Silicon Valley felt like the ideal landscape for this mission; there is no better place on earth to build a fund of this nature.
Influences on My Worldview
Close family ties shape my perspective. Happy moments are almost always tied to time spent with my wife, daughters, parents,siblings, in-laws,etc. Nature and travel also provide significant energy. I enjoy engaging with people from various backgrounds and learning about different ways of life; this openness allows me to connect with founders from all walks of life.
An Unconventional Belief
In the world of corporate venture capital, success comes from identifying things that are low cost for the corporation but high value for the startup. Problems arise when firms promise high-cost initiatives that they will rarely risk for a minor equity stake. When you focus on low-cost synergies that provide massive value to the founder, the model works beautifully.
The Best Advice Received
Our core philosophy is to try to make the right decision and then try to make your decision right. This mindset shifts how you approach an investment; you cannot simply write a check and walk away. Once you commit, you work alongside the founder to ensure the partnership reaches its full potential.
Philosophy and Insights
Investment Philosophy
We focus on the very early stages. We are typically the first institutional partners to join a round; our strategy centers on investing in platforms rather than isolated products.
Why We Choose Concentration Over Volume
We chose a concentrated model because we believe in getting as involved as possible to help companies de-risk their own business. Unlike a typical pre-seed fund that might spread bets across many companies, we write larger checks and dedicate significant time to our founders. We view our investments as long-term partnerships; once we invest, we work like crazy to pave the way for the founder. We believe that if we can help the company succeed through this high-touch approach, everyone wins.
Defining the Boundaries of a Generalist Scope
While we are generalists covering B2B, B2C, deep tech, and life sciences, we do have clear limitations. We avoid areas like crypto and NFTs, and generally stay away from VR or AR. We also avoid single-point or single-asset solutions like a pharma company with only one asset or a single-use medical device. We are looking for platforms with an expansive mindset rather than isolated products. If it is just business model innovation without a unique underlying technology, we typically pass on those opportunities.
Values When Working with Founders
We prioritize de-risking the business through deep involvement. We dedicate a significant amount of time to our founders; most of our portfolio companies choose to chat with us every other week. We want to be the support system they rely on during the early days of building.
Betting on High-Efficiency Academic Founders
Since we do deep tech and biotech, we often work with PhDs and scientists who may not have traditional entrepreneurial muscle memory yet. What we look for in these individuals is a hyper-efficient mindset and a big ambition. We love to see founders who have made massive progress no matter what, even before they have incorporated or raised money. That drive to keep moving forward, combined with a willingness to listen to external feedback, is a great predictor of success.
The Perfect Founder Pitch
The perfect pitch is the one that clearly conveys this message: unstoppable team building an interesting solution to solve a really big problem. In our context,a perfect pitch also demonstrates platform thinking. I want to see that a founder understands how to expand into new use cases, markets and technologies. Platform thinking implies deep customer knowledge, which leads to a higher likelihood of finding product-market fit. I also value founders who listen to feedback. Startups move through short life cycles, and those who can incorporate external perspectives avoid hitting the same wall twice.
Approach to Risk
We look for companies that can do a lot with a little (capital efficient). Their goal should be to find paths to growth that require less capital to reach major milestones; this efficiency often allows companies to become sustainable and enables an exit to happen sooner.
Measuring Success Beyond Returns
We serve as a bridge between our LPs and the entrepreneurs. Success means serving both groups effectively; when a company succeeds and changes its industry, everyone involved finds satisfaction. That is our primary mission and this is my first priority. My second priority is that I should become a better person while executing the first priority.
Trends and Future Vision
Exciting Trends and Technologies
Artificial Intelligence is redefining every industry. I believe the major platforms of today will become the basic features of tomorrow’s systems. These systems are what we call the giant vertical or horizontal automation platforms. In addition, we think that the combination of multimodal AI with other breakthrough technologies can rewrite the rules of each vertical allowing new challengers to gain significant market share in massive industries.
Misconceptions About VC Innovation
A common misunderstanding involves the nature of synergies in CVC. Corporations will not risk their multi-billion dollar brands for a startup where they hold a minor stake. Real innovation happens when CVCs facilitate access to assets that are low-cost for the Corporation but provide breakthrough value for the startup.
Improving the Venture Ecosystem
Interconnectivity is the biggest area for improvement. Many founders struggle because they lack access to the right investors and sometimes enter suboptimal partnerships just to survive. On the other hand, we -as investors- would love to meet more companies. If we could strengthen the links between these two groups, the entire ecosystem would benefit.
Challenges for Early-Stage Founders
The Early Stage landscape is going through deep changes and founders need insiders who are willing to share the necessary insights that will help them navigate successfully. There are a lot of bad outcomes that can be avoided by making the right decisions early.
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