William Dunbar

Go-getter
DISC Type : d

VP of Intellectual Property at At One Ventures

Santa Cruz, California, United States

Overview

William is the VP of Intellectual Property at At One Ventures, a deep-tech climate VC firm. A serial entrepreneur and former associate professor of robotics at UC Santa Cruz, he holds a PhD from Caltech and is a named inventor on 235 filed patents.

Outside of his professional life, William is an avid surfer and drummer. He is passionate about spending time with his family, addressing issues related to autoimmunity, and supporting underprivileged children.

Unique fact: He left a tenured faculty job at UC Santa Cruz to become the full-time CTO of the deep-tech startup he co-founded.

Personality Overview

Fast-Paced

Self-Confident

Decisive

They focus on objectivity in a pitch and pay little attention to bells and whistles.  They can be nudged to make faster decisions by offering what they value. They respond well to confident salespeople.

Topics They Care About

Deep-Tech IP Strategy
As VP of IP, he helps mission-driven founders develop patent strategies, leveraging his experience as an inventor on over 235 filed patents.
Climate Tech Investing
His work at At One Ventures involves finding and funding startups that can help humanity become a net positive to nature.
Genomic Technology
He co-founded and was CTO of two startups, Ontera and Nooma Bio, that developed innovative dual-nanopore technology for genomic mapping and sequencing.

Media Appearances

Bill Dunbar (@wbdunbar) announced as new Entrepreneur‑in‑Residence at At One Ventures. Featured in Instagram

See Now

Work History

9-2025
VP of Intellectual Property at At One Ventures
11-2023 - 9-2025
Entrepreneur in Residence at At One Ventures
6-2020 - 10-2023
Founder, Chief Technology Officer at Nooma Bio
4-2019 - 12-2021
Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer at Ontera
11-2011 - 3-2019
Co-founder, Chief Technology Officer at Two Pore Guys, Inc.

Education

1999 - 2004
PhD from Caltech
1997 - 1999
MS from UC San Diego

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 21 Location : Santa Cruz, California, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : VP of Intellectual Property at At One Ventures
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Insights For Selling To William

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Highlight the competitive differentiation of your product
  • Stress on the business value that your product offers
  • Be crisp while making the pitch

DONT's

  • Refrain from asking too many questions
  • Avoid repeating yourself or making generalizations
  • Don’t try to be an alpha salesperson, give them equal space

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with William is

  • Belief in the product plays an important role, followed by objective proof and testimonials.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from William

  • They may hesitate slightly, but if they are not convinced, they will say no.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will William move?

  • They are neither the fastest decision makers nor the slowest.
  • Can William take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks only after they have analyzed the advantages and disadvantages.

You And William

Personality Compatibility


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