Collin West

Managing Partner at Ensemble VC and Investor

Collin West is the Managing Partner and co-founder of Ensemble VC, a venture capital firm based in Austin, Texas. He has been in this role since December 2020, focusing on supporting founders as they transition their companies from founder-led to team-led organizations. His investment strategy emphasizes building high-quality teams around startups to facilitate their growth and success.1 2 3

Background and Experience

Before founding Ensemble VC, Collin held various significant positions in the venture capital landscape. He was a founding partner of the Kauffman Fellows VC Fund and served on the founding team at Correlation Ventures, a data-driven venture capital firm. His investment portfolio includes notable companies such as Zoom Video, Carta, Groww, and ICON, among others.2 4

Collin is also recognized for his adventurous spirit; he holds a Guinness World Record for leading the first-ever unsupported row across the Arctic Ocean, which took 41 days.2 4

Education

Collin West earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was awarded the Four Pillars award for embodying the school's values. He also holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Southern Methodist University, graduating with honors.4 5

Personal Interests

Outside of his professional endeavors, Collin is an avid competitor in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and enjoys mountain biking and climbing. He is also a family man, spending time with his wife and three children.4 5

Highlights

Jul 1 · Austin Business Journal

The top venture capital funding rounds for Austin startups in June 2021 - Austin Business Journal

Jul 1 · The Business Journals

The top venture capital funding rounds for Austin startups in June 2021 - The Business Journals

Experience

Managing Partner at Ensemble VC (January 2021 - Present)

Founding Partner, Kauffman Fellows Fund (November 2016 - Present); Investor at Zoom, Carta, ICON, Groww (Various Dates); Data Advisor at Draper Associates (October 2020 - Present)

Education

MBA in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management (2010 - 2012); BBA in Finance, Marketing, Psychology from Southern Methodist University (2001 - 2005)