CapitalG

Interviews don't really get better than this. Check out this thoughtful conversation about the rise of #agenticAI and the need for a new operating system with SEMAFOR tech editor Reed Albergotti and /dev/agents co-founders (and former Stripe, Google, and Facebook leaders) David Singleton and Hugo Barra. As Reed writes, "The new, well-funded #AI startup called /dev/agents is so ambitious that, if it weren’t founded by some of the most prominent pioneers of the mobile revolution, it may not be taken seriously... The idea behind /dev/agents, which recently raised $56 million in a seed round led by Index Ventures and Alphabet’s CapitalG, is that the mobile app is all but obsolete, about to be replaced by #AIagents that will carry out our bidding without a single tap, pinch or grab." Get your popcorn and read on to learn more about the rise of #agenticAI--and how it will enrich all of our lives. https://lnkd.in/g_9v92tX Jill (Greenberg) Chase Manmeet Gujral

This week CapitalG partners Jill (Greenberg) Chase, James Luo, Alex Nichols and Mo Jomaa shared their favorite moments of 2024 and goals for the year ahead. Today we hear from Jane Alexander who invested in legal-tech leader Clio - Cloud-Based Legal Technology earlier this year and focuses on #SaaS investments and companies leveraging #AI to reimagine #gotomarket: 5 Qs with CapitalG partner Jane Alexander 1. As an operator-turned-investor, what kinds of reflections can you share about the founder journey? “I’m in awe of founders making the transition from early stage to growth stage. The reward for success in the early stage is a whole new set of opportunities and challenges in the growth stage — whether that is scaling from founder-led sales to a true #GTM machine, hiring at scale, going from single-product to multi-product, or implementing the People processes that preserve culture and also work for an organization with thousands of employees. The beauty of great founders is they never stop learning and growing with the organization, and it is a real privilege to support them along the journey.” 2. This was your first year at CapitalG. What are your reflections on the year? “I am grateful to the entire CapitalG partnership for the way we push each others’ thinking. This team maintains a high bar for deeply rigorous work, creativity and imagination–all while having fun. We take the work seriously, but not ourselves.” 3. What is a goal of yours for 2025? “I aim to build a community of go-to-market leaders to get together and share best practices as the go-to-market landscape changes. I have loved being an operator and can’t wait to see how leaders navigate the next decade of change.” 4. Any predictions for 2025? “I predict that in 2025 we’ll see a shift in how teams go to market. AI will drive not only increases in sales volume, but in creativity as well.” 5. What was your favorite book this year? “Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. It is an incredible look into first principles thinking and how to create a truly excellent experience.” Read more insights from Jane’s colleagues Mo Jomaa, Jill (Greenberg) Chase, James Luo and Alex Nichols at https://lnkd.in/eH-eVUYi

Congratulations to #CapitalGfamily company Duolingo on an absolutely amazing year! Luis von Ahn Laela Sturdy

CapitalG partner Alex Nichols has an incredible track record, having partnered with iconic companies including Duolingo, Stripe, UiPath, Webflow, and Whatnot. Just last month he co-led beloved Belgian ERP software maker Odoo’s €500 million transaction at a €5 billion valuation. Today Alex shares with us which market trends he considers to be overlooked, his favorite books of the year, and his predictions for the year ahead: 5 Qs with CapitalG partner Alex Nichols 1. What is a market trend you consider to be overlooked? “The compounding exponential advances in battery and solar technology will dramatically reshape the grid and bring energy abundance.” 2. What is an investment sector poised for explosive growth in 2025? “We’re still in the early innings of the globalization of information work accelerated by better infrastructure (such as Rippling/Deel) and habit change. This will be a defining trend of the next decade.” 3. Will you share a prediction for 2025? “I predict that in 2025 the way businesses interact with their customers will radically change as LLMs expand the frontier of individualization.” 4. You’re a voracious reader. What were your favorite books of the year? “Three books that I read this year really stuck with me:  1) Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government by Christopher Achen and Larry Bartles, 2) Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America by Rick Perlstein, and 3) Invisible China: How the Urban-Rural Divide Threatens China’s Rise by Scott Rozelle and Natalie Hell.” 5. What’s a personal goal for 2025? “I hope to get avalanche safety training!” Read more insights from Alex’s colleagues Jill (Greenberg) Chase, Jane Alexander, James Luo and Mo Jomaa at https://lnkd.in/eH-eVUYi

2024 has been yet another banner year in tech–but what lies in store for 2025? All this week we’ve been asking CapitalG partners to share their highlights from 2024 and their predictions for the year ahead. Today we feature an informative Q&A with Databricks, Armis, Collibra, Cribl, and Grafana Labs investor Mo Jomaa who focuses on IT management software and data infrastructure and analytics. 5 Questions with CapitalG partner Mo Jomaa: 1. What were you most grateful for this year?  “Getting engaged to my best friend since freshman year of college.” 2. Can you share a personal win from 2024?  “I started running 25+ miles a week and lost 80 pounds in the process!” 3. What is one of your personal goals for 2025?  “I hope to run my first half marathon.” 4. What are your predictions for 2025? “I believe that we will continue to see open source technologies consume the infrastructure layer in software. We have seen this trend play out in several categories already, including data and analytics (which led to our first investment in Databricks in 2021) and observability (which drove our investment in Grafana Labs this year). Enterprises will continue to adopt open source solutions because they save businesses money, minimize vendor lock-in, and enable companies to help shape the product roadmaps of the technologies that they procure.” 5. What is your career advice to people hoping to break into venture capital?  “The best way to learn how to invest is to talk to as many smart builders, buyers, and investors as possible. They will have the most insight into the innovations that matter.” Read more insights from Mo’s colleagues Jill (Greenberg) Chase, Jane Alexander, James Luo and Alex Nichols at https://lnkd.in/eH-eVUYi

From WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) collectibles to athletic yet luxurious fashion and celebrity/sneaker collabs, the future of #retail is increasingly taking shape on live shopping marketplace Whatnot, where its users have spent $2B in GMV. Check out this must-read report to find out where shopping is heading in the year ahead. Laela Sturdy

Mo Jomaa and I first partnered with Ali Ghodsi, Dave Conte and Jonathan Parker and the Databricks team in 2021. Since then we’ve been privileged to double down on our support of their remarkable company on numerous occasions–including today. We are incredibly proud of what they’ve built, bullish on what’s to come, and thrilled to support their extraordinary journey. https://lnkd.in/ehaJbU64

Huge congratulations to Ali Ghodsi, Ion Stoica, Matei Zaharia, Patrick Wendell, Reynold Xin, Andy Konwinski, Arsalan Sepehri, Ph.D., Andy Kofoid, Dave Conte and the entire Databricks team on this incredible milestone. We are proud to participate in today's funding announcement and to continue our support of your remarkable business. Derek Zanutto Mo Jomaa

This week CapitalG partners are sharing highlights from 2024, insights about sectors poised for growth, and predictions for the year ahead. Today we hear from CapitalG’s lead #AI investor Jill Chase, who led the Series A for Magic.dev in February of 2023 and co-led the recent seed round in /dev/agents. Hear what Jill has to say about the year ahead in AI. 5 Questions with CapitalG partner Jill Chase 1. Can you recall an incredible moment from 2024? "I was blown away by the outpouring of support for David Singleton, Hugo Barra, and the entire /dev/agents founding team when we announced the launch of their company in November. The fact that so many people are rooting for them, believe in them, and want to work with them is a testament to just how exceptional and inspiring they are. I am grateful to be a small part of their journey as they build a generational company; I believe that /dev/agents will be the exclamation mark on their already legendary careers!" 2. What is your prediction for 2025? "I predict that 2025 will be the year of the autonomous software engineer that makes developers more productive than ever! (On a directly related note, I’m anticipating another great year for Eric Steinberger and the remarkable team at Magic.dev!)" 3. What is an investment sector poised for explosive growth in 2025? "AI agent infrastructure" 4. What was an area of gratitude this past year? "I’ve been incredibly grateful for my time spent with my one-year-old and getting to be a part of so many of his 'firsts.' It is both incredibly fun and…incredibly exhausting." 5. Can you share a personal fun fact from 2024? "I was able to play tennis on the courts at Wimbledon!" Read more from Jill (Greenberg) Chase, James Luo, Jane Alexander, Alex Nichols and Mo Jomaa at https://lnkd.in/eH-eVUYi

As 2024 comes to a close, we asked CapitalG’s investing partners what they’re most grateful for this past year and are especially looking forward to in 2025. Each day this week, we’ll publish a Q&A with a different partner in which they’ll explain what types of investments they hope to make in the coming year, their professional and personal goals, and even advice to would-be investors hoping to break into venture capital. The series kicks off today with #cybersecurity, healthcare, and infrastructure software investor James Luo. Since joining Alphabet's independent growth fund CapitalG in 2018, he has invested in companies including AlphaSense, Expel, DTEX Systems, Strive Health, Salt Security, and Orca Security. Read on for 5 Questions with CapitalG’s own James Luo 1. What I’m most grateful for in 2024: The birth of my daughter! 2. I’m in awe of: The drive and resilience demonstrated by the founders and teams in our portfolio. Their passion and commitment to making an impact on the world is truly inspiring. 3. My goal for 2025: To read at least 25 books! I fell far behind this year given my entrance into fatherhood, but I’m hoping to get my reading back on track next year. 4. Investment sector poised for explosive growth in 2025: Healthcare across both technology and services, accelerated by rapid adoption of AI 5. Advice for my 22-year-old self: Try to find the experiences that will give you the steepest learning and development curve; it'll feel uncomfortable, but you'll grow so much more in those situations. Want to hear from more CapitalG partners? Read the full post at https://lnkd.in/eH-eVUYi