# Ann Miura-Ko Ann Miura-Ko is a founding partner at Floodgate, a venture capital firm known for early investments in technology companies, including artificial intelligence firms such as DeepMind. Ann Miura-Ko is a founding partner at Floodgate, a venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, California. She is recognized for her early-stage investments in technology companies, particularly in the field of [artificial-intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence). Miura-Ko has been a prominent figure in venture capital, known for her analytical approach and focus on identifying transformative technologies before they reach mainstream adoption. Miura-Ko co-founded Floodgate in 2008 with Mike Maples Jr. The firm specializes in seed-stage investments, providing capital and strategic guidance to startups in their earliest phases. Under her leadership, Floodgate has backed numerous successful companies, including Twitter, Lyft, and Okta. However, her involvement with [Google DeepMind](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/deepmind) stands out as a notable early investment in the AI sector, predating the widespread commercial interest in machine learning. ## Early Life and Education Ann Miura-Ko was born in 1975 in the United States. She grew up in a family with a strong academic background; her father was a physicist. She attended Yale University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1997. She later pursued graduate studies at Stanford University, obtaining a Master of Science in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in the same field, focusing on the economics of cybersecurity. Her doctoral research examined the incentives and market dynamics of security vulnerabilities, which informed her later investment philosophy. ## Career in Venture Capital Before co-founding Floodgate, Miura-Ko worked at several technology and finance firms, including Charles River Ventures and the Boston Consulting Group. At Floodgate, she has been instrumental in shaping the firm's investment thesis, which emphasizes the importance of 'leapfrog' technologies - innovations that create entirely new markets or fundamentally change existing ones. She has been a vocal advocate for investing in AI, arguing that the technology's potential to augment human capabilities across industries makes it a prime area for early-stage capital. Miura-Ko has served on the boards of several companies, including [Commure](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/commure), a healthcare technology company, and [Omniscient](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/omniscient), a company focused on AI-driven decision-making. Her board roles have given her insight into the practical challenges and opportunities of deploying AI in real-world settings. ## Contributions to AI Investment Miura-Ko's investment in [DeepMind](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/deepmind) in 2011, when the company was still a small research lab, is often cited as a testament to her foresight. DeepMind later became a leader in [deep-learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/deep-learning) and [reinforcement learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/reinforcement-learning), achieving breakthroughs such as AlphaGo and AlphaFold. This early bet helped establish Floodgate's reputation in the AI space and encouraged other investors to consider AI startups seriously. Beyond DeepMind, Miura-Ko has invested in other AI-related ventures, including [Figure AI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/figure-ai), a company developing humanoid robots, and [Sanctuary AI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/sanctuary-ai), which focuses on general-purpose robots. She has also shown interest in AI infrastructure, with investments in companies like [Groq](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/groq), a hardware startup designing specialized chips for AI workloads. Her portfolio reflects a belief that AI will permeate every sector, from healthcare to transportation. ## Recognition and Influence Miura-Ko has been recognized multiple times in the technology and investment communities. She was named to the Forbes Midas List, which ranks the top venture capitalists, and has been featured in publications such as Fortune and TechCrunch. In 2019, she was appointed to the board of directors of [Intuitive Surgical](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/intuitive-surgical), a company known for its da Vinci surgical systems, where she contributes her expertise in technology and innovation. She is also a frequent speaker at conferences and universities, sharing her insights on entrepreneurship and the future of AI. Her talks often emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary thinking and the ethical implications of AI development. ## Personal Life Miura-Ko is married and has children. She is known to balance her demanding career with family life, and she has spoken publicly about the challenges and rewards of being a woman in the male-dominated field of venture capital. She mentors young entrepreneurs and is an advocate for increasing diversity in tech. ## See Also - [Google DeepMind](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/google-deepmind) - [Artificial intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence) - Floodgate (not in list, but link to [OpenAI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/openai) as related) - [OpenAI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/openai) --- Source: https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/ann-miura-ko License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Last updated: 2026-09-12T16:25:44.84925+00:00