Tarun Chitra
VCCo-Founder & Partner, Robot Ventures
DeFi economist and physicist backing crypto primitives
San Francisco, CA$250K–$2M checks3 notable investments
AngelPre-SeedSeed
CryptoFintechInfrastructureData
Background
Tarun Chitra co-founded Robot Ventures with Robert Leshner and is CEO and co-founder of Gauntlet, a simulation platform for crypto networks. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University and previously worked in high-frequency trading at Vatic Labs and as a scientific programmer at D.E. Shaw Research. He has co-authored over 25 peer-reviewed papers on DeFi economics and is among the most cited researchers in the field.
Investment Focus
Stages
AngelPre-SeedSeed
Typical check: $250K–$2M
Sectors
CryptoFintechInfrastructureData
Based in: San Francisco, CA (North America)
Notable Investments
Last updated: Jun 11, 2026