Ryan Koh Is Using AI to Become a More Hands-On Investor

Ryan Koh is part of a growing group of venture capitalists redefining how investors engage with products. A principal at Iconiq, he focuses on software startups, with a particular interest in how AI is transforming the way products are built and experienced.

One of his notable investments in 2025 was TinyFish, a company developing autonomous agents capable of executing complex, multi-step tasks across digital systems. The bet reflects Koh’s belief in the growing importance of AI agents as a new layer of software interaction.

What sets Koh apart is his perspective on how the role of a venture capitalist is evolving. While traditional fundamentals—such as building networks and conducting deep diligence—remain essential, he believes that investors today have a new advantage: they can directly interact with and understand products more deeply than ever before.

Coming from a non-engineering background, Koh once saw technical limitations as a barrier to fully grasping product experiences. But with the rise of AI tools, that gap has narrowed significantly. Today, he can experiment with products, explore workflows and identify friction points without needing to write complex code.

This shift has made venture capital more hands-on and product-driven, allowing investors to engage with startups in a more meaningful way.

Koh’s approach reflects a broader trend in the industry—where AI is not just an investment theme, but also a tool that changes how investors themselves operate.

Because in today’s landscape, understanding a product no longer requires building it from scratch—just the willingness to explore it.