Introducing Encoded Ventures: A Focus on Innovation, Infrastructure Software for the AI Era

Venture Capital Veteran Brings Expertise to Help Technical Founders Go From Ideation to IPO

Encoded Ventures, a new early-stage venture capital firm founded by 20-year investing veteran Alex Benik, announced its official launch and the latest in a series of investments focused on infrastructure software innovation.

Benik previously spent 22 years investing in infrastructure and security at Battery Ventures, a global, technology-focused investment firm, where he worked on investments in Habana Labs, Cumulus Networks, Nobl9, Opsgenie, and Guardicore. With Encoded, Benik sets his focus on infrastructure companies, targeting early-stage (inception, pre-seed, and seed) businesses in three critical areas: cloud infrastructure, data and AI infrastructure, and cybersecurity.

“Having known Alex for more than 20 years, I’ve seen firsthand his commitment to technical founders and early-stage businesses. Encoded is a natural extension of that passion. He’s a true mensch, and I’m proud to support him as a friend, investor, and advisor.” – Scott Tobin, Battery Ventures

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In the investment community, Encoded Ventures sets itself apart by combining deep technical expertise with strong business acumen, which stems from Benik’s extensive background in infrastructure and enterprise software. Since establishing Encoded Ventures in 2024, Benik has invested in 10 early-stage businesses, including ConfigHub, DataFlint, Datum, Tenzai, Jazz Security, IPXO, and Atero AI, which was recently acquired by Crusoe. Half of Encoded’s investments to date are based in Israel where he has been deeply involved with start-ups for 15 years.

“Alex backed Atero at the earliest stage. After our first meeting at my prior company, I knew I wanted to work with him. His guidance, advice, and relationships in LLM infrastructure made him one of our most impactful investors. Now, with Atero’s acquisition by Crusoe, I’m eager to see as many of Encoded’s GPU-hungry companies running on our cloud as possible.” – Alon Yariv, Atero AI / Crusoe

“Modern infrastructure is undergoing radical transformation, and it’s vital that the founders get the help they need early on to successfully bring their products from idea to achieving early traction,” said Alex Benik, founder of Encoded Ventures. “Investing in the earliest stages of company formation, pre-product and often just the team, Encoded Ventures is seeking out next-generation companies that will provide the necessary infrastructure to drive continued growth and innovation across the infrastructure stack. Tapping decades of experience in working closely with technical founders from Day Zero, we understand what it takes to help them go from an idea to a company that scales with precision and purpose.”