Neotribe Ventures

Many founders are building incredible new products with GenAI. But product is only half of product-market fit. The winners in GenAI will be the ones who understand how a product works in the market—how it offers a transformative impact for a desperate buyer. To understand that, you must understand the buyer. In order to help GenAI founders understand the enterprise, Neotribe founder Swaroop Kolluri spoke with C-level executives of Fortune 500 companies in banking, retail, software, and food & beverage. Here are the four key questions that executives say hold them back from going all-in on generative AI: 1. Can I trust Gen AI in customer interactions? 2. How do I protect my IP? 3. What new cybersecurity risks exist? 4. What about incumbent AI investments? Founders that understand and can speak to these executive questions about GenAI in the enterprise will be ideally situated for the massive growth potential of AI in 2025. Read on for a full analysis on what we learned from these F500 execs, and what generative AI founders should do about it as they maximize their product's impact for customers. https://lnkd.in/grauYXPB

Returning from the holidays feels a little different this year. Today also marks my first day back from a 5-month maternity leave. I am truly excited to be back at work. But, as any mother, father, or caregiver probably understands, it isn't 'that simple.' I am incredibly lucky that my team at Neotribe Ventures supported me throughout my pregnancy and leave. They made concessions they did not need to such as moving our annual offsite to New York (while they are all based in California with kids of their own) this January so I don't have to travel yet. They covered my boards. They checked in on me and my health and asked nothing of me related to work. When I volunteered to help on projects (albeit very infrequently), I was met with -- 'Are you sure?' instead of 'Great -- here are five other things we could use your help with.' I was also supported by my founders, when in reality, it's my job to support them. I am very grateful for their patience and understanding as I took time off while they and their teams kept working every day, some companies even fundraising, and all of them trying to plan for 2025. While Auquan closed a new financing round, Moichor brought in a co-CEO, Lineaje Inc had a banner quarter, and many other companies had notable developments, I changed countless diapers, watched my son roll for the first time, and read Good Night Moon over 100 times. It is 'that simple' that I love what I do, my team at Neotribe, our founders, and our investors (some of the best parenting advice I got was from an LP), but I am wading back in to work both excited and anxious -- excited for my companies, for meeting new founders, and for putting on real clothes each day -- and anxious for how I will find my balance, for moments I may miss, and for meeting my own expectations of doing it all well. I am sure I will continue to ask for patience and support as I figure out my new normal. I wish everyone a wonderful 2025 -- both personally and professionally! And, I hope anyone with upcoming maternity or paternity leave feels as supported as I did -- whether it be through your family, friends, or co-workers. Swaroop Kolluri Nitin Chopra Neeraj Hablani Steven Bragonier Hua (Tracy) Xie, CPA Mary Geddling Katie Kalmikoff

AI’s biggest opportunities are often hiding in plain sight. Iconic AI companies are emerging in nearly every sector, and many founders today are asking themselves: What does the next AI opportunity look like? The best answers often require a fresh approach to overlooked industries. But spotting a unique opportunity means little without execution. Take Stax.ai founder and CEO, Narendran (Naru) Muraleedharan. With a background in aerospace engineering, Naru is a world-class builder. He came from outside the retirement savings sector, saw a market challenge ripe for an AI-driven solution, and hustled to solve it. In building Stax, Naru did more than simply bolt AI onto traditional processes. He worked deeply with Third Party Administrators (TPAs), embedding himself in their daily workflows to understand the challenges from the ground up. The results speak for themselves: Stax has more than quadrupled top-line revenue year over year, with exceptional SaaS metrics, including a near-perfect retention rate. This is what it takes to win in vertical software today—vision, a deep understanding of the problem, and relentless execution. We’re excited to back founders who don’t just see what’s broken but have the ambition, passion, and skill to build and scale transformative solutions. Congratulations to Naru and the entire Stax team, and welcome to the Neotribe family! We’re proud to partner with you as you build the future of financial wellness. https://lnkd.in/eQHzjwK4

$22 trillion (yes, TRILLION) of property is already at severe or extreme climate risk in the US. The implications of "an uninsurable future," will impact everyone. But it doesn’t have to be this way. As the frequency and magnitude of climate disasters increases, so does the opportunity for bold, creative solutions. But that’s much easier said than done. It takes founders with the vision to rethink the fundamentals of an industry and the courage to chart a new course. That’s exactly what the co-founders of Stand are doing (Dan Preston, Jason Mueller], Bill Clerico, and Sam Shank). They are the kind of founder that investors dream of supporting: deeply passionate about the problem and equipped with unmatched industry expertise. As successful entrepreneurs and leaders, Dan and his co-founders have an “unfair advantage” when it comes to solving this problem. They understand not just how insurance works—but how it can work better for customers in this new reality. I’ve been a relentless supporter of Dan since the early days of his last startup, Metromile, and have known Jason since NEA invested in his company MyFit all the way back in 2009. It’s an honor to join them again on this journey, alongside the brilliance of Bill and Sam, as they build Stand into something truly meaningful. That’s because Stand is offering more than insurance—they’re offering resilience. With a scientifically guided approach, Stand combines expertise in fire, fuel, land, and structures with AI-driven physics models. This allows homeowners to take precise, methodical actions to reduce risks—like swapping out flammable mulch for gravel or upgrading to fire-resistant materials. Here’s the game-changer: Stand translates these mitigations into the most accurate pricing possible, making insurance accessible to homeowners in areas where others have pulled out. Backed by an AM Best A-rating and world-class reinsurers, they’ve already begun offering policies in California, where the need is particularly urgent. At Neotribe, we’re proud to partner with visionary founders tackling the toughest challenges of our time. The Stand team exemplifies this spirit, and their mission couldn’t be more timely and important. Welcome to the Neotribe family, Stand. We’re honored to work with you! https://lnkd.in/g-bkjN4d

“How hard could this be?” - Famous last words for new deep tech investors Having invested in deep tech for nearly a quarter of a century, Swaroop Kolluri has seen some persistent patterns that founders and investors should look out for. The most important thing is knowing what you don’t know. For investors most familiar with the SaaS world they’re used to building at the application layer, but deep tech requires a very different approach. You need to go deep on the relevant hard science and understand the problem area in terms of atoms—not just bits. To address the unknown unknowns investors need to start by understanding three things: 1. What questions to ask 2. Whom to ask those questions 3. How to underwrite the unique types of risk associated with the startup Founders will benefit by helping new investors work through these three points. This will enable the investor to provide more effective, insightful support in the long run. Go deeper in Kittu's recent podcast discussion with Ryan Grant Little. They touch on everything from board composition to fundraising trends and specific approaches to structuring climate tech and deep tech companies for the best odds of fundraising success. https://lnkd.in/gAaKpumd

A great founding team is the ultimate unfair advantage for any startup—but what exactly sets a great team apart? At Neotribe, we’ve had the privilege of supporting founders across countless industries and stages. Through these experiences, we’ve identified seven key traits that consistently set successful founding teams apart. These “green flags” are more than just abstract ideals—they’re actionable skills that founders can cultivate to navigate the challenges of building and scaling a company. From leadership and resilience to adaptability in fast-changing environments, these traits can significantly boost the odds of success, whether you’re raising your first round or scaling to new heights. Building on a recent Fast Company article by Neotribe founder Swaroop Kolluri, we’re diving deeper into the practical takeaways for founders today. Check out the full guide! https://lnkd.in/gB9ViXzu

Awesome accomplishment Vexev !! You’re well on your journey to positively impact the lives of patients on dialysis and suffering from vascular disease!

Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting Vinayak Godse, CEO of Data Security Council of India and Nitin Chopra, MD at Neotribe Ventures on the behalf of Tejas Cyber Network, for a panel discussion on “𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒚𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 & 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 - 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 & 𝑶𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔" 𝑷𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 - https://lnkd.in/gVyE6XjJ It is said that institutions reflect the leaders who build them and I can confidently say that is true of DSCI. Vinayak’s who is deeply connected to his roots, started his career in the academia and you can see that influence in DSCI’s mission and initiatives. 𝑶𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓. We talked about a lot of things but one thing which he said, struck me was at the nation level be it cyber or otherwise, you have to think & plan for 20 years ahead of time, while solving the problems of today. We also got to talk about Nitin’s journey from an engineer to a product leader and now a successful VC. We talked about all things AI but one thing which I asked him specifically was when should an operator think about starting something of their own, where instead of climbing the corporate ladder, they create the ladder and he said that to do that you need to be able answer two questions - 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑴𝒆 and 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑵𝒐𝒘? If you are able to answer those two questions, go ahead and take the leap. Abhishek Agarwal Sahil Chadha Lakshmi Sharma Srajan Gupta Sekhar Rao Sunder Srinivasan Ajit Gaddam Deepak Kolingivadi Chandra Shirashyad Debrup Ghosh ABHISHEK K BANSAL Gopinath Durairaj Raj Kulkarni Anuj Jaiswal Ashish Gupta Swati Handa Shraddha Patil Sriram S. Divya Sharma Rohit B. Puneet Thapliyal Balaji P. Raaghav Srinivasan Kanna S. Udit Gupta Rahul Ramachandran Ashish Nigam Tarana D. Atul Tulshibagwale

While every sector is facing huge opportunities and challenges with generative AI, few experience it with as much urgency as the cybersecurity industry. And generative AI is but one of many important disruptions transforming the space. It was an honor to join Data Security Council of India CEO Vinayak Godse and Anshu Gupta of Tejas Cyber Network for a thought-provoking discussion on the critical issues defining the future of cybersecurity. We explored the role of data and digitization in a growing digital economy, the dual impact of generative AI (its challenges and opportunities), and the innovation frontiers that lie ahead. We also examined how global ecosystems can flourish through international collaboration, like the one fostered in this Fireside Chat, which brought together a room full of world class cybersecurity experts, technology leaders, and ambitious founders. We left this conversation buzzing with excitement about the emerging security solutions being created and the talented entrepreneurs and operators applying their talents and passion to disrupt the status quo for the better!

Another successful Founder Summit in the books! From in-depth tactical sessions with leading experts, to fun with Legos (yes, Legos!) we learned a lot and had a great time with everyone! A huge thanks to the Neotribe community for coming together as we chart a brighter future that stretches the imagination. We’re still beaming from this epic experience—expect a roundup blog post with highlights and key takeaways soon!