Michael Bloch

Michael Bloch

Partner at Quiet Capital. Investing in early-stage technology companies.

Previously: Founded Pillar (acquired by Acorns) · First 50 at DoorDash

Made it three days at Stanford GSB. Graduated from Berkeley.

Recent Writing

View all
  • Picking the Wrong VC Firm

    Every investor and every VC firm has a build. The right move is finding the role where your strengths, the game, and the team actually line up.

    Jul 17, 2026
  • What Do You Get to Keep From AI?

    The missing third capital in the fight over who gets to own AI’s learning loop.

    Jul 13, 2026
  • Quartermaster: The Ocean’s Intelligence Layer

    Quartermaster raises $43M to build the real-time intelligence layer for the ocean.

    May 20, 2026
  • Manifest: the Future of AI-Native Legal Services

    Emerging from stealth with a $60M Series A at a $750M valuation to power the next generation of fully AI-native law firms.

    Apr 28, 2026
  • Programmable Pandemics

    Biology is now a weapon. Check out my investment thesis on biosecurity, and where I think durable companies might actually be built.

    Apr 20, 2026
  • Conquerors of Worlds

    Every VC says they want to back exceptional founders. Almost none of them know what "exceptional" actually means.

    Apr 10, 2026
  • Stop Building. Start Removing.

    Startups obsess over adding value. Often the bigger lever is reducing the effort it takes to experience it.

    Apr 5, 2026
  • The Only Moats That Matter

    Defensibility has always come from two things: hard to do and hard to get. AI is making the first one worthless. Five moats survive.

    Mar 30, 2026
  • Raising Kids For A World I Can't Predict

    I have no idea what careers will look like in 10 years. So I'm not focused on what my kids do. I'm focused on who they become.

    Mar 25, 2026
  • Don't Fix the Player, Fix the Game

    Every broken system is working perfectly. It's just optimizing for something you didn't realize. Here's how to spot misaligned incentives and redesign them.

    Mar 23, 2026

Subscribe to new posts →

Investing

Email

I invest in early-stage technology companies, typically writing $2-20M checks. Areas of focus include AI products & services, fintech & crypto, national security + aerospace & defense, deeptech, and more. I'm generalist at heart and love meeting founders building across sectors.

If you're raising, here's how I work with founders →

Reach out if you'd like to connect.

Reading

I love reading. Sci-fi and fantasy for fun, business and history to learn. See what I've been reading →

Connect