Foundation Capital

Apply today to the only accelerator dedicated to IIT Founders. Free to join, no equity. There’s really no downside. Join 75+ other IIT Founders building in the Bay Area. Apply today.

Applications are now open for our last IIT Build Cohort of the year. We’re looking for 8 ambitious founders to join us. Free to join, no equity. There’s really no downside. Join 75+ other IIT Founders building in the Bay Area. Apply by November 28th.

Usually when I rediscover something I created years ago, I reach for my red pen. What did I get wrong? Does it still hold up? How would I make it better today? I had the opposite reaction when I found this slide from our 2016 annual meeting, titled "Deep Thoughts on Deep Learning.” My speaker notes start with a prediction: "There won't be a single AI company." Instead, I argued, AI would be woven into the fabric of everything - how we interact with computers, diagnose diseases, secure networks, decide what to buy, and much more. My sketch depicts AI as a foundational layer underpinning every part of our economy. This belief in AI’s exponential potential led to our early investments in companies like Cerebras Systems, which reimagined computing for AI’s scale; Seel, which makes returns as predictable as the online purchases fueling e-commerce; and Loft Orbital, whose space-infrastructure-as-a-service model model allows AI applications to run directly in orbit. More than a prediction about the future, this slide expresses a belief I’ve long held: extraordinary founders don’t search for markets - they manifest them. Our strategy is to go early, go deep, and find these founders who are building the categories they’ll ultimately dominate.

LAST CALL: Cal Build apps close Oct 22nd. Interviews are already rolling. Apply now -> https://lnkd.in/ekNBqPh4

If you’re a Cal Founder (or want to be), there are less than 2 weeks left to apply for Cal Build! We’re currently recruiting for our final cohort of the year for Cal Build, Foundation Capital’s early-stage, free accelerator for Berkeley founders. The data says it all — Cal ranks #1 globally in both companies founded and total founder count (PitchBook 2024), ahead of Stanford, Harvard, and MIT. But here’s the catch: despite producing more founders, Cal startups raise significantly less capital. That gap isn’t about talent, it’s about access. Cal Build is built to be your first believer. So far, we’ve supported 50+ Cal founders at the earliest stage of their journey, helping them go from idea to launch with hands-on support from Foundation Capital partners, free office space in SF, over $500K in startup credits, and a tight-knit community of founders building alongside you. Apply by October 22nd - interviews are already underway: https://lnkd.in/g5qaYDQr

Open call for startups: With less than 10 days to apply for the next FC Build cohort, here are a few areas we're especially excited to see founders building in: • AI-enabled brokerages • Vertical agent infrastructure • AI for pharma & life sciences • Intelligence systems for physical AI • Proactive, "never-sleeps" agentic frameworks Building something else? We'd still love to hear from you. Some of our favorite investments started with founders who saw something the rest of the market didn't. FC Build is Foundation Capital's completely free accelerator for technical founders at day zero. No fees. No equity. $1M+ in startup credits. Applications close August 14th, apply now! https://lnkd.in/gXN9_HQf