Austin Ritter

Builds AI-first operations for venture firms: Austin is consistently described as an operator who designs and ships AI and automation workflows for VC teams (speaker at the V5 Summit, credited on event pages and panels). He has produced substantial editorial/research output on AI-for-VC and has led automation and investor‑ops work at small funds. luma+2

Early-stage investor and scout with hands-on sourcing experience: Austin served as an analyst/scout at VU Venture Partners, was a startup scout at Z Squared Growth, and has held multiple investor-facing roles that emphasize sourcing, diligence, and syndicate operations. vuventurepartners+2

Founder and fintech operator: He co‑founded Paperplane Financial (Falls Fintech cohort) and later founded Chimera Pitch Competitions, showing a track record of founding and operating early-stage ventures in fintech and in event/creator formats. prweb+1

Student-athlete background and early entrepreneurial activity: Raised in Flemington, NJ (Hunterdon Central), Austin combined athletics (baseball / cross country) with early startups and campus leadership during his Duke years, which contributes to a profile of disciplined, team-oriented execution. prepbaseballreport+2