Webinar
AI First Fund Last Call
Join Ray Wu, Managing Partner of Alumni Ventures’ AI First Fund, alongside Partners Sophia Zhao and Jack Statza and Principal Bryan Liu, for a final look at the fund’s portfolio, investment thesis, and closing timeline — as the October 31 deadline approaches.
Ray, Sophia, Jack, and Bryan will share recent portfolio developments and explain how the AI First Fund identifies and supports companies built with artificial intelligence at the core of their business models, infrastructure, and value propositions. The team will explore opportunities across AI-native work, scientific discovery, industry-specific systems, and infrastructure while discussing how these themes are shaping the fund’s investment strategy.
Whether you’re a current Alumni Ventures investor or evaluating AI-focused venture capital for the first time, this session will provide a timely view of the fund’s portfolio, strategy, and path forward. Reserve your spot to hear directly from the AI First Fund team, participate in the Q&A, and get the information you need before the fund’s final close.
Want to access our AI First Syndicate startup deals to see, evaluate, and optionally invest? No cost, no commitment.
Why Attend?
- HomeGain insight into recent AI First Fund portfolio activity and the developments shaping the team’s outlook.
- HomeUnderstand how the team evaluates AI-native opportunities across work, discovery, industry applications, and infrastructure.
- HomeLearn what investors should know about the fund and its closing timeline before the October 31 deadline.
Rated a Top 20 VC Firm by both TIME and CB Insights.
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenters
Ray is a seasoned venture capitalist with over 20 years of investing experience across a wide range of industries and geographies. Before joining Alumni Ventures, Ray was a partner and adviser at several global venture funds focusing on AI, Web3, FinTech and SaaS investment opportunities across the U.S. and Asia Pacific. Earlier, he spent more than 10 years in the corporate venture space: He was the managing director of HP’s new business ventures, responsible for startup technology evaluation, new business incubation, VC relationships, and minority investments, and earlier at Cisco Systems, holding several senior positions leading investment, M&A, internal incubation, and global consulting. Previously, Ray was a managing partner of a leading Internet consulting firm working with Fortune 1000 companies across North America. He earned a dual MBA degree from the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University.
Sophia brings a wealth of experience in capital advisory, corporate development, and operational optimization, establishing impactful collaborations with CXOs and Founders. With a diverse industry exposure encompassing cloud computing, mining and minerals, consumer goods, and Web3, Sophia has been at the forefront of transformative technologies. Since 2018, she has been immersed in the crypto universe, working at Galaxy Digital, Huobi US, and Crypto.com. In these roles, Sophia engaged with startups and institutional clients on capital raising and trading across the Americas, EU, and Asia regions.
Actively fostering innovation and mentorship, Sophia serves as a mentor and judge at prestigious institutions such as Yale’s Tsai City for Innovation, Berkeley’s Blockchain Xcelerator, Techstars, and Layer 1 protocols, including Ethereum, Algorand, and Solana. She maintains close ties with the blockchain communities at Stanford and Yale.
Driven by a passion for shaping the future through frontier technologies, Sophia is currently supporting AI data and applications deals within her team. She holds a BBA from Simon Fraser University, an MBA from the University of British Columbia, and an MAM from the Yale School of Management.
Jack Statza is a multi-stage deep-tech investor who has backed more than 80 startups—nine of which have already exited—across AI, blockchain, fintech, and other frontier technologies. At Alumni Ventures he writes first checks as early as Seed and supports teams through IPO, accelerating their path from prototype to scale. Before Alumni Ventures, Jack led AI, blockchain, and fintech investments at Allstate Strategic Ventures; earlier, he advised clients on M&A at Lazard and Livingstone and began his career at Northern Trust, pricing opaque venture portfolios. Jack holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, a BBA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and is a CFA charterholder.
Bryan is a Principal at Alumni Ventures with over 10 years experience in venture investing, M&A, and corporate strategy to identify the next generation of industry-defining companies. Bryan excels at identifying high-potential startups precisely before they scale. His current investment thesis is focused on the frontier of technological disruption, specifically the “Future of Media” driven by AI video; the rise of full-stack AI capable of building fully autonomous one-person-multi-billion-dollar companies; and breakthrough decentralized technologies and blockchain innovations that are redefining the infrastructure of the modern economy.
Prior to joining Alumni Ventures, Bryan led M&A and Venture deals at PayPal, where he managed and led seven major acquisitions totaling over $7 billion and a wide range of venture investments. Previously at Deloitte, Bryan advised global giants including Google, Disney, and Sony Pictures. He supported Disney through the acquisition of 21st Century Fox and the high-profile launch of Disney+, providing him with a unique vantage point on large-scale digital transformation.
Bryan led Alumni Ventures’ investment in Higgsfield, the “Canva for AI video” empowering millions of content creators and filmmakers globally. Higgsfield achieved a historic milestone, reaching $200M ARR in just nine months, the fastest growth trajectory in history outpacing OpenAI, Cursor, and Lovable. Bryan holds a BS from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Outside of the office, he is an active marathon runner and a former heavy metal vocalist.