Webinar
Connectivity & Compute: The Engines of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Join us for an insightful webinar on the future of connectivity and compute, hosted by Alumni Ventures Strategic Tech Fund Venture Capitalists Pete Mathias and Drew Wandzilak. Watch on-demand below.
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Post-Webinar Summary
The fourth industrial revolution, driven by AI and the Internet of Things, is creating a new scarce resource: connectivity and compute. This was the focus of a webinar hosted by Alumni Ventures, one of the most active venture capital funds in the US. The webinar featured a panel of experts who discussed the urgent pace of innovation in connectivity and compute, its economic impact, and the transformative potential of startup innovation in this area. The panelists agreed that overcoming the gap in connectivity and compute is crucial for realizing progress in various sectors, from healthcare to manufacturing. They also highlighted the importance of building a community of builders and operators to reimagine connectivity and compute.
Discover why these twin resources are the engines of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and why understanding their role is crucial for navigating the technological landscape of tomorrow. In this webinar, we delve into the urgent pace of innovation, the economic impact of Industry 4.0, and the transformative potential of startup innovation in building the future of connectivity and compute solutions. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the infrastructure of innovation and how it shapes the way forward. Watch above now!
Why Watch?
- HomeGain insights into the urgent pace of innovation and the importance of keeping up with the compute-voracious apps from AI to AR/VR.
- HomeExplore the massive economic opportunities presented by Industry 4.0, with projections estimating a $3.7 trillion market by 2025.
- HomeDiscover how startups are revolutionizing connectivity and compute solutions, paving the way for unprecedented productivity and growth.
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
Laura brings operational perspective as a CEO, Chairman, and executive in technology startups in addition to investing experience. As Managing Partner at Ripplecreek Partners’ technology practice and General Partner at FA Technology Ventures, she worked various tech sectors: mobile, consumer, internet, SaaS, cloud-based, marketing, and enterprise software across many economic cycles. She also served as CEO at Handango, creating the first marketplace of mobile apps. At Microsoft, she co-founded two businesses as an intra-preneur in an elite swat team spun out of Bill Gates’ office. Laura holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and AB in Government from Dartmouth (’89).
Partner, U.S. Strategic Tech Fund
Pete joins Alumni Ventures from the $1.5B+ venture capital arm of Bertelsmann, where he was a Senior Director across the European Union, China, and U.S startup ecosystems. Previously a fellow at .406 Ventures and alumnus of the Harvard Innovation Lab, Pete has substantial entrepreneurial and startup operating background. He has an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth, an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School, a Master’s with Distinction from Oxford, and a BA (magna cum laude) from Dartmouth. He has recently been selected as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Pete has a creative core as drummer for the indie rock band Filligar, which has been designated as “Cultural Ambassador” by the U.S. Department of State. He is an avid skier, marathon runner, and ice hockey player.
Overview:
Drew Wandzilak invests in breakthrough technologies that matter to the real world—systems that generate power, move hardware, secure nations, or decode biology. He focuses on companies operating in high-heat, high-speed, high-stakes environments where technical performance is existential and strategic value is measured in megawatts, meters per second, or mission success. Across aerospace, energy, and defense, Drew backs founders who don’t just pitch vision—they bend atoms, trajectories, and supply chains to make it real.
Funds actively worked on:
Yard Ventures
Green D Ventures
U.S. Strategic Tech Fund
Investment Areas of Focus:
His investment lens prioritizes platforms over point solutions, scale advantages rooted in physics or manufacturing, and mission alignment with long-term public interest. That includes nuclear reactors that deploy like data centers, orbital vehicles that reshape access to space, hypersonic systems built for rapid iteration, and genetic tools that bring diagnostics to the edge. These aren’t just technical moonshots—they’re foundational bets on how the next century will be powered, protected, and personalized.
Drew led Alumni Ventures’ investment in Impulse Space, which is building the in-space logistics layer for a high-frequency orbital economy. He backed Aalo Atomics, a small modular reactor company designing standardized, factory-built nuclear power for grid-scale deployment. He also invested in Astro Mechanica, which is reinventing hypersonic aerospace testing for the modern battlefield, and Acorn Genetics, which is miniaturizing genomics to enable low-cost, distributed DNA testing anywhere.
These companies reflect Drew’s broader strategy: to invest in enduring platforms that serve strategic industries and unlock decades of downstream innovation. He believes the next great venture outcomes will come not just from apps or algorithms, but from reengineering the physical world—and the infrastructure that underpins it.
LEARN HOW TO INVEST IN COMPANIES IN THIS SECTOR WITH ALUMNI VENTURES:
U.S. Strategic Tech Fund >>>
Senior Partner
Darrin is an investment professional with an extensive background in financial services and B2B. Throughout his 25 year career, he has worked with individual investors, investment advisors and their clients, and institutional (foundations and endowments) clients, with various investment vehicles including mutual funds, separately managed accounts, socially responsible portfolios, and alternative investments. He earned a BA in Economics & Public Management from UMaine and an MBA from Boston College.