Webinar
Masterclass Live! An Insider's Guide to VC
Watch an on-demand presentation hosted by Triphammer Managing Partner Brian Keil and Partner Wesley Yiu. In this session, you will discover the framework our team uses to evaluate promising startups, walk through the process, and learn how you, too, can invest in startups just like this through Triphammer Ventures.
See video policy below.
Post Webinar Summary
Brian Keil, Managing Partner at Triphammer Ventures, hosted a masterclass on venture capital, offering insights into how the industry operates and how Triphammer Ventures fits within the ecosystem. Keil and his colleague Wes outlined the fundamentals of venture capital as a high-risk, high-reward asset class, emphasizing its power-law dynamics where a small percentage of investments drive most returns. They discussed the stages of venture funding, the lifecycle of VC funds, and the importance of diversification across industries, stages, and geographies. Triphammer’s co-investment model prioritizes partnerships with experienced lead investors to align with the needs of portfolio companies. The team highlighted current trends, including a market reset, significant dry powder available for investment, and optimism for increased IPO and M&A activity in 2025, signaling strong opportunities ahead for venture capital.
Triphammer Ventures is Alumni Ventures’ fund for Cornell alumni and friends of the community.
During this session, we will discuss:
- 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 those into the ultimate decision
- HomeTracking companies after investment and the purpose of portfolio monitoring
- HomeMore details about Triphammer Ventures
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 Alumni 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.