Zak Williams

Co-Founder & Operator | Architecting Cognitive Systems & Venture Infrastructure⁠

📍 Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, United States🔄 Updated September 2026💼 21 investments📅 10 years investing🗓 Last invested Nov 2024𝕏 @upgrade_to_unlock
VC🌍 United States20+ investments
21
Total investments
11
Early stage
3
Mid stage
1
Late stage
10y
Years active

Portfolio

20 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Investor
Nov 2024
Delphi Interactive is redefining how AAA games are made. We are the architects behind 007 FIRST LIGHT with IO Interactive, and the company leading the return of the beloved FIFA simulation game. Our model combines the world’s most iconic IP with top-tier creative talent and cutting-edge technology — built around deep alignment between partners and a modern, de-risked approach to development and publishing. Delphi is intentionally lean, fast, and uncompromising about quality. We believe exceptional games are built by exceptional people with strong creative instincts, clear ownership, and the freedom to pursue extremely bold ideas — and that this is the future of premium interactive entertainment.
Investor
Nov 2021
Umbra builds next-generation space systems that observe the Earth in unprecedented fidelity. Our vision is to advance global insight through high quality, all weather commercial remote sensing and intelligence gathering. Our goal is to become an indispensable tool for the exploding number of organizations now actively monitoring the Earth, making data-driven decisions about land use, and fighting the effects of climate change. Umbra delivers on this mission by implementing first principles to develop hardware, software and services which are unrivaled by the status quo. Umbra builds cutting-edge hardware and software products for our analytics customers which solve complex business and security challenges for the United States and its allies. Canopy is our direct tasking platform which allows our customers to use a robust network of sensors to trigger space assets and autonomously deliver data for their analytics needs. Umbra’s team is comprised of space and business veterans from across industry and government. Umbra is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, and has a presence in Austin, and Washington, D.C. ALL SOCIAL IMAGERY AVAILABLE IN THE UMBRA OPEN DATA PROGRAM.
Investor
Nov 2021
KalendarAI sales agents generate revenue on autopilot by reaching your potential customers and booking meetings through live chat sessions from 200+ million companies globally.
Investor
Oct 2021
Pallo is the all-in-one financial management platform for business and personal finances. Pallo provides freelancers, side-hustlers and small-business owners financial clarity, tools for immediate challenges, and support for long-term financial prosperity.
Investor
Aug 2021
Reference Medicine is your hassle-free source for oncology specimens - built for scientists, by scientists. Diagnostic companies and researchers in oncology are continually pushing the envelope and seeking new diagnostic tests, therapeutic treatments, and novel options to improve patients’ lives and health. At Reference Medicine, we think this same ambitious attitude of innovation and continual improvement should be applied to specimen procurement, which is why we’re doing things differently. We take a fresh approach to fully transparent procurement, delivering high quality, affordable samples in a timely manner, so you can focus on the science. We innovate so you can innovate.
Investor
Dec 2020
Pattern Brands acquires and grows a high-quality portfolio of home-life brands that start online and expand multi-channel.. Our in-house M&A and operations teams work closely with brand founders to transition ownership and drive growth post acquisition through brand centric marketing, operational and multi-channel opportunities. We own and operate 7 brands and are actively expanding our portfolio across the home goods space. Our acquisition criteria include Established financials of $1M to $35M in annual revenue with >10% EBITDA margins Differentiated products with unique IP and strong customer feedback Large and engaged audiences with high retention rates and organic growth For M&A opportunities, please visit us at ginlane.com or email us at acquisitions@patternbrands.com For opportunities to carry our brands through wholesale, please email us at sales@patternbrands.com If you’re interested in buying products for yourself or friends, please visit us at patternbrands.com The team behind Pattern Brands was formerly Gin Lane, a brand-building agency that launched +50 DTC startups, creating +$15 billion in market value - including Harry's, Sweetgreen, Hims, Smile Direct Club, Everlane, Stadium Goods, Recess, and more Pattern Brands has raised $100M in funding and is backed by Primary, RRE, Toba Capital, Victory Park Capital, Verlinvest, BAM Elevate, Kleiner Perkins, and other leading investors.
early stageManufacturing
Investor
Oct 2020
Framework allows anyone to build a challenge to grow their business. Challenge based learning experiences are powerful for engaging customers and building community. Frameworks platform provides everything that creators and brands need to build and run challenges.
Investor
Aug 2020
Fireside is co-founded by serial entrepreneurs Falon Fatemi and Mark Cuban and backed by top tier investors in technology, sports, media, and entertainment. Fireside is the only platform that allows brands to own their fandoms and pioneer monetized industry-first fan experiences to grow their franchise. Fireside is the first interactive streaming platform and has over 2 billion in reach of brands launching next generation networks on Fireside including household recognized D2C businesses and celebs, major brands, sports leagues, and studios/broadcasters leveraging Fireside to create the fan driven franchises and products of the future. For more information on Fireside visit www.firesidechat.com or download Fireside for iOS here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fireside/id1526340798
Investor
Jul 2019
OpenNest is an accelerator dedicated to driving exponential growth for health, wellness and consumer brands. We provide strategic and curated access to transformative relationships through our proprietary growth network, the Nest.
Investor
May 2019
Polycade is the only modern arcade platform designed to run both classic and modern games. By upgrading the design, interface, and hardware of the traditional arcade, Polycade has launched a unique platform to cater to the casual game experience. Polycades exist in homes, offices, waiting rooms, bars, restaurants, etc. Check out the design and product at www.polycade.com
Investor
Dec 2018
Today, content disrupts the world through memes, tweets, TikTok Videos, and digital newsletters. You no longer follow organizations. You follow people. But, do you follow the right people? We are a collective of curious creatives that make the ever-evolving world of healthcare easy to digest so that healthcare professionals are always armed with the most up-to-date information. We are the trusted source for 28k+ influencers, changemakers, and leaders to start their day. The Nursing Beat was brought to life by a collective of nurses with a desire to create community and drive sustainable change that ultimately improves the healthcare ecosystem and enhances patient outcomes. We offer the only daily digital newsletter dedicated to meet the unique needs of nurses and allied professionals.
Investor
Dec 2017
Brandless is one of the world’s fastest-growing omnichannel commerce platforms. We make it easier for people to take better care of themselves, their families and the planet by working with the best ingredients, partners, and customers to drive community-led innovation and validation. By focusing on collaboration over control, quality over packaging and people over promotion, we’re leading a movement that believes that making better choices should be simple and easy. Follow us on Instagram (@brandlesslife), Facebook, and Twitter, and visit Brandless.com to order.
early stageManufacturing
Investor
Sep 2017
Modern pain management.
Investor
Sep 2017
Modern pain management.
Show all 20 investments ↓
Experience · 29 entries
All (29)
Investments (21)
Founder (3)
2026
Venture Partner
Jun 2026
Growth capital and financing solutions for private, revenue positive, early stage businesses and SMEs operating in both the "traditional" and "new" economies. Pershing Ventures is focused on originating, structuring and executing transactions in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Our financing size is typically between US$25,000 and US$1,000,000. Our capital is designed to be used for growth and with terms that are tailored to the nature of the customers business, sector, industry and geography. We are experienced across financing transactions that are unsecured or secured, may or may not benefit from credit support arrangements and often have cross-border requirements. Led by financial service professionals with careers on both the "sell-side" and "buy-side" with experience across private markets credit origination, structuring and investment, venture and private equity; Pershing Ventures is the right choice for the underserved community of early stage and SME businesses in need of customized capital.
2025
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Aug 2025
Continuity builds compounding advantage for audience-driven and IP-based enterprises. We design closed loop systems where intelligence, capital, and audience development accelerate one another. At the core is intelligence equity. Each cycle turns audience signals into evolving strategic assets. Every turn of the flywheel lifts asset value, reduces risk, and strengthens future performance. By embedding proprietary data environments and intelligence into each stage from first exposure to final conversion, we help enterprises stabilize growth, deploy smarter capital, and create assets that compound over time.
2024
Investor
Nov 2024
Delphi Interactive is redefining how AAA games are made. We are the architects behind 007 FIRST LIGHT with IO Interactive, and the company leading the return of the beloved FIFA simulation game. Our model combines the world’s most iconic IP with top-tier creative talent and cutting-edge technology — built around deep alignment between partners and a modern, de-risked approach to development and publishing. Delphi is intentionally lean, fast, and uncompromising about quality. We believe exceptional games are built by exceptional people with strong creative instincts, clear ownership, and the freedom to pursue extremely bold ideas — and that this is the future of premium interactive entertainment.
2021
Investor
Nov 2021
Umbra builds next-generation space systems that observe the Earth in unprecedented fidelity. Our vision is to advance global insight through high quality, all weather commercial remote sensing and intelligence gathering. Our goal is to become an indispensable tool for the exploding number of organizations now actively monitoring the Earth, making data-driven decisions about land use, and fighting the effects of climate change. Umbra delivers on this mission by implementing first principles to develop hardware, software and services which are unrivaled by the status quo. Umbra builds cutting-edge hardware and software products for our analytics customers which solve complex business and security challenges for the United States and its allies. Canopy is our direct tasking platform which allows our customers to use a robust network of sensors to trigger space assets and autonomously deliver data for their analytics needs. Umbra’s team is comprised of space and business veterans from across industry and government. Umbra is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, and has a presence in Austin, and Washington, D.C. ALL SOCIAL IMAGERY AVAILABLE IN THE UMBRA OPEN DATA PROGRAM.
Show all 29 entries ↓
Investment activity
2016–2024 · 21 investments
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