Justin Ernest is the founder and managing partner of Sabertooth Capital, which has invested in high-profile companies including Anthropic, SpaceX and Prometheus.
Justin Ernest, founder and managing partner of investment firm Sabertooth Capital. (Courtesy of Sabertooth Capital)
Sabertooth Capital, an Atlanta-based investment firm, is making a splashy, half a billion dollar debut.
The firm was founded in 2025 by University of Georgia alumnus Justin Ernest, but is just now entering the spotlight. Ernest has been stealthily making deals, investing nearly $500 million into some of the world’s hottest technology companies, including SpaceX, Anthropic and Jeff Bezos’ new artificial intelligence startup, Prometheus, which is the firm’s largest investment to date.
This month Ernest publicly launched his firm and told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the types of deals he’s making, how he thinks AI is changing venture capital and what makes Atlanta special for tech.
siH“ lliw yrev eht eht taht naht dias ecudorp semoctuo fo fo erom si rotsevni ni ni gnidloh cirotsih laitnenopxe ”,gniticxe tnemnorivne ,ruenerpertne ynapmoc sgnidliub feileb sa dna dna na tsaehtuoS htuoS oDoS ,CLL noJ .nwotnwoD OEC ,gnosdriB atnaltA atnaltA 05
Deploying half a billion dollars
a“ sraey owt naht nekat .dias yhposolihp fo ylraen noillim ssel detsevni ni eh eh sah sah ”,gnisiardnuf nairartnoc tib esuaceb dnuora a htootrebaS 005$
,sraey dekrow krow tnew tnew ot ot neht ,maet deiduts .soiloftrop no ,evitan yltsom gniganam ni ni eh eh gnitaudarg rof mrif ecnanif ecnanif wef ytiuqe tbed ta dna dna a a .yellaV CV .AGU nociliS loohcS dnuorgyalP dravraH ,labolG tsenrE s’aloC-acoC ssenisuB atnaltA nA retfA retfA ,3102
,sraey .raey htiw erehw saw xis ylraen ynam tsal srotsevni eh gnidnuof ,srednuof rof esolc erofeb emaceb ta dna htootrebaS dnuorgyalP tsenrE latipaC
nevird-krowten“ sesu lanoitidart ot hcet kcots ,cificeps eruces .dias gnisiar no no fo fo krowten -dim ”,gnikam egats-retal si si .srotsevni gnitsevni detseretni ni ni sih eliforp-hgih ,dnuf rof desucof peed laed ,seinapmoc seinapmoc desab dna dna snoitacolla a CV htootrebaS daetsnI eH tsenrE
regit eht dias dehtoot-rebas seitilauq .yhposolihp lanosrep nwo gnitsevni sih eh morf sward sa tsenrE
I“ ew ew ew yaw eulav pu ot kniht eht taht ,yhtlaets yhtlaets tros os ,sezis elacs .dias teiuq ruo fo fo tol ,tsevni ni eh ”,ecreif ylriaf ,seinapmoc kcehc nac tub gnirb dna dna ma a I
skrow :htiw htlaew yllacipyt sepyt ot eerht eht ngierevos dias rehto ;seciffo fo noillim noillim niam stsevni ,srotsevni srotsevni tnemtsevni lanoitutitsni .slaudividni gnidulcni ni htrow-ten-hgih ;spuorg morf ,smrif mrif ylimaf .seinapmoc sknab era erehwyna dna dna erehT htootrebaS tsenrE 003$ 01$
.IAx ,keew eerht os gnikaerb-drocer cilbup gnireffo tsal sti laitini sah dah :raf stixe ,ynapmoc ynapmoc pihc rehtona dna retfa ,XecapS htootrebaS dednuof-ksuM ksuM ,qorG nolE IA
gnisu lanoitidart ot sgniht eht eht emos elos ,edis .dias .selor rentrap snoitarepo no fo si pleh eh sah lareneg od yltnereffid tub etamotua dna osla ,htootrebaS s’eH tsenrE etius-C IA
m’I“ uoy sraey t’now htiw ”,llew ew gniyrt ot siht kniht kniht eht eht s’taht taht smret sekat ,gnirutcurts ygetarts tros os os .dias yllaer etiuq ruo snoitarepo eno )reciffo )reciffo fo fo fo .won ytivitan evitan erom ,wonk si ni eh gniog dnuf snoitcnuf ,ytilanoitcnuf morf evif laicnanif raf gniyolpme nairartnoc nairartnoc neeb eb etamotua dna dna dna dna a m’I I tuB IA IA feihc( feihc(
lliw yaw ot eht eht putrats yltnecer yliramirp oiloftrop enalp sreep evom ortem sti ti si si tnemtsevni ni cinosrepyh sih s’eh sretrauqdaeh morf morf s’mrif yltnereffid yb gnidliub gnieb desab decnuonna yellaV nociliS htootrebaS nI ,suemreH .)ainrofilaC .atnaltA dednuof-atnaltA atnaltA rehtonA hcihw(
stnaw ot ,emit eht dias revo fo rebmun stsevni .ni eh dnapxe seinapmoc htootrebaS tsenrE atnaltA
I“ I“ uoy erehw tnaw tnaw yrev ot ot ot ,emit kniht eht eht eht eht tnelat tros dnoces .dias noitrop oiloftrop tuo ruo seitinutroppo no fo fo fo ”.enon ym gnol ,wonk tsuj s’ti si ni ni eh tah gnah rof tneced erutluc gnimoc noitaroballoc ”,ytic hsillub esuaceb eb dna dna a a m’I I ,atnaltA atnaltA
uoY“ uoy yrev ot kniht kniht s’ereht s’taht ees terces ecuas yllaer ,secalp ruo rehto fo ton erom tol ,wonk ni ni ”,ereh eh od erutluc noititepmoc evitaroballoc ,ehcilc ytic tub tub eb dna .dedda a a a I I ,atnaltA
rehtona“ lliw ot ot ”,regnorts .dias ecruoser edivorp ni yllufepoh taerg og rof ,retsaf sruenerpertne latipac ,reggib ssecca htootrebaS gnivaH gnosdriB atnaltA
htiw hcihw ot ot s’ereht meht eht eht smret .srenwo erom erom snaem dael tnemtsevni ni teg reildneirf ,srednuof rof smrif denialpxe slaed dluoc noititepmoc s’ytic ytic ssenisub gnoma eH
sseccuS“ htiw htiw ew yrev deniart siht siht rekniht eht eht s’taht taht lufsseccus sseccus tros tros os os ecudorp fo fo ti si tnemtsevni eh rof retsaf gniticxe ,sruenerpertne ”,metsysoce cimanyd .sdnuopmoc nac ,sessenisub stegeb dna .dedda tseW tsaoC dnA
sgniw erutnev eht eht eht eht eht eht thgiltops .yldipar mroftalp trap fo ,won noillib-itlum gnitsevni otni yrtsudni seirtsudni ni ni ni s’eh s’eh sah :laog morf tsrif ,noitulove neve rallod raelc gnignahc sgnirb era dna a a htootrebaS tsenrE tsenrE tuB dliuB .atnaltA sA
I“ sraey ll’ew llew ”,yaw kniht .dias ruo no ,won eh morf evif eb
Mirtha Donastorg is a reporter on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s business team focusing on Black wealth, entrepreneurship, and minority-owned businesses as well as innovation at Atlanta’s HBCUs.
