Michael Dempsey

Michael Dempsey is a General Partner at Compound VC, an early-stage venture capital firm based in New York City, New York. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from New York University and began his career handling finance and operations for various technology firms before transitioning into venture capital. Dempsey currently manages funds with over $100 million in total assets under management and oversees a portfolio of more than 50 companies, including early strategic investments in the blockchain platform Solana. In 2024, he notably led the seed funding round for the artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI, and he subsequently published an investor guide titled "The Compound Playbook" in 2025. His current investment focus centers on supporting founders who are building transformative technologies across artificial intelligence, developer tools, financial technology, cryptocurrency, and frontier tech sectors.