The intelligence era is transforming how we work, learn, and create through infra, models, and apps.
The AI era is here
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AI Apps
Applications that
augment labor.
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AI Infra
Powering the compute
needs of the next generation.
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Foundation Models
Models enabling huge preformance.
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And 5 more AI companies in stealth
AI’s potential
AI has ushered in the fourth big wave of technology (following the internet, cloud, and mobile waves). The way we work, learn, and play is evolving as we move from interfacing with AI in the background, like content recommender systems, to AI in the foreground, like personalized AI agents. With this change comes an acute need for tooling upgrades. At Felicis, we’re committed to investing in both AI applications and infrastructure at the earliest stages.
What makes an AI-native company?
One unique feature of AI-native startups is the data feedback loop: with more data, models get better at making predictions, which improves AI products over time This loop looks slightly different in the age of foundation models, but the core premise remains the same: in AI, data is king. Another differentiator among AI startups is the capital, compute, and research acumen required to win. We’re entering an age where companies spend more on compute than talent, and this trend is unlikely to stop. At the same time, the best AI startups leverage humans in the loop to have the biggest impact. We look for this balance—AI as leverage for people, and people as leverage for AI—in every AI-native startup we meet.
Crossing the chasm from research to commercialization
The challenges of turning research into a product—let alone a commercially successful product—are vast. Having partnered with AI-native companies for over a decade, we’ve seen how innately different selling an AI product is from selling a SaaS product. Which is why we help Felicis-backed founders validate ideas with enterprise C-level decision-makers who give quick feedback on working product demos and the right advisors on GTM strategies. Not only does this acquaint AI founders with different buyer personae, but it allows founders to refine their value propositions and iterate toward product-market fit. AI founders need to understand that building their communities is akin to relentless customer research and engagement; it’s not enough just to build the right tools for them but to continuously find methods of amplification through community, branding, and more.
We are building a generational company. We want to have investors who understand how to build companies that not only change our market, but define or create entire new markets on their own because they're making bets and they're innovating in a way that's never been done before. It wasn't really a hard choice when we realized that we could put Felicis on our cap table because they truly believe the opportunity of growth and the innovation cycle takes time and that you need to be there to support the company as it starts to invent a market.
Cristóbal Valenzuela
From a founder's perspective, so much trust is involved when you work with an investor. You are really vulnerable to all kinds of things, so trust is the number one aspect to consider when evaluating a potential partner. I was super excited to work with Felicis for the third time. There's no substitute for 10 years of working together.
Lukas Biewald
The Founder Pledge is pretty incredible. Love the unique approach to helping founders. Just remarkable!
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Cristobal Valenzuela
From a founder's perspective, so much trust is involved when you work with an investor. You are really vulnerable to all kinds of things, so trust is the number one aspect to consider when evaluating a potential partner. I was super excited to work with Felicis for the third time. There's no substitute for 10 years of working together.
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