Base10 Partners is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded in 2018 by Adeyemi Ajao and TJ Nahigian, and is one of the largest Black-led venture capital firms in the world. The firm has run with a consistent thesis since inception, originally branded "Applied AI for the Real Economy" before being repositioned as "Automation" when early LPs considered applied AI too niche. With $850M in fresh capital closed in June 2026, Base10's total AUM reached $2.6B. Alongside its investment activity, Base10 runs the Advancement Initiative, committing up to 50% of carried interest to support students from all backgrounds pursuing careers in technology. The initiative partners with CodePath, which was recently named Anthropic's flagship economic mobility partner for AI-native engineering education.
Base10 invests in companies applying AI and automation to the real economy, logistics, financial services, healthcare, transportation, and construction, rather than companies building foundation models or developer tooling.
The firm targets seed through Series B, looking for companies before the market has fully priced in their category potential, with several portfolio companies scaling from zero to tens of millions in revenue within twelve months.
Base10 closed $850M across two new funds in June 2026: a seed and Series A vehicle (Fund 4) and a dedicated Series B fund (Fund 2), bringing total AUM to $2.6B.
LPs include Sofina, university endowments, sovereign wealth funds, and other institutional investors. Capital is already being deployed.
Leadership
Adeyemi Ajao is Co-Founder and Managing Partner. He joined Motive's board in December 2025.
TJ Nahigian is Co-Founder and Managing Partner.
Investment Strategy
Base10 backs companies automating core functions of the real economy, betting that the most durable AI value sits in operational automation across logistics, finance, healthcare, transportation, and construction, not in model-layer competition.
The firm takes board-level engagement at Series B, as demonstrated by Ajao's appointment to Motive's board following Base10's investment. Portfolio support spans early go-to-market through growth-stage scaling, with the firm positioning itself as a long-term partner across funding stages from seed through Series B.
Notable Investments
Adeyemi Ajao — Co-Founder & Managing Partner
ade@base10.vc
TJ Nahigian — Co-Founder & Managing Partner
tj@base10.vc
United States
