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Welcome to the Q3 edition of the BGV Beat! This quarter, we explore key trends in democratizing AI innovation, as Big Tech’s control over AI infrastructure, data, and capital continues to expand. While this consolidation brings both opportunities and challenges, it also highlights the need for new pathways that ensure AI innovation remains accessible to a broader range of players. In our Deeper Insights section, we look beyond infrastructure, exploring alternative paradigms for AI innovation that focus on unlocking the potential of unstructured data, fostering human-centric models, and addressing systemic challenges to AI adoption. These approaches offer new opportunities for a more inclusive and dynamic AI ecosystem, one that encourages collaboration across a diverse range of stakeholders. Our Perspectives section features insights from Stanford University's Erik Brynjolfsson, and delves into human augmentation use cases, startup innovation, and the evolving role of VCs in shaping AI’s future. We’re also proud to announce two key financing events this quarter. BGV invested in Affineon Health, an innovative AI platform transforming healthcare. We also led COVU’s $12.5M Series A round, supporting their mission to revolutionize the insurance industry through AI-powered platforms. Finally, in the Spotlight, we highlight the release of EAIGG: Ethical AI Governance Group's 2024 Annual Report, which delves into the challenges surrounding AI adoption while outlining a clear path forward, advocating for a future shaped by human-centric AI innovation. EAIGG has brought together a diverse and interdisciplinary group of executive AI practitioners through the Human AI Advisory Council, committed to advancing the discourse on AI investments, adoption, and talent, while addressing risks and emphasizing societal benefits for all. Read the Q3 2024 BGV Beat here: https://lnkd.in/gd6vpJB9 Eric Benhamou | Eric Buatois | Anik Bose | Yashwanth Hemaraj | Sarah Benhamou | Masaru (Mas) Sakamoto | Ron Sege | Patrick Nicolet | Venkat Raghavan | Ekaterina Evchenko | Etienne Arsac | Nao Shibata | Sophia Lee | Lucas Lee | Jessica Hsieh | Patricia Romero | Emmanuel Benhamou | Antoine Santi | Eve Sebag | #Enterprise50 #HumanCapital #CrossBorderInnovation

EAIGG Executive Director Anik Bose summarizes key findings from our White Paper, which lays out 4 broad scenarios for the future of AI. Bose was a featured speaker at the #KPMGTechandInnovation24 Symposium in Utah, which brought together business leaders from Fortune 500 companies and promising startups. Link to the White Paper, An Alternative Paradigm: https://lnkd.in/gYFNcDFC #innovation #artificialintelligence #machinelearning

Where is the BGV Team this week? ✈️ 📍 Our Senior Associate, Ekaterina Evchenko, was at back-to-back conferences in Las Vegas, representing BGV at ITC Vegas connecting with innovators at VC Office Hours and at HLTH 2024, healthcare’s # 1 must-attend innovation event! 🌟 📍 Meanwhile, our General Partner, Eric Buatois, Partner, Masaru (Mas) Sakamoto, and Visiting Associate, Nao Shibata, have been fostering global partnerships in Tokyo with a joint event alongside NVIDIA Japan and Marubeni Corporation, introducing the Human AI Alliance and announcing the release of the EAIGG: Ethical AI Governance Group 2024 annual report, fostering networking and collaboration. 🤝 📍 And our Founder & CEO, Eric Benhamou, was in Germany for a town hall meeting and fireside chat on the topic of AI and its impact on EWE AG, moderated by Timo Köster. 💡 From the US to Asia and Europe, BGV continues to grow our global presence, building bridges and creating impact. 🌍  #Enterprise50 #HumanCapital #CrossBorderInnovation #BGV

Our portfolio company, Totango has recently announced the launch of Unison—an AI-powered growth intelligence engine designed to unify customer data and drive revenue! The Unison product line was accelerated by the company’s recent acquisition of the team and technology from Parative, an AI-driven customer intelligence platform designed for B2B enterprises and originally backed by investors including Bain Capital Ventures. Unison’s key features include: 🌟Unison Standard: AI models analyzing customer engagement data (calls, emails, meetings, support tickets) to detect risk within days. 🌟Unison Custom: Enterprise-grade AI tailored to your unique data, providing deep insights and predictive churn detection months or years before renewal. Benefits for revenue leaders: ➤ Predict revenue streams and prioritize key customer cohorts. ➤ Drive efficiency by optimizing resources and improving customer journeys. ➤ Move from reactive to proactive strategies for churn risk. ➤ Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities with AI-driven analytics. More details here: https://lnkd.in/gxGVh-Sc Eric Benhamou | Janice Roberts | Alistair Rennie #Enterprise50 #BGV #Totango #CustomerSuccess

We're excited to announce that our portfolio company, MadKudu has recently acquired BreadcrumbsIO, a leading innovator in predictive scoring and revenue acceleration! Sam Levan, CEO of Madkudu and Armando Biondi, CEO of BreadcrumbsIO share the same vision—to provide the best signal-based selling solution to the market. Rather than building separately, they've decided to join forces and accelerate R&D and GTM efforts. 🤝 Congratulations to both teams on this exciting journey to build the essential stack for the future of pipeline generation and seller empowerment! Read the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/gSimS_9f Eric Buatois #Enterprise50 #HumanCapital #SignalBasedSelling

In today’s fast-paced landscape, where AI is transforming industries, startups are at the forefront of this evolution. Recently, at the BGV Summit, our Startup Panel brought together top entrepreneurs and experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing startups in this dynamic landscape. Hear from: ➤ Omar Shaya, Founder of MultiOn ➤ Ali Safavi, Co-Founder and CEO of COVU ➤ Sahil Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Enkrypt AI Moderated by Yashwanth Hemaraj, General Partner at BGV Learn how their business models: ✅ Combine technology with human-centric design ✅ Offer pricing solutions that drive efficiency without replacing the human element ✅ Focus on building trust as AI adoption accelerates Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gWZASwAR #Enterprise50 #HumanCentricDesign #BGVSummit

Are today’s leaders in AI positioned to remain tomorrow’s winners? 🔍 As we stand on the brink of a monumental technological shift, the importance of understanding AI investments has never been more crucial. The recent panel at the BGV Summit offered insights from some of the leading minds in AI investment. ➤ Rita Costa Waite, Partner at IQT (In-Q-Tel) ➤ Noah Yago, Vice President at Cisco Investments ➤ Ashish Kakran, Principal at Thomvest ➤ Uday Sandhu, General Partner at Alpha Intelligence Capital Moderated by Anik Bose, General Partner at BGV and Founder of EAIGG: Ethical AI Governance Group. These experts discussed the potential and risks of AI, highlighting the strategic decisions shaping the future of the industry. Watch the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/ggsqbGAd #Enterprise50 #HumanCapital #VentureCapital #BGV

Our Sr Associate, Ekaterina Evchenko, is attending ITC Vegas, the world’s largest gathering of insurance innovation, presented by McKinsey & Company. Catch her during VC Office Hours: 📅 Wednesday, October 16 ⏰ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Pacific Time 📍 Round Banquet Tables in the ITC Vegas Expo Hall, near the Founders House and Innovation Demo Stage. ITC Vegas is where the brightest minds in the insurance industry come together to network, source solutions, and create valuable partnerships. Also, be sure to check out our portfolio company, Zelros, at booth F4 and join the conversations that are driving the industry forward! 🚀 #ITCVegas #BGV #Insurtech

As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the intersection of AI and human capabilities poses both exciting opportunities and pressing challenges. The BGV Summit brought together a panel of industry leaders gathered to discuss the impact of human augmentation versus displacement, highlighting the current trends, challenges, and future prospects. The panel featured professionals from different fields who have been at the forefront of integrating AI: ➤ Katharina Koerner, AI Governance Lead at Western Governors University ➤ Steve Wilson, Chief Product Officer at Exabeam ➤ Jai Kumar, Head of Innovation at Tata Consultancy Services Moderated by Anik Bose, General Partner at BGV and Founder of EAIGG: Ethical AI Governance Group Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gFZ89nfC #Enterprise50 #HumanCapital #EthicalAI #BGV

We are excited to announce our lead investment in COVU, which raised $12.5M Series A round, alongside ManchesterStory, Markd, and other investors! 🚀 Eric Benhamou, CEO and General Partner at BGV, on COVU’s vision: “COVU is pioneering the future of insurance servicing by blending AI-driven insights with a human touch. COVU is a perfect example of BGV’s Enterprise 5.0 investment strategy. We believe their model is key to unlocking the next phase of growth in the industry, and we’re excited to support COVU as they lead this transformation.” Learn more about why we invested: https://lnkd.in/gfwPN-FV Ekaterina Evchenko | Ali Safavi #Enterprise50 #HumanCapital #Insurtech #BGV #COVU