Buddy Arnheim is a founding partner of Lobby Capital, with a career spanning startup law, venture investing and company building. Before Lobby, he founded and led Perkins Coie's Emerging Company and Venture Capital Practice. He also managed early-stage investor Orthogonal Ventures and co-managed Hut 8 Ventures, bringing legal and investment experience to the decisions young companies face as they raise capital and grow.
His operating background includes co-founding Titan Aerospace, a solar-powered atmospheric-satellite business acquired by Google in 2014. This adds a hardware-intensive company-building experience to a career that might otherwise look primarily financial or advisory.
The companies he has backed span different business models: enterprise software businesses Box and Cloudera, consumer platform OpenTable, insurance technology company Hippo, and hardware and deep-tech ventures including Skydio and SpinLaunch. He joined August Capital in 2021. That breadth is useful context for founders whose capital needs and route to market do not fit a single software-startup template.
Arnheim's academic background combines finance at Wharton with a law degree from the University of Illinois, where he has also taught entrepreneurship. His relevance to founders lies in connecting financing strategy, company structure and commercial choices: how the terms agreed early can shape governance, later funding and the strategic options available as a business develops.
Where Buddy can help
- Connecting financing strategy with company formation and governance
- Understanding how early financing choices affect later rounds and strategic options
- Venture funding for software, hardware and deep-tech businesses
- Strategic transactions through both founder and startup-counsel experience
Operating and investing experience
A selection of companies and roles connected to Buddy Arnheim.
Ventures
Lobby Capital
founding partner
Titan Aerospace
co-founder; acquired by Google in 2014
Perkins Coie
founded and led its Emerging Company and Venture Capital Practice
Orthogonal Ventures
managed the early-stage investment fund
Hut 8 Ventures
co-managed the venture investment fund
August Capital
Investment Partner; joined in 2021
Highlights
- Co-founded a hardware-intensive aerospace company acquired by Google
- Built and led a startup and venture-capital legal practice before becoming a founding partner of Lobby Capital
- Backed businesses ranging from Box and Cloudera to Skydio and SpinLaunch
Questionsfounders ask aboutBuddy Arnheim
What perspective does Buddy bring to an early financing round?
He has worked across startup legal practice, venture funds and company formation as a founder. That combination is relevant to discussing a financing round as more than a valuation: how capital needs, governance and the company's next stage fit together, and which decisions may limit later options.
Is his background relevant beyond conventional software startups?
Yes. He co-founded Titan Aerospace and has backed hardware and deep-tech businesses such as Skydio and SpinLaunch, alongside enterprise and consumer software companies. These examples are relevant when a business has development milestones, hardware requirements or financing needs that differ from a typical software company.
How does his startup-law experience connect to company strategy?
Company formation, financing terms and governance establish relationships that founders will live with as the business grows. Buddy's experience building Perkins Coie's emerging-company practice sits alongside his work as an investor and co-founder, making the connection between those early choices and future funding or strategic transactions a useful focus for discussion.
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