Jeff Zhou
Co-Founder
ABOUT STATECRAFT / 01
Built for the builders.
StateCraft Ventures backs the entrepreneurs building the systems public institutions will depend on for decades.
OUR NAME
Why StateCraft?
Statecraft is the practice of building and governing institutions capable of meeting the challenges of their time.
Technology has become inseparable from that work. The systems governments choose today will shape public institutions for decades. We created StateCraft Ventures to back the entrepreneurs building those systems.
TEAM
Built by people who understand the work.
We are small by design, hands-on by nature and deeply invested in the founders we back.
StateCraft brings together people who have built and worked inside the institutions we want to transform.
Government is complicated. Technology is moving fast. Building companies at the intersection of the two requires people who can navigate both worlds.
Our team brings together experience across public service, technology, education, policy and investing. We value independent thinking, intellectual curiosity and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom. Different experiences make us sharper. A shared belief in better government keeps us focused.
Meet the StateCraft teamCO-FOUNDER
Jeff Zhou
Jeff Zhou is an investor and operator whose work sits at the intersection of venture capital, emerging technology and the public sector. He previously served as Chief of Staff and Senior Venture Associate at Untapped Ventures, where he helped facilitate a $22 million fundraise, supported a portfolio of 32 startups and developed investment criteria for evaluating new opportunities. His experience also includes venture investing at 208 Seed Ventures and investment and finance roles at Allocations.
Jeff has also worked directly at the intersection of venture capital and government, including developing a startup accelerator with the City of Burbank and working with the City of Glendale on how governments can learn from venture capital.
He is pursuing a Master in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, where his work spans AI policy, impact investing, infrastructure and public-sector innovation. He previously earned a B.S. in Business with a concentration in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business.
At StateCraft Ventures, Jeff brings an investor's perspective and an operator's understanding of what it takes to identify, fund and scale emerging technology companies tackling complex public-sector challenges.
OUR APPROACH
Founders come first.
Great markets matter. Great technology matters. But extraordinary companies begin with extraordinary people.
We care less about where founders started than about the depth of their insight, the speed at which they learn and the scale of their ambition.
How we partner