Foundation Capital

After 16 years in venture capital, I've been taking some time to reflect on my journey. It's funny how life works - a chance encounter in a Menlo Park parking lot led me down this path, and I've been learning ever since. This isn't a back-patting VC success story or how-to guide. It's just me, sharing some honest thoughts about what I've seen and experienced. I've had the privilege of working with some incredible founders, and their stories - both the triumphs and the struggles - have shaped my understanding of both this industry and human potential more broadly. If you're curious about the human side of VC, or just interested in how people navigate uncertainty and create something from nothing, you might find it worth a read. As always, the full B2BaCEO archive is on Substack: https://lnkd.in/gJMFHaZF

UC Berkeley grads— As a proud UC Berkeley alum myself, I'm thrilled to introduce Foundation Capital Cal Build. This initiative is all about providing our fellow alumni the support they need to launch and scale their own startups. Here's why you should consider joining us: 1️⃣ Kickstart Your Startup – Whether you're in the early stages of your business or you're planning to start one in the next year, we're here to help. 2️⃣ Join the Success Stories – Follow in the footsteps of successful Cal-founded companies like Tubi, TubeMogul, Inc., SafelyYou, Conviva, Anyscale, CaptivateIQ, Arize AI, and more. 3️⃣ Exclusive Access – Every month, we welcome 10 new Cal founders, giving you exclusive access to both in-person and virtual events, mentorship, office space, and more. It's all available at zero cost or equity exchange. Our inaugural cohort for Bay Area-based Cal grads kicks off in mid-August, with plans to expand to more cities soon. Apply by July 31. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/guyAagiu

Congratulations to Docket Inc on their $15 million Series A today! Talk about hustle. 🔥 Arjun Pillai and Anoop Thomas Mathew went from idea to investment in a mere 20 days, one of Foundation Capital’s speediest investments yet. We're excited to work with our friends at Mayfield Fund on this. Huge kudos to Foundation partner Jaya G. on the deal, and the entire Docket team.

Turing’s #AGIIcons featuring Quora CEO & Co-founder, Adam D'Angelo was a resounding success! From integrating into platforms like Quora to reshaping education and careers, Adam shared how AGI incentivizes creators, shapes tech innovation, and sets guardrails for founders 🤖🚀 Special thanks to Anita Ramaswamy from The Information, for her exceptional moderation of the event! Stay tuned for more takeaways from the event! #TechEvent #TechInnovation #Startups #AI

Is AI's insatiable appetite for compute holding back innovation? I recently talked with Eugene Cheah about RWKV, an alternative AI architecture he helped create. Eugene and the open-source RWKV community are working to democratize AI by addressing some of the key limitations of transformers: the tech behind powerhouse models like GPT and Claude. Transformer-based models are staggeringly inefficient. OpenAI reportedly requires over 300 Azure data centers to serve just 10% of English speakers. This isn't merely a technical hurdle: it's becoming a major barrier to innovation and fairness in AI development. RWKV takes a hybrid approach, blending elements of transformers and RNNs, in an attempt to level the playing field. Listen in on our full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/ghTudbAJ

There are so few venture-backed success stories in senior healthcare technology. At Foundation Capital, we think that’s about to change. LLMs and computer vision are revving up in a way that’s making it easier for AI-focused startups to jump in. Our portfolio company SafelyYou is a pioneer in this niche. Other co’s of interest here: Livindi Intuition Robotics, and SoundEye If the senior healthcare market is $3 trillion, we think 1% of that can be disrupted by AI-driven software. It’s enormous potential upside, and progress here will significantly improve quality of life for seniors. More thoughts in my latest blog, in the comments

Digital lenders vs. traditional banks: Who will win when rates drop? My take might surprise you. As we look towards possible rate reductions this fall, companies like LendingClub and SoFi are particularly well-positioned. Here's why: 1 - Online lenders can typically respond more quickly to rate cuts than traditional banks. 2 - These firms have a strong incentive to prioritize growth, often translating to more competitive rates for consumers. 3 - This combination creates what I view as an opportune moment for investment in the digital lending space. In particular, LendingClub's consistent profitability over the past three years is a point of interest. Digital lending is evolving rapidly and we're at a pivotal juncture. How do you see fintech adapting to the changing interest rate environment? For a deeper dive into this topic, including additional market insights, check out the full article in The Information linked in comments.

It’s not always obvious that a technical founder can make the leap to CEO. When Srinath Sridhar started Regie.ai, he knew he needed to step back and see the bigger picture.  All the while, he asked himself: Am I the right person to take this on? Four years later, he and cofounder Matt Millen have raised more than $20 million and landed on G2’s list of fastest-growing software products of 2024. Our full conversation in comments.

Fellow UC Berkeley grads— As a proud alum, I'm thrilled to share an exciting opportunity: Foundation Capital Cal Build. Here's what you need to know: → What is Cal Build? It's a program designed to assist Berkeley alumni in launching and growing their Enterprise startup. Whether you've recently started your business or plan to do so in the near future, we're here to help. → Who can join? Our initial invite extends to all Bay Area-based UC Berkeley grads. We're eager to welcome 10 new Cal founders to our community every month. → What does it offer? Expect exclusive access to a host of benefits—including in-person and virtual events, mentorship, office space, and more—all without any cost or equity exchange. → Interested in joining? Apply for our first cohort before the end of July and be part of the network that includes successful Cal-founded companies such as Tubi, TubeMogul, Inc., SafelyYou, Conviva, Anyscale, CaptivateIQ, Arize AI, and more. → When and where? The inaugural cohort for Bay Area-based Cal grads will commence in mid-August in San Francisco and we're looking forward to expanding to more cities soon. Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/guyAagiu

🚨 Just 2 days left to submit your pitches for the AI X Software Development Showcase! Despite the tools available in the market, a significant gap remains in solutions that genuinely enhance the efficiency of a) software development and b) operational workflows. This is why I am excited to partner with Foundation Capital on this initiative—to bridge this gap with solutions that drive true efficiency and bring new innovation to our team. Foundation Capital is partnering with Turing to offer you an incredible opportunity to pitch your startup idea to top industry leaders, including Adam D'Angelo (CEO/Founder of Quora), Ashu Garg (General Partner at Foundation Capital), and Jonathan Siddharth (CEO/Founder of Turing). Enter for a chance to win a $250K investment from Foundation Capital and a POC from Turing. We are specifically looking for: 🔹 AI startups poised to enhance developer productivity on a global scale 🔹 Startups with GenAI products designed to deliver cutting-edge experiences to Turing’s service clients Don’t miss out! Apply by 7/3/24: https://lnkd.in/eWq3xVfC #AI #SoftwareDevelopment #Startup #Investment #GenAI #Innovation