Ian Rountree is founder and general partner of Cantos, a San Francisco venture firm he started in 2016 to back founders building in the physical world: aerospace, defense, energy, and advanced manufacturing. He came to venture from operating roles at SoFi and Invisible Technologies, after studying international relations at Vanderbilt, and built his early track record through personal angel checks. Cantos has backed nearly 100 companies including satellite operator Astranis, flight automation company Skyryse, and nuclear microreactor developer Radiant.