Joanne Chen’s Post

Fellow UC Berkeley grads— As a proud alum, I'm thrilled to share an exciting opportunity: Foundation Capital Cal Build. Here's what you need to know: → What is Cal Build? It's a program designed to assist Berkeley alumni in launching and growing their Enterprise startup. Whether you've recently started your business or plan to do so in the near future, we're here to help. → Who can join? Our initial invite extends to all Bay Area-based UC Berkeley grads. We're eager to welcome 10 new Cal founders to our community every month. → What does it offer? Expect exclusive access to a host of benefits—including in-person and virtual events, mentorship, office space, and more—all without any cost or equity exchange. → Interested in joining? Apply for our first cohort before the end of July and be part of the network that includes successful Cal-founded companies such as Tubi, TubeMogul, Inc., SafelyYou, Conviva, Anyscale, CaptivateIQ, Arize AI, and more. → When and where? The inaugural cohort for Bay Area-based Cal grads will commence in mid-August in San Francisco and we're looking forward to expanding to more cities soon. Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/guyAagiu

Many agents in the past failed because their creators didn't carefully consider how users will interact with them. They were cutting-edge solutions in search of problems. Joon Sung Park underscored the importance of understanding user interaction instead of solely focussing on cutting-edge technology. 📹 Full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gs4vAD2p

Anyone working on B2B content needs to read portco Jasper’s latest insights on content marketing. B2B content strategies have traditionally relied on SEO. But SEO seems to be hitting a saturation point, with many teams reporting declining traffic. Read for the solution 👉 https://lnkd.in/g723A4CV

I don’t believe AI will widen inequalities. It will eliminate them. For example, here’s how AI can revolutionize healthcare 👇

UC Berkeley grads— I'm excited to announce the launch of Foundation Capital Cal Build. Our objective is to support more Cal grads in their journey to build and scale successful companies. If you're a recent startup founder or planning to become one in the next year, we invite you to apply for our first cohort by the end of July. We're proud to have invested in many Cal-founded companies, including Tubi, TubeMogul, Inc., SafelyYou, Conviva, Anyscale, CaptivateIQ, Arize AI, and many others. Every month, we'll select 10 new Cal founders to join our program, offering exclusive in-person and virtual events, direct mentorship from me and the Foundation investment team, office space, and more—completely free, with no equity required. Our inaugural cohort for Bay Area Cal grads starts in mid-August, with plans to expand to additional cities soon! 📝 Application link in comments.

Each agent in a multi-agent system needs to have a clear role and responsibility.    AutoGen creator Chi Wang encourages builders to let each agent focus on what it does best. This goes beyond prompt engineering. Agents can be equipped with task-specific tools and access to specific databases –with clearly defined rules and constraints to guide them. A good way to start is by mapping out subtasks, understanding interdependencies, and assigning agents accordingly. This ensures each agent's contribution is effective, boosting overall performance. Chi shared many more insights for builders when we spoke. Check out our full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gEKmExu4

I invested early in AI, recognizing its potential to improve how industries address major market challenges. And the companies I've backed personify AI’s impact: → Arcade helps teams streamline product demonstrations through content management and delivery. → Tennr (YC W23) enables healthcare practices of all sizes to optimize their back-office operations with enterprise quality automations. → Tonkean helps organizations achieve peak efficiency by using data to suggest ways to work productively and profitably. → SafelyYou saves lives by predicting when a fall risk is high, preventing incidents before they occur. The common denominator? AI has a real-world impact on each startup, whether that's: ✓ Uprooting inefficiencies ✓ Automating repetitive tasks ✓ Mitigating risks ✓ Making better decisions AI is the catalyst transforming industries, and startups that embrace it will come out on top.

Generative agents are the next frontier for AI. But what are the most promising applications for this technology? In my conversation with Joon Sung Park, co-author of the landmark paper, “Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior,” he shared his perspective. He makes a case for founders to focus on soft-edged problems rather than hard-edged ones. "Soft-edged problems are where we can increasingly hill-climb toward being better. At a certain level, the technology starts to actually become useful."

As a University of California, Berkeley EECS grad myself, I am excited to announce and launch Foundation Capital Cal Build! Our goal is simple. We want to help more Cal grads start, build, and scale companies. If you're a Cal grad who has started a company in the last 6 months or is thinking of starting a company in the next 12 months, please apply. Applications for our kickoff cohort are due at the end of July. We have already invested in many Cal founders, including ones who started Tubi TubeMogul, Inc. SafelyYou Conviva Anyscale CaptivateIQ Arize AI and so many more! Every month we'll accept 10 new Cal builders. We'll have intimate in-person & virtual events, access to me and the rest of the Foundation investment team, office space, and a lot more. There's no cost or equity exchange. Our first group, for Bay Area-based Cal grads, will launch in mid-August. We'll also be in additional cities in the future! Learn more and apply here:

I meet 10-15 B2B software startups in any given week. Each gets a 45-minute slot to pitch. During this time, I'm looking for four things: 1 - A problem statement: Identifying a clear and specific problem. 2 - Your secret: Something you have that nobody else does. It could be lived experience, industry knowledge, or the blend of skills in your team. 3 - Your story: I’m not looking to be entertained, but I need to know you can articulate your vision because you’ll need it when hiring staff or speaking to customers. 4 - Proof of concept: I need data that proves your solution works. If you're a founder working on an AI-native application and can demonstrate these four elements, I'd love to hear from you.