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Earnest Sweat is a venture investor, advisor, and founder who has spent more than a decade backing and helping build technology companies. He has backed founders who have created more than $20 billion in enterprise value and advised institutions deploying hundreds of millions of dollars into venture capital.
Earnest built venture investing practices at Prologis Ventures and GreatPoint Ventures, investing across applied AI, vertical software, marketplaces, and technologies transforming foundational industries. He is also the founder of Public School Ventures and Stresswood, a conviction-led Series A venture firm backing high-agency founders across applied AI, vertical software, marketplaces, and tech-enabled services.
Earnest is the co-host of Swimming with Allocators, a leading venture podcast focused on the people, institutions, and decision-making behind venture capital. His experience spanning investing, company building, and institutional capital brings a distinctive perspective to identifying exceptional founders and helping them build enduring companies.
At Defined, Earnest works across investing, portfolio support, and institutional partnerships—identifying high-conviction opportunities, supporting founders through critical stages of growth, and building relationships with leading LPs, family offices, and institutions.