How Justin Ernest invested nearly $500M into hot startups without a traditional VC fund

# How One Investor Built a Shortcut Around Traditional Venture Capital Justin Ernest found a faster way to invest hundreds of millions in promising startups like Anthropic and Anduril without waiting around to formally establish a venture fund. Instead of spending a year asking investors for money to create a traditional fund, he tapped into his existing network of wealthy contacts who were ready to write checks immediately. This approach let him move faster and back major companies while other investors were still doing paperwork.