A Chat with Chris Wake: Founding Partner of Atypical Venture

This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Chris Wake.

Chris Wake is the Founding Partner of Atypical Ventures, an early-stage venture fund dedicated to investing in frontier technologies at the edge of what's technically possible - what he calls "plausible science fiction." Atypical backs companies led by "engineers with empathy," founders who combine deep technical expertise with the vision and humility required to build enduring ventures. Chris's current investments span synthetic biology, lunar data centers, nuclear isotopes, and critical infrastructure.

Before launching Atypical, Chris was the first employee and head of operations at Spire Global, a space data company where he helped launch more than 65 satellites and scale operations across four continents. He also held an early role at Vercel, a global leader in developer tooling and infrastructure.

Drawing on his background as both an operator and investor, Chris emphasizes conviction-driven, concentrated investments, grounded in the belief that the next generation of iconic companies will emerge from breakthroughs at the frontier of science and engineering.