Latest news with #BoldstartVentures
Wall Street Journal
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Wall Street Journal
TNB Tech Minute: Trump's Megabill May Give Boost to Chinese EV Makers - Tech News Briefing
Full Transcript This transcript was prepared by a transcription service. This version may not be in its final form and may be updated. Julie Chang: Here's your TNB Tech minute for Tuesday, July 8th. I'm Julie Chang for the Wall Street Journal. China's electric vehicle makers are anticipating greater growth following the signing of President Trump's US mega bill, that's according to the secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association today. The US law will end subsidies for EVs bought after September. The head of the Chinese Auto Industry Group said the bill should give China greater room to develop in overseas markets. According to the association, exports of new energy vehicles from China, which includes EVs and plug-in hybrids, jumped 48% in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year. Plus the mega bill's no tax on tips provision could bring in a two-point-five percent pay bump for Uber drivers. A couple of Bank of America analysts said in a research note that that could provide a modest tailwind to supply, which could help Uber collect more fees. The note also said the right-hill company may benefit from potential autonomous vehicles, saying Uber is backing an AV fleet manager that's raising $1.2 billion to finance a partnership with Waymo. Finally, Boldstart Ventures has raised a $250 million artificial intelligence fund. The vehicle will target AI founders at early stages of development, Boldstart will target sectors including AI infrastructure and application layer startups, cyber and crypto. According to data provider, CB Insights, in this year's first quarter, there were eight early-stage AI financings worldwide of $100 million or more, a quarterly record. And a reminder that we're on a new schedule starting this week, we'll have another tech minute for you tomorrow morning with full TNB episodes in the feed early on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Business Wire
08-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
From $1M to $1.1B: Boldstart Ventures Launches $250M Fund VII to Back Inception-Stage Founders Building the Autonomous Enterprise
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Boldstart Ventures, the inception fund for technical founders building the autonomous enterprise, today announced the close of Fund VII, a $250 million vehicle dedicated to backing bold technical teams from the very first commit. What began in 2010 as a $1 million proof-of-concept, before 'pre-seed' was even a term, has grown into a platform with over $1.1 billion in assets under management. That growth hasn't changed the strategy. Fund VII was significantly oversubscribed, but Boldstart chose to hold firm at $250 million to stay true to its model: high-conviction, hands-on investing at inception and nothing else. 'When others wait for signals, we bet on conviction,' said Ed Sim, Founder and General Partner. 'Fund VII is our biggest commitment yet to the builders reimagining the operating system of the enterprise, where software, agents, and machines plan and act on our behalf. Staying at $250M lets us stay focused, stay early, and keep showing up for founders before the rest of the world believes.' Fund VII will write initial checks from $500K to $15M, with the ability to support breakout growth through Boldstart's existing $175M Opportunities III fund. Video: Backing Myth-Makers from Day Zero 'Inception is about far more than capital, it's about compound leverage,' said Eliot Durbin, General Partner. 'For 15 years, we've worked side by side with technical founders to help shape the earliest story, unlock first customers, and architect the conditions for breakout. That's where Boldstart operates best, before the noise, before the signal.' Standout inception-stage investments from first commit to category leader include: Snyk – creators of developer first security, now AI security leader, last valued at $7.4B Protect AI – AI security leader acquired by Palo Alto Networks for over $700M Clay – creators of GTM engineering valued at $3.1B Kustomer – reimagining customer support, sold to Meta for reported $1B CrewAI – Multi-agent platform powering 60M+ agent runs/month Spectro Cloud – leading enterprise Kubernetes platform, valued at $750M Hypernative – Real-time risk intelligence for crypto and traditional finance Building the OS for the Autonomous Enterprise Fund VII is focused on the core primitives powering a generational rewrite of the enterprise; one where software, agents, and machines operate at machine scale, continuously reasoning, learning, and acting. It'll invest across the stack: AI-native infrastructure Secure identity and permissionless coordination Agents driving autonomous execution, going beyond assistive tools to full-scale operation Semantic interfaces and robotic execution layers Programmable money, smart contracts, and crypto-native automation These aren't just new tools. They represent a full-stack shift from human-in-the-loop to machine-in-the-loop. The autonomous enterprise won't be retrofitted from SaaS; it will be rebuilt from scratch. The autonomous enterprise will require entirely new business models, robotic execution layers, and AI-native workflows built without a traditional back office. Crypto and smart contracts will unlock programmable money and permissionless automation, enabling trustless coordination across systems at scale. Systems will run at machine scale, continuously learning, reasoning, and operating in real time. We have already partnered with teams like Generalist AI and several stealth startups tackling massive real-world problems and rethinking how intelligence moves through the enterprise stack. An early preview of model capabilities | Generalist 'This isn't about optimizing yesterday's stack,' added Sim. 'It's about building the operating system for the intelligent enterprise; from scratch, wired for autonomy, and secured from day one.' For more information, visit: | Watch the Fund VII announcement video: YouTube Link About boldstart ventures boldstart ventures is the inception fund for technical founders building the operating system of the autonomous enterprise. We invest before the product, pitch deck, or company exists, backing bold ideas that feel more like myth than market. Since 2010, we've partnered with 130+ founding teams, helping turn raw conviction into breakout momentum. Our portfolio includes category-defining companies like Snyk, BigID, Protect AI (sold to Palo Alto Networks >$700M, Clay, Kustomer (sold to Meta $1B), Blockdaemon, and CrewAI.
Wall Street Journal
08-07-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Boldstart Ventures Raises $250 Million AI Fund, Looking to Move Fast
Venture capital deals for hot artificial intelligence startups are happening at lightning speed. That, in part, is why Ed Sim, founder and general partner of Boldstart Ventures, wanted to keep his newest fund small and nimble. Miami-based Boldstart has closed a $250 million fund to double down on the firm's strategy of backing entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of company development—most of the time little more than a back-of-the-envelope business plan. It isn't uncommon for Sim to meet a founder and shake hands on financing the same day, he said.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TechCrunch All Stage 2025 welcomes Boldstart partner Ellen Chisa to talk early-stage enterprise bets
We're thrilled to announce that Ellen Chisa, partner at Boldstart Ventures, will be joining us at TechCrunch All Stage 2025 for an energizing conversation about investing in enterprise startups from day one. She's one of the standout voices shaping this year's lineup of founders, funders, and operators gathering July 15 in Boston's SoWa Power Station, and you won't want to miss what she brings to the table. All Stage is where startup builders get real answers to real questions — from how to raise your next round to how to manage founder burnout. Whether you're scaling your team, fixing your financial model, or just figuring out your next move, All Stage is built to give you the tactical playbook and trusted community you need to grow faster and smarter. Tickets are on sale now. And we have a special limited-time discount in motion for TechCrunch All Stage, with Founder Passes discounted to $155, and Investor Passes available for $250, with students also getting a chance to attend for just $99. Check out the best option for you and your team right here! If you don't already know Ellen Chisa, she's the kind of investor early-stage founders dream of having in their corner. At Boldstart Ventures, Ellen backs enterprise software companies before most VCs are even paying attention — and she brings deep product and technical empathy to the table. Before joining Boldstart, she co-founded Darklang, a programming language and cloud infrastructure platform built to help developers ship faster. That experience, combined with her product leadership roles at Kickstarter and Lola Travel, makes her uniquely fluent in the realities of building and scaling software from zero to one. Ellen holds a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Olin College and an MBA from Harvard Business School, which adds even more firepower to her founder-first approach. She's as comfortable talking about infrastructure as she is discussing long-term company-building — and that makes her a go-to voice for early-stage founders navigating complex technical bets. At TechCrunch All Stage, Ellen will share insights on what investors are really looking for in the earliest stages of enterprise software, how founders can position themselves for conviction-level backing, and the common traps to avoid when building in a noisy, fast-changing landscape. Her perspective is especially valuable for first-time founders and technical teams transitioning into startup life. She'll be joined by other top minds in tech and venture, including operators, engineers, and investors who've built billion-dollar companies and want to help you do the same. TechCrunch All Stage 2025 expects to draw hundreds of ambitious startup leaders looking for clarity, capital, and connection — and the conversations happening on- and offstage will shape the next generation of great companies. Ellen Chisa's session is a must-see for anyone building the future of enterprise tech. Don't miss your chance to learn from her and others charting the course of modern startups. Buy your ticket now, especially with our latest, limited-time deal that nets you more than a 60% discount on some passes, and get your seat at TechCrunch All Stage, where the real startup playbooks get revealed. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
27-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
TC All Stage brings back early launch prices for a limited time
We're almost there, and ticket rates have officially rolled back with savings of up to $425. TechCrunch All Stage, the founder summit of the year, is just around the corner. On July 15, Boston becomes startup central. Are you ready to gain the insights and strategies you need to launch or scale? Now's the moment For a limited time, we've brought back early launch pricing. Founders pay just $155. Investors, only $250. These are the lowest rates you'll see before the doors open at SoWa Power Station. Register now and pocket big savings. Why you need to be in the room Actionable breakout sessions on funding strategy, growth-stage scaling, and real-world AI use on funding strategy, growth-stage scaling, and real-world AI use Roundtables that skip the fluff and dig into the hard truths — from mastering the 2025 founder playbook to turning anxiety into your greatest advantage that skip the fluff and dig into the hard truths — from mastering the 2025 founder playbook to turning anxiety into your greatest advantage The live So You Think You Can Pitch competition — featuring gritty startups and unfiltered investor feedback competition — featuring gritty startups and unfiltered investor feedback Curated 1:1 and small-group networking, powered by Braindate — you could meet your next mentor or co-founder networking, powered by Braindate — you could meet your next mentor or co-founder The Expo Hall — featuring startups delivering tools, services, and solutions to help fellow founders scale. — featuring startups delivering tools, services, and solutions to help fellow founders scale. Side events across Boston where deeper, real conversations unfold after hours Big names. Real talk. Here's a taste of who's speaking Explore the full lineup of scaling experts shaping the conversations. Jahanvi Sardana , Partner, Index Ventures , Partner, Index Ventures Ellen Chisa , Partner, Boldstart Ventures — on building from inception , Partner, Boldstart Ventures — on building from inception Charles Hudson , Founding Partner, Precursor Ventures — on what VCs look for at pre-seed , Founding Partner, Precursor Ventures — on what VCs look for at pre-seed Cathy Gao , Partner, Sapphire Ventures — on raising a Series C and beyond , Partner, Sapphire Ventures — on raising a Series C and beyond Tiffany Luck , Partner, NEA — on strategy, storytelling, and the perfect pitch , Partner, NEA — on strategy, storytelling, and the perfect pitch Jennifer Neundorfer , Co-founder, January Ventures — on AI's impact on company building , Co-founder, January Ventures — on AI's impact on company building Chris Gardner , Partner, Underscore VC — on building with AI and humans in sync , Partner, Underscore VC — on building with AI and humans in sync Mo Jomaa, Partner, CapitalG — on IPO readiness and long-term strategy Image Credits:Photo byfor TechCrunch / Getty Images This is the must-attend summit for founders at every stage We're closing in on July 15, and rollback pricing won't last. Lock in your lowest-rate pass now and join the founders and VCs defining the next wave of startup success.
