Nate Smith

I’ve come to believe that early experiences carry disproportionate weight - far more than we often acknowledge. For designers and builders, “minimum viable” may suffice for validating core functionality, but it rarely earns trust or sparks genuine delight. While velocity matters, I’ve always struggled with the notion that early versions should be merely viable, especially in a world where attention is scarce and emotional resonance is everything. This extends beyond product. Do you show up as the minimum viable version of yourself in your work, your relationships, your craft? I would encourage you to challenge the conventional MVP framework. Replace it with the Minimum Awesome Product. This doesn’t mean it’s fully-featured or pixel perfect. But it should be worthy of attention. Memorable, even evocative in the way it triggered emotion. The kind of product that prompts someone to say, “I didn’t know I needed this, but now I can’t live without it.” You can refine mechanics over time, but the emotional experience of a first interaction is singular and unrecoverable. Don’t settle for viability. Build something worth remembering… and make it awesome! ❤️‍🔥

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There is so much magic for scientists locked away in LLMs. But unlocking it requires a rare blend of scientific and engineering expertise. That’s why I’m thrilled that Nicholas Larus-Stone and Sphinx Bio are joining Benchling. I’ve gotten to know Nicholas over the last few months. We share a vision for what AI agents can do for scientists – and an obsession with turning that potential into real, everyday value. Together, we’re building agents that automate toil and answer complex questions. See what we’re building: https://lnkd.in/gtDHZpnt

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Three years ago, we launched Wisdom Ventures with a clear intention to support founders building at the intersection of well-being, human connection, and transformative tech. Since then, we’ve made 37 investments from our oversubscribed "minimum viable" $10M Fund I, backing early-stage companies in physical and mental wellbeing, women’s health, ethical AI, and human connection-centered innovation. We’ve always known we are on to something—what we didn’t expect was how quickly the data would back it up. Recent industry benchmarks show that most 2022-vintage emerging funds are experiencing the usual J-curve dip. In contrast, Wisdom Ventures is showing strong early performance: 📈 Net IRR (internal rate of return): >10% 📊 MOIC (multiple on invested capital): ~2x* ⏰ Median investment age: 18 months 💥 ....and # of our companies have a diverse founder by gender, race, or sexual orientation: 75% As we get ready to make our 38th and final investment out of Fund I and start deploying out of our significantly larger Fund II (first close May 1st), we’re filled with gratitude—for our founders, our LPs, our early supporters, our early believers, and this growing movement toward a more conscious, connected future, fueled by innovation from the ❤️ *Based on most current reports **Not in photo: Our fantastic operating partner, Zoe Rogers #WisdomVentures #ImpactInvesting #ConsciousTech #Wellbeing #AIForGood #FutureOfWork #VentureCapital

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YC has done a good job supporting ambitious deeptech projects. Seeds sowed over many years are starting to sprout in meaningful ways. Biggest support to founders (esp those building in the physical world) isn’t money - it’s the right advice, network, and peer support.

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Very excited to share that Plural is leading a $60 million Series A in CoMind, the startup building breakthrough optical sensing technology to revolutionise brain monitoring and treatment. For decades, doctors treating critically ill patients have been forced to compromise when monitoring the brain. Today's approaches use risky, expensive, highly invasive procedures that require drilling a hole into a patient's skull, or rely on inaccurate non-invasive monitoring that can compromise treatment decisions. To take just one example of why this matters, in the US alone 3 million patients suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) every year, but only 5% receive an intracranial pressure test, which requires drilling a hole in the skull and carries a 15% complication rate. The rest are treated with limited information, leading to worse data, worse outcomes and higher costs. London-based CoMind is changing that. Its optical neuromonitoring platform can non-invasively measure three core brain health indicators - cerebral blood flow, autoregulation and intracranial pressure - something that has never been done before. It’s a breakthrough that could help tens of millions of patients worldwide and redefine how we understand and treat the brain. The company is led by a true outlier of a young founder, James Dacombe. He started programming when he was 13 and founded CoMind when he was just 17. His work ethic and rapid learning rate have led him to build a working product and take it through two successful clinical research studies, with the help of a stellar leadership team of medical and industry veterans from the likes of Medtronic, Tufts Medical Center and UCL.  This is only the beginning. CoMind plans to expand its product portfolio to measure additional physiological parameters and develop CoVision, an AI platform that transforms sensor data into predictive insights, identifying complications early and personalising treatment. The company aims to gain regulatory approval within two years, unlocking access to the huge ICU market in the US. And while this first sensor can revolutionise TBI monitoring, a second device is already in development to measure more parameters and treat more brain conditions. This technology has the potential to dramatically improve how we monitor our brains, giving doctors better information and more choices for treating patients, while building out a whole new market by providing a far more affordable and safe alternative to existing solutions. Read more about why we invested in CoMind here: https://lnkd.in/e-NPgDVp And Tim Bradshaw’s write up in today’s Financial Times here: https://lnkd.in/eAynvqPF

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Founders are swimming in changing VC waters. AI is reshaping how the industry works, and there are now 32,000 active VC's, up from about 150 30 years ago. This essay about what we're calling Venture Capital 3.0 covers the history, the present and the future. https://lnkd.in/gKp5PxZG 1) With VC 3.0, for founders, more investors means more capital, more competition among VCs, and better terms for you. 2) AI is accelerating this shift. Investors are using AI to find, analyze, and reach out to founders before they even start fundraising. You may get 10+ LinkedIn messages or emails the second you land a big contract or change your LinkedIn to say "working on something new." That's AI at work. And you have to decide which of those 10+ calls (if any) are worth taking. 3) AI will help VC's support you better, connect you with resources faster, and make smarter investment decisions. 4) AI lets VC's expand the surface area for startup investments -- they are able to looking beyond softwar into defense, energy, robotics, bio, climate, and even into really weird ideas. If you’re building something ambitious, now is the time. Venture Capital 3.0 is here. More money. More opportunity. More founders getting funded. Go get 'em.

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