We are scientists, investors, and fellow founders on a mission.
About Us
We created Juniper because technical founders need technically fluent investors who can understand the science behind their innovations.
They need early believers and champions capable of catalyzing their critical first round of funding and beyond. That’s us.
Juniper works closely with other early stage investors to share our technical expertise and create coalitions of investors to build funding momentum in this critical space.
Our Thesis
At Juniper we focus on breakthrough technologies that are transforming humanity’s manufacturing capabilities now and in the near future.
These include advancements in synthetic biology, chemical engineering, novel manufacturing techniques, and applied AI and machine learning. Our portfolio companies will become the new (sustainable) industrial giants of this century.
As the costs of building deep tech companies continue to fall, we are witnessing a Cambrian Explosion of company formation. This new generation of startups is creating scalable and economically superior solutions with lasting positive impacts on human abundance and planetary sustainability. The most profound effects will be on industries like manufacturing and agriculture — areas with massive market potential and significant environmental footprints.
When cutting-edge technologies meet trillion-dollar opportunities, they generate unparalleled impact and returns. We're partnering with visionary entrepreneurs to build an optimistic future, and we invite you to join us on this journey.
Why Juniper?
The Juniper genus is one of the most diverse and hardy in nature. The trees thrive in an extremely wide range of habitats, are amazingly resilient, and are renowned for their longevity. Here at Juniper, our life’s work is to support founders as they grow world-changing companies that are built to last.
Meet the Team
Jennifer Kan, PhD
Founding Partner
Jenny is a bioengineer, tech entrepreneur, and investor in more than 40 early-stage deep tech companies. She holds a PhD from Cambridge and worked at Caltech, where she led enzyme engineering projects featured in the 2018 Nobel Prize lecture. She has been named by Forbes as a leading venture capitalist driving investments in synthetic biology.
Michael Luciani
Founding Partner
Michael is a co-founder of the Climate Capital Syndicate and has invested over 100 investments into early stage climate tech startups. Previously Michael was founder and CEO of The Tuesday Company (sold in 2020), which created political organizing software with over 2M users. Prior to The Tuesday Company, Michael worked in policy.
Mackenzie Scurka
Juniper Zero Program Director
Mackenzie holds a M.Sc. in Biology from UCLA, where she played a key role building out Nucleate Eco’s Activator program – an accelerator designed to help academic trainees translate their research into biotech and climate tech startups. Prior to graduate school, Mackenzie worked for the American Forest Foundation, lobbying for climate legislation on Capitol Hill. She holds her B.A. from Dartmouth College.
