Soleio Cuervo
About Soleio Cuervo
Soleio Cuervo is a software designer turned investor based in San Francisco. He studied music composition and multimedia design at Duke University and graduated in 2003, according to the SEEDS scholars program, which he attended in 1995.
He was one of Facebook's first designers, working there from 2005 to 2011. A Design Details podcast episode credits him with laying the groundwork of Facebook's early design team and working on the original version of the Like button. He then moved to Dropbox. By his own account he first came in as an angel investor, and he joined full-time in 2012 to lead design as the company's first head of design.
From August 2016 to April 2021 he was Managing Partner at Combine, a seed-stage, design-led venture fund he co-founded. In an interview he described the combined investment and design-services model as too complex, because it blurred his role when advising founders. He went back to angel investing, which he said let him give direct advice without managing outside capital. His X bio describes him as a designer, inventor and angel investor, and says he hosts a show called First of Kind.
Soleio invests his own money. Crunchbase lists 21 investments for him, with no lead investments, no exits and no companies founded. Other databases count differently. PitchBook lists 44 investments and 6 exits, and some Crunchbase profiles under his name show other totals. These profiles are likely split or merged, so treat any single count with caution.
Public profiles tie him to several well-known software companies at an early stage. SEEDS and InfoWorld name Figma, Vercel and Vanta. His Crunchbase bio also lists Framer. He has been an angel investor and design advisor to Figma, Vercel and Universe, according to SEEDS. Tracxn dates the start of his startup investing to 2014 through Figma.
Crunchbase's latest listed seed investments include District, Kick and The Sentience Company. Check sizes and ownership stakes are not public.
Crunchbase shows 14 AI investments since 2023. The AI portfolio includes Bezi, Yutori, Perplexity, Granola, Sauna by Wordware, Interfere, Antimetal, Variant, Nyne.ai, Delphi, Odyssey and The Sentience Company.
Dated rounds that name him include Perplexity's Series A in March 2023 (Dealroom) and Yutori's seed round on 27 March 2025 (PitchBook). Crunchbase lists him as an investor in Antimetal's Series A. A 2025 podcast episode description names Perplexity and Delphi as investments. Exact investment dates for most other AI companies are not public.
Public sources describe a seed-stage, product-minded investor. His background is in design, and he has described software design as needing a tool-driven revolution. Combine, his earlier fund, targeted design-forward seed-stage startups.
His recent portfolio spans AI agents, AI search, AI note-taking, cloud cost tooling and developer and design tools. He also invests in companies outside AI. Most of his public investments are US companies. He is based in San Francisco.
He has not published a check size, a fund size or a formal thesis that we could find, so none is stated here. He does not lead rounds according to Crunchbase, so founders should expect him as a participating angel. Because he is also a design advisor to some portfolio companies, founders with product and design questions may find that relevant.
- Perplexity: AI-powered search and answer engine. Listed as an investor in its March 2023 Series A.
- Yutori: AI startup. Seed round announced in March 2025.
- Granola: AI meeting notes tool. Listed in his Crunchbase AI portfolio.
- Delphi: Named as an investment in a 2025 podcast description and in his Crunchbase AI portfolio.
- Antimetal: Listed as an investor in its Series A.
- The Sentience Company: Seed investor, shown as his most recent investment on one Crunchbase profile.
- Figma: Design software company. Named as an early investment and advisory relationship.
- Vercel: Frontend development platform. Named as an investment and design advisory relationship.
- Vanta: Compliance automation software. Named as an investment in press coverage.
- Bezi, Sauna by Wordware, Interfere, Variant, Nyne.ai, Odyssey: Listed in his Crunchbase AI portfolio, with no further public detail on dates.
- crunchbase.com/person/2229b80d-fd4e-4ef4-8b56-d32615e7b55f
- crunchbase.com/person/soleio-soleio
- crunchbase.com/person/soleio-cuervo
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/109593-19
- seedsaccess.org/soleio-cuervo
- infoworld.com/article/2336439/what-software-developers-should-know-abo
- bryce.medium.com/cults-culture-w-soleio-cuervo-0b0ef178c960
- me.sh/profile/soleio
AI portfolio
Investing activity
Soleio Cuervo has made 21 investments according to Crunchbase. 14 of those investments since 2023 were in AI companies, including Bezi, Yutori, Perplexity, Granola and Sauna by Wordware.
Soleio Cuervo appears in 2 AI deals tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $7M. The most recent are The Sentience Company (Seed, $6.5M, Mar 2026) and Nyne.ai (Seed, $5.3M, Mar 2026).
Soleio Cuervo most often invests alongside Bain Capital Ventures, South Park Commons, Terrence Rohan and Annie Case, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Soleio Cuervo
Who is Soleio Cuervo?
He is a San Francisco angel investor and a former designer at Facebook and Head of Design at Dropbox. He was also Managing Partner at the seed fund Combine from 2016 to 2021.
Does Soleio Cuervo invest in AI startups?
Yes. Crunchbase shows 14 AI investments since 2023, including Perplexity, Yutori, Granola, Delphi and Antimetal.
What is Soleio Cuervo's check size?
No check size is public. We found no stated range from him or from reliable sources.
What stage does Soleio Cuervo invest in?
His public deals are mostly seed rounds, such as Yutori, with some Series A participation such as Perplexity and Antimetal. Crunchbase lists no lead investments.
Does Soleio Cuervo lead rounds?
Crunchbase lists 0 lead investments for him. His public record is as a participating angel.
How can founders contact Soleio Cuervo?
He is active on X at @soleio and has a LinkedIn profile. Founders can also use their own network or portfolio founders for an introduction.
Is Soleio Cuervo an angel investor?
Yes. Soleio Cuervo invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 21 investments.
What AI companies has Soleio Cuervo invested in?
Soleio Cuervo's AI investments include Bezi, Yutori, Perplexity, Granola, Sauna by Wordware, Interfere, Antimetal and Variant. The 2 rounds on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Soleio Cuervo based?
Soleio Cuervo is based in San Francisco, United States.
What stage does Soleio Cuervo invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Soleio Cuervo has invested at Seed, with a median round of $7M.