AI Fund

DeepSeek's achievement in building their V3/R1 models further demonstrates that the application layer is the place to be. The application layer is the space above the Infrastructure, Developer Tools, and Hardware layers in the AI stack. It's where many of our founders are building powerful apps and platforms to solve real business problems. With the foundation layer becoming more and more commoditized, the real business moats belong to companies that can build on top of them and own unique distribution channels or customer experiences.

Announcing our strategic partnership with Mitsubishi Corporation! “We are delighted to partner with Mitsubishi Corporation, a global leader with a proven track record of success across multiple industries. Special thanks to Shota Kondo, CEO of the Smart-Life Creation Group, and Takuya Hirakuri, COO of the Digital Solutions Division, for joining forces with AI Fund. Together, we can build AI software to improve efficiency and solve complex problems across Mitsubishi Corporation’s diverse portfolio," says Andrew Ng. More about this partnership -- link in comments

Congratulations Kian Katanforoosh and the whole Workera team!

A lot of the hype around AI is on the billions being spent on foundational models. But the really exciting space for us is the application layer on top. This was a key part of Andrew Ng's conversation with Ina Fried of Axios at Davos: “If you’re not in the business of training foundation models, because others have spent billions of dollars training these models, you can now get access to these models for cents and build really valuable applications on top, so the ROI equation for those building applications actually looks really good," said Andrew. Also in the conversation, Andrew shared his thoughts on the application layer, what company leaders may want to think about when it comes to AI, and how we launch companies quickly at AI Fund. Watch the whole conversation: https://lnkd.in/e7Siy_sT

What's next in AI for 2025? Join us for a virtual fireside chat with Miguel Paredes, PhD and Katherine Baird as they share the key trends founders need to know and follow this year.

Want to learn about AI from Andrew Ng? Chat with his avatar! Jeff Daniel and the RealAvatar team are building the future of mentorship and education with through personalized conversations (voice and chat) with academic luminaries and other public figures.

What an incredible gathering at our annual CEO & Co-founder Summit last week! Deeply inspired after two days of connecting with more than 70 of the sharpest minds in startup land. From Laurence Moroney's fireside chat with Andrew Ng to Erik Brynjolfsson's powerful keynote to hands-on workshops on enterprise sales and fundraising, the energy was electric. We're grateful to our presenters including Jon Miller on B2B marketing's AI evolution, Matt W Gore's pitch deck insights, and thought-provoking panel discussions. Rob Solomon and Anthony Soohoo shared their hard-earned expertise on the sometimes bumpy road to go-to-market. Carta's Peter Walker painted a vivid picture of the current fundraising market and on the other side of the funding equation, VCs Cathy Gao, Buddy Arnheim, and Scott Beechuk shared insights on what they look for in founders to fund. Ashley Stirrup led a captivating workshop on enterprise sales pitches and Israel Niezen led a dynamic panel of top sales leaders, featuring Peter Ahn, Mark Vashon, and James Milin. Sarah Daniels gave us all something to think about when it comes to team building and coaches Bryan Bayer and Faith Cohen, Ph.D. shared impactful leadership frameworks for founders. Special thanks to our sponsors OPTIO - Strategic Storytelling, Carta, Citizens Private Bank, and Fenwick & West for making this possible, and to Warren Packard for masterfully MCing the whole thing. The best part though? The authentic conversations between founders sharing challenges and victories. Here's to the AI Fund community continuing to push boundaries in 2025!

Welcome aboard David Sobie! David Sobie has built businesses in enterprise software, logistics, supply chain, and e-commerce, including founding reverse logistic company Happy Returns, a UPS Company and launching a new business in eBay's Motors division. At AI Fund, he advises founders on their 0-1 journey. Glad to have you on board David! More about David and his advice to founders: https://lnkd.in/eGicyf8R

Personalized product demos at scale. That's what Fahad Aziz and Pierce Gaynor are building at PuppyDog.io. Jon Miller, co-founder of Marketo is on the board. Their AI-powered platform can supercharge outbound campaigns for sales and marketing leaders. In the platform, the AI agent researches each prospect and creates video demos tailored to their needs. It has helped customers generate $12M in qualified leads.

Welcome aboard Swapnil Shah! As a seasoned operating executive, passionate about launching and scaling new ventures, Swap has founded three enterprise software companies. He joins AI Fund’s ecosystem as a Venture Advisor, where he works with founders during their startup journey. Most recently Swap was the founder and CEO of FirstFuel Software, an industry leader in customer intelligence for utilities, delivering solutions to 40 of the world’s largest electric and gas utilities. FirstFuel was acquired in a private equity led rollup to form Uplight. Prior to FirstFuel, Swap founded and led two data center automation software companies that were acquired by Oracle and Inktomi. Swap served as a growth advisor and board member of Resource Innovations (acquired by Morgan Stanley Capital) and currently serves on the boards of GridX, Urbint, Innowatts and the Northeast Clean Energy Council.