# Ernest Addison

> Ernest Addison is a Senior Associate at Boldstart Ventures, one of the premier enterprise-focused seed-stage VC firms, where he backs founders at the earliest inflection point. With a career that spans Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America's Global Industrials investment banking desk, and private equity at Audax Group, Ernest brings a rare mix of Wall Street rigor and startup-native intuition to enterprise infrastructure, security, developer tools, and SaaS. Originally from Washington, D.C. and a UVA McIntire alum, he joined Boldstart in 2021 and has since become a fixture in the firm's mission to be the first check into ambitious technical founders.

- **Role:** Senior Associate at Boldstart Ventures
- **Organizations:** Boldstart Ventures, Audax Group, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
- **From:** Washington, DC, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Commerce, Entrepreneurship track, University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce
- **Known for:** Promoted to Senior Associate at Boldstart Ventures within a few years of joining, Recognized as a top seed-stage investor across Security, Developer Tools, Data Services, and Cybersecurity sectors by Signal/NFX, Manages investments ranging from $250K to $2M, with a $1M sweet spot, backing early-stage enterprise founders

## Career timeline

- **2015-2019** — Attended University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce; completed internships at Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Stifel Financial, CohnReznick, and Sponsors For Educational Opportunity
- **2019-2020** — Investment Banking Analyst, Global Industrials Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch - worked on M&A, leveraged buyouts, debt financing, and public equity transactions
- **2021** — Private Equity Associate at Audax Group, focused on Healthcare, Business Services, Consumer, Industrial Technology, and Software investments
- **2021-present** — Joined Boldstart Ventures as Associate, promoted to Senior Associate; focuses on seed-stage investments in Security, Developer Tools, Data Services, Web3/Crypto, and SaaS

## Achievements

- Promoted to Senior Associate at Boldstart Ventures within a few years of joining
- Recognized as a top seed-stage investor across Security, Developer Tools, Data Services, and Cybersecurity sectors by Signal/NFX
- Manages investments ranging from $250K to $2M, with a $1M sweet spot, backing early-stage enterprise founders
- Part of the Boldstart Ventures team that has backed notable enterprise software companies at inception

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Promoted to Senior Associate at Boldstart Ventures, expanding his role in sourcing and supporting enterprise seed-stage investments
- **2023-12** — Boldstart Ventures published 2023 recap featuring the team's continued focus on enterprise software and AI infrastructure
- **2021-09** — Joined Boldstart Ventures as Associate, transitioning from private equity at Audax Group

## Links

- Website: https://boldstart.vc/team/ernest-addison/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ernest-addison-a849b2141
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ErnestAddison21

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ernest-addison
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-07