SmartGateVC

Forbes recently featured Armine Galstyan and our investment journey at SmartGateVC! As we near the close of our second fund, we are proud to reflect on the impact of our work: 🚀 32 pre-seed startups in our portfolio; 💼 $1B+ portfolio enterprise value; 📈 10-50x investment markups achieved. The article highlights our investment philosophy and approach: ✓ Spotting transformative technologies before they hit the mainstream; ✓ Backing visionary founders tackling technology's most complex challenges; ✓ Engineering unique deals to uncover overlooked opportunities. Kudos to Melissa Houston, CPA for capturing our journey with precision and insight. Check out the full article: https://lnkd.in/dyV4vQGB #DeepTech #Innovation #InvestmentStrategy

What an incredible milestone for SuperAnnotate, one of the early companies in the SmartGateVC portfolio! Back in 2018, long before AI emerged as the industry-defining trend it is today, we placed our bet on a capable team and an idea set to become best-in-class at feeding AI systems with high-quality data. Fast forward to now, we couldn’t be prouder to see SuperAnnotate close their $36M Series B round with strategic investors like Socium Ventures (Cox Enterprises), NVIDIA, Databricks Ventures as well as Lionel Messi’s Play Time, Glynn Capital, and others. Check out more here: https://lnkd.in/emHpqs-W. Congrats to the entire SuperAnnotate team! We are thrilled to be part of this journey riding the massive AI wave. Vahan Petrosyan Tigran Petrosyan

📢 Our portfolio company Deep Origin introduces #Balto, a cutting-edge AI assistant designed to tackle the complexities of drug discovery. #Balto leverages Deep Origin’s proprietary, high-performance molecular modeling algorithm, one of the most advanced available today, surpassing industry standards like AutoDock Vina and Schrödinger's Glide with 10x better enrichment factors. This level of performance opens up new horizons for researchers, offering batch docking capabilities for up to 1,000 compounds - an unprecedented scale in the search for viable drug candidates. Deep Origin’s #Balto also addresses practical research needs with enhanced document processing, such as a powerful PDF reader for streamlined data handling, enabling scientists to stay focused on discovery without interruption. Congrats Michael Antonov, Garegin Papoian & team! Learn more about how Balto is setting new standards in AI-driven drug discovery here: https://lnkd.in/d7XJhEys. #AI #DrugDiscovery #MolecularModeling

We are thrilled to announce our investment in Ritual Dental, a next-gen Dental Service Organization (DSO) integrating AI and microbiome science for preventive, patient-centered care. As the DSO space consolidates, Ritual Dental stands out with its focus on proactive care and data-driven insights that go beyond standard treatments. Check them out if you are in NYC! We see Ritual’s unique model as a scalable solution in a fragmented market, primed for acquisition by larger players seeking a modern, tech-enabled platform. We are excited to support their mission to redefine dental care through innovation. Discover more here: https://lnkd.in/dV87pK9w Ashot Arzumanyan, Areg Alimian, Jack Topdjian, Arman Ozgun #AI #DentalTech #DSO #Investment #PreventativeCare #Consolidation

Check out 2024 Q3 at SmartGateVC! This quarter, we welcomed Areg Alimian as a Partner, announced our investment in Vonova, a catheter-based brain interface platform, and led impactful events at Glendale Tech Week. Explore updates and deep dives into our portfolio companies as we continue driving innovation in AI and deep tech, reinforcing our role as a catalyst for transformative technologies.

Family offices need to focus on non-trivial VC allocations to capture higher returns, especially as it’s becoming increasingly challenging to make large returns these days. Amplifying impactful, future-driven investments is key. Join SmartGateVC Partner Areg Alimian at the Family Offices and Investors Summit, today, October 14, 3:00-5:00 PM PST, at The Sandbox. TECH WEEK by a16z, a16z crypto, a16z Bio + Health #LATechWeek #WorldEconomicForum #Investment #FamilyOffices #PrivateEquity #Capital #VC #Invest #AlternativeInvestment #WealthManagement #VentureCapital #HedgeFunds #Gaming #AI #InvestmentStrategies

The advent of LLMs opens up unprecedented challenges in cybersecurity. Not only the offensive capabilities grow exponentially, but also social engineering will transform into AI agent deception. New defensive capabilities will emerge. As part of #GlendaleTechWeek2024 we hosted a panel discussion on securing AI moderated by SmartGateVC partner Areg Alimian (formerly head of security products at Box) and with participation of Jensen Penalosa - Supervisory Special Agent at FBI Cyber Division, Cassio Goldschmidt - Chief Information Security Officer at ServiceTitan, Ravi Singh - President at Add Value Machine Inc, Demetrios Lazarikos Laz . - Career CISO, AI and Cybersecurity Strategist, Risk Executive, and Gary Askew - Field Chief Information Security Officer at Oracle. Thank you goes to all the speakers and Oracle for partnership and collaboration! Check out more details about the panel here: https://lnkd.in/dMeUuhKq

SmartGateVC portfolio companies TACTUN, Robin the Robot, by Expper Technologies and Vonova rocked among 7 other companies at #GlendaleTechWeek2024 Demo Day that we co-organized with the City of Glendale, CA! Thank you to the judges: Juan Saez - Founding Investor at Play Time, Armen Vartanian - Founder at Oceanview Capital Partners, Inc., Patrick Harmon Lopez - Principal at B Capital Group, Kenji (Ken) Funahashi - Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, moaz ゼ H. - Founding Partner at mvmt ventures. Congratulations to TACTUN for winning the top prize! Thank you to Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati for partnership. ‣ TACTUN is building the foundation for future autonomous machinery, enabling direct deployment of custom AI models to controllers. TACTUN’s no-code AI-powered industrial controller and app builder reduce development cycles by 5x for machinery manufacturers. With deep expertise in hardware and software, the team has a proven track record with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, ThermoFisher and other industry leaders. ‣ Robin the Robot, by Expper Technologies is a pioneering health tech company that developed Robin the Robot, a therapeutic companion providing essential mental health care to pediatric and geriatric facilities. Recognized as Time Magazine's Best Invention of the Year and awarded Fast Company’s Best Design Award, Robin is deployed in over 26 medical facilities, including UCLA Children’s Hospital and UMass Memorial Medical Center. Using evidence-based psychological tools and real-life feedback, Robin's character has been refined to resonate deeply with children and elderly, bringing them emotional support and positively impacting their health outcomes during medical treatments. ‣ Vonova is developing a minimally invasive endovascular platform to access the brain's surface without drilling through the skull. Initially targeting chronic subdural hematomas (cSDH) in the elderly for FDA pathway, it aims to reduce treatment from two anesthesia events to one, eliminating neurosurgery risks. cSDH treatment is projected to become the most common neurosurgical procedure by 2030, representing a $1.1 billion U.S. market. Cortical neuromodulation therapies for chronic pain, epilepsy, and other disorders are additional opportunities. Upon FDA approval, the technology also opens opportunities for minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) use cases. Founded in 2022 by experts in endovascular devices and neurology, Vonova has secured two U.S. patents, demonstrated procedural feasibility with leading clinicians, established strategic collaborations - including one with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - and received the NIH Blueprint Seed Award.

Join us on September 18 at 6:30 PM for the Glendale Tech Week 2024 Demo Day, hosted by SmartGateVC at Hero House Glendale. Up to 10 shortlisted startups will present their ideas to a panel of expert judges, competing for the top prize. Following the pitches, network and unwind at our happy hour, held in partnership with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Don’t miss out - register now to attend! The judges Include: ‣ Juan Saez - Founding Investor at Play Time ‣ Armen Vartanian - Founder at Oceanview Capital Partners, Inc. ‣ Patrick Harmon Lopez - Principal at B Capital Group ‣ Kenji (Ken) Funahashi - Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati ‣ moaz ゼ hamid - Founding Partner at mvmt ventures ‣ Armine Galstyan - Principal at SmartGateVC Link to register to pitch - https://shorturl.at/68Pcz

Join us at Hero House Glendale on Sep 17 at 6:30 PM for an insightful panel on securing AI systems against emerging cybersecurity threats. The highlight event of Glendale Tech Week 2024 will be moderated by Areg Alimian, Partner at SmartGateVC. The discussion will feature experts who will share real-world experiences on managing security risks throughout the AI lifecycle. Speakers are: ‣ Jensen Penalosa - Supervisory Special Agent at Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cybersecurity Division ‣ Cassio Goldschmidt - Chief Information Security Officer at ServiceTitan ‣ Ravi Singh - President at Add Value Machine ‣ Demetrios Lazarikos Laz . - Career CISO, AI and Cybersecurity Strategist, Risk Executive ‣ Gary Askew - Field Chief Information Security Officer at Oracle We look forward to connecting with you at Hero House Glendale.