Webinar
Masterclass Live! How the AI & Robotics Fund Evaluates a Deal
Watch an on-demand presentation hosted by Alumni Ventures’ AI & Robotics Fund. In this session, you’ll discover how to evaluate a deal, walk through the process our investment team uses to invest in promising startups and learn how you, too, can invest in startups like this through Alumni Ventures’ AI & Robotics Fund.
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Post Webinar Summary
Brian Keil and Wesley Yiu hosted an insightful masterclass introducing Alumni Ventures’ AI and Robotics Fund, highlighting its investment approach and the opportunities within the rapidly growing AI and robotics sectors. The fund targets innovative startups across AI and robotics technologies, aiming to build a diversified portfolio of 15-20 companies over 12-18 months. They detailed their rigorous evaluation process, emphasizing deal dynamics, lead investor quality, company-specific factors like customer demand and competitive moats, and management team expertise. The fund’s co-investment strategy allows access to top-tier deals alongside leading VCs, with notable examples like OfferFit and Ambi showcasing successful investments. Alumni Ventures leverages its extensive network of over 1,000 founders and co-investors, providing access to cutting-edge opportunities. They positioned AI and robotics as transformative sectors poised for exponential growth, emphasizing now as an investor-friendly time to engage in venture capital due to favorable valuations and market conditions. The fund offers a pathway for individual investors to diversify their portfolios and capitalize on high-growth private markets.
During the session, we will discuss:
- HomeDetermining if a prospective deal fits in with your overall diversification goals
- HomeUnderstanding the time horizon of venture investments
- HomePerforming due diligence and reviewing the typical types of materials available in a deal
- HomeWeighing some of the challenges, key risks, and how to factor into the ultimate decision
- HomeTracking companies after investment and the purpose of portfolio monitoring
- HomeMore details about the AI & Robotics Fund
Seize this chance to expand your knowledge and network in the AI community.
About Alumni Ventures
Top 20 VC Investors in North America (2024)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2023)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2022)
World's Most Innovative Companies (2022)
Note: You must be accredited to invest in venture capital. Important disclosure information can be found at av-funds.com/disclosures.
About your presenters
Brian is a seasoned venture capitalist with over 20 years of investing experience across a range of industries. Before joining Chestnut Street Ventures, Brian was the Managing Director for New York Ventures, the venture capital arm of the State of New York. Prior to that, he was VP of Strategy & Corporate Development at Arbitron (now Nielsen Audio) and a Managing Director at the Peacock Fund, the venture capital arm of NBC Universal. Before joining the Peacock Fund, Brian worked at GE Capital and Bain & Co. Brian holds an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School and a BS in Industrial Engineering from The University of Southern California.
Wesley brings a cross-disciplinary approach to venture investing, grounded in a deep curiosity for how advanced technologies can reshape legacy industries. His work focuses on the convergence of vertical software, AI, and automation—areas where domain expertise meets technical innovation to unlock entirely new business models. At Alumni Ventures, Wesley is a Partner, where he leads investments at the intersection of deep tech and sector-specific applications. He is particularly interested in companies developing AI-native software and robotics platforms that drive efficiency and transformation in complex industries. His sector focus includes healthcare, legal, manufacturing, logistics, and financial services, where purpose-built solutions are often required to deliver impact.
Funds actively worked on:
- Triphammer Ventures
Investment Areas of Focus:
Wesley’s investment thesis centers on the power of verticalized AI—software and automation tools designed for high-value, high-complexity sectors. He gravitates toward founders who embed technical insight into sector-specific challenges, creating products with durable competitive advantages and scalable market fit. Beyond software, Wesley is also passionate about robotics and the future of human-machine collaboration, exploring opportunities in autonomous systems, industrial robotics, and next-gen interfaces.
His recent investments reflect this dual thesis: OfferFit, a machine learning platform optimizing customer engagement; Iambic Therapeutics, an AI-driven drug discovery company; Wander, a vertically integrated smart home hospitality platform; Glacier, a robotics company tackling recycling and waste automation; and Arc, which streamlines financial operations for startups. These companies demonstrate Wesley’s conviction that the next wave of transformative innovation will come from deeply integrated, intelligent systems tailored to the needs of specific industries.