ann✺b

I invest in AI applications and enabling infrastructure at the earliest stages (before it’s obvious) and selectively at early growth (before it’s inevitable). Often in categories that are so new they don’t have a name yet and in founders who are innate world builders.

World builders construct a new reality for us to inhabit, how something ought to work. It usually comes with an insightful and opinionated take based on personal pain points or deep domain knowledge. World builders are high-agency visionaries and systems thinkers who can think forward and backward to solve problems. They have the potential to build empires because they create thriving ecosystems through their products, companies and partnerships.

Each world, each startup is an infinite game the founder wants to keep playing.

When I’m lucky enough to be a part of the journey, my goal is to be a helpful business partner to the founder and their team. Responsive, collaborative and provide strategic assists.

Select recent investments: Wabi, Bluefish, TwelveLabs, Perplexity, ElevenLabs, Juicebox, Casa, August, Ceramic, Suno, Pika, Contra, Glacier, and other AI startups in stealth.

You can find me on X and on LinkedIn. Warm intros preferred.

Operating principles

When you commit, give it 200%. Bring a founder mentality regardless of title or tenure
Be an honest broker. Trust and transparency go together, they forge real bonds
Believe in the power of teams. Building high-performing teams is how you keep winning
Top talent thrives in meritocracies, not mediocracies. Give people room to grow
In negotiations, don’t play zero sum games. Grow the pie
Failure is a feature, not a bug. Bounce back, learn, get better
Debate until you understand each other. It’s more valuable than consensus
Be present in conversations, especially 1-1s. Engage in active listening
Emotional self-regulation is an essential skill in leadership. Do the work on yourself
Say thank you and tell people you appreciate them. We’re not made of stone!