Webinar
An Introduction to the AI First Fund
Join Ray Wu, Managing Partner of Alumni Ventures’ AI First Fund, alongside Senior Principals Jack Statza and Sophia Zhao and Investor Bryan Liu, for a current look at the AI First portfolio — what’s been added, what’s breaking out, and where the team sees the most compelling AI venture opportunities forming next.
In this session, Ray, Jack, Sophia, and Bryan will share a portfolio update covering recent investment activity, notable portfolio company progress, and how the team is thinking about AI as the sector continues to mature. The conversation will move beyond the headlines to examine what’s driving each area of conviction — from foundation-model infrastructure and applied AI, to the wave of AI-native companies reshaping how legacy industries operate — and where investors should be watching most closely as capital, talent, and customer adoption continue to concentrate in the space.
Whether you’re an existing AI First Syndicate member sharpening your view of the portfolio, or an accredited investor evaluating AI as a venture allocation for the first time, this session will give you a current, unfiltered view of how a dedicated AI investing team is navigating one of venture’s most active sectors. Register to hear directly from the team sourcing and evaluating these deals every week.
Want to access our AI First Syndicate deals to see, evaluate, and optionally invest? No cost, no commitment.
Why Attend?
- HomeDiscover the latest activity across the AI First Syndicate portfolio and where the team is sharpening conviction in today's AI market
- HomeUnderstand how Alumni Ventures' dedicated AI investing team sources, evaluates, and builds a diversified syndicate portfolio across foundation models, applied AI, and AI-native companies
- HomeLearn how accredited investors can access institutional-grade AI deal flow through the AI First Syndicate — at no cost and with no commitment to explore
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.
Overview:
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.
Funds Actively Worked On:
- AI First Fund
Investment Lens:
Jack focuses on multi-stage deep-tech investments across:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Blockchain
- Fintech
- Frontier Technologies
He writes first checks as early as Seed and supports teams through IPO, backing founders from prototype to scale.
Select AI investments:
- Lambda Labs (Series C) — rents powerful NVIDIA GPUs in the cloud so any team can train or run AI models without buying hardware.
- Ceramic AI (Seed) — builds software that lets large language models train faster and at lower cost for big enterprises.
- Patlytics (Seed) — uses generative AI to read patents and instantly surface risks and opportunities for IP teams.
- Corgi Insurance (Series A) — the first full-stack AI insurance carrier, giving startups instant, tailored coverage online.
- Haven (Seed) — tech-forward accounting service that puts bookkeeping and taxes on autopilot for founders.
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.