CRN’s Post

Exciting news: Nvidia has appointed Howard Wright, formerly of AWS, to lead its startup ecosystem! #Nvidia #Startups #AI - 🎯 Nvidia Inception Program: Supports over 8,500 startups globally. - 🌐 Howard Wright's Experience: Led AWS initiatives to grow tech startups. - 💡 Key Focus Areas: Healthcare, IT services, robotics, and more. - 🤝 Opportunities: Connect with venture capitalists and access cutting-edge technology. Additional Details: - 🌍 Nvidia Inception spans across 90 countries. - 📈 Startups receive technical tools and cloud credits. - 💼 Program benefits include discounted workshops and investor connections. - 🚀 Startups can accelerate growth through NVIDIA’s resources. Nvidia Taps AWS Exec Howard Wright To Lead Startup Ecosystem https://lnkd.in/gb-CZp68

ATTENTION STARTUP FRIENDS! Google and NVIDIA have teamed up to offer mutual benefits to members of the NVIDIA Inception and Google for Startups programs. Up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits for AI startups + Deep Learning Institute (DLI) credits, discounted access to GPU hardware, AI tools and the Inception VC Alliance platform connecting companies with potential investors! This is one of the most inclusive joint partnerships I have seen in our space to help entrepreneurs. There is no such thing as "big vs small". When startups win - we all win! #StartupGeneration #RoomForEveryone

Last week Andreessen Horowitz announced plans to build an AI infratructure cluster. Here’s why they did it. A16Z is accumulating 20,000 NVIDIA HV100 chips. These chips are going for about $30,000 a piece, meaning that the total investment is around $600M. Now why would they invest that much capital into this type of project? Because GPU’s are becoming a valuable commodity in the AI startup ecosystem. And by amassing and operating a cluster of servers themselves, A16Z can attract startups that build LLM’s and need access to the server in exchange for equity. It’s quite the gamble. This means that over the next 5-7 years A16Z needs to generate around $1.5B in value to make a positive return after accounting for the costs of the initial investment, operating and maintaining the servers and the time value of money. I think that over time this AI infrastructure play should pay off for Andreessen Horowitz as we see momuntal increases in productivity from AI models and more use cases for the technology being developed every day but it is a little risky. What do you think? https://lnkd.in/gkNTpmvM #investing #vc #startups #founders #ai #opinion

Interesting read about the investments of Nvidia in niche GenAI startups. They bring money... and GPUs. "How Nvidia’s Investment Arm Is Supercharging A New Class Of AI Startups"

With NVIDIA rolling out a new high-end processor, I spoke with industry analysts, venture investors and a startup founder about how the company's dominance of the AI chip industry — and the resulting price premium it's able to command — is affecting startups in San Francisco and beyond. Nvidia is clearly benefitting from its preeminence. Last year, its annual profit was greater than its annual revenue in any prior year. And nearly one of every two dollars it recorded in sales went straight to its bottom line. But that windfall is having ripple effects elsewhere, particularly when it comes to which startups are raising venture funds, how much they're raising and how they're spending their money. Thanks to NFX's Pete Flint, EMARKETER's Jacob Bourne, Mercury Research, Inc.'s Dean McCarron, Gartner's Chirag Dekate, Ph.D., IDC's Shane Rau, Alembic Technologies, Inc.'s John A., PitchBook's Brendan Burke and Monochrome Capital's Ben Metcalfe for sharing their thoughts and insights.

AI startup founders discuss what it's like to be a part of Nvidia's sprawling startup empire Nvidia, led by CEO Jensen Huang, has expanded its role in the AI ecosystem significantly by investing heavily in AI startups through its corporate development team and NVentures. The company’s investment portfolio grew from $300 million at the start of 2023 to over $1.5 billion, encompassing 24 investments in various AI-related fields such as foundation models, cloud providers, and humanoid robots. Notable investments include Cohere, Mistral, Coreweave, and Hugging Face. Nvidia also supports over 20,000 early-stage companies through its Inception program, which provides resources and computing power without direct investment. Huang personally approves every investment, ensuring alignment with Nvidia’s strategic vision. As competition from companies like Google and AMD intensifies, Nvidia's venture investments aim to maintain its dominance in the AI chip market by fostering a loyal ecosystem around its technology. https://lnkd.in/eDbmV2-w

Nvidia exemplifies an ecosystem mindset and a clear strategy of investing in companies developing AI-based products, and for good reason. Unless AI develops self-sufficient consciousness and will, its major value will remain application-based. Until AI can independently identify and solve problems, its power will always require a specific subject field to demonstrate its potential. Despite its dominant market position and a remarkable capitalization of over $3 trillion, Nvidia still relies on others to unleash and utilize the power of their products. The impressive growth of their startup portfolio, from $300 million in 2023 to $1.5 billion today, indicates that the company is seriously focused on developing and steering the market rather than trying to create all sorts of AI-based products itself. At this scale, it is particularly interesting that Nvidia’s CEO remains dedicated and diligent enough to stay intimately familiar with the technical reports of startups and personally participate in every investment decision. While this approach can complicate matters for startup founders, it clearly shows that Nvidia takes this venture initiative very seriously. The reason is evident: despite Nvidia's exclusive and highly favorable market position, competition continues to intensify. What I find deeply inspiring is that amid these challenges, Nvidia chooses to protect its position by investing in the development of the field, expanding the market for everyone while reaping well-deserved profits and benefits along the way. #ecosystem #ai #nvidia #startups #leadership

Breaking News: NVIDIA and Google Cloud Collaborate to Accelerate AI Development    NVIDIA and Google Cloud have announced a new collaboration to help startups around the world accelerate the creation of generative AI applications and services. The announcement, made today at Google Cloud Next ‘24 in Las Vegas, brings together the NVIDIA Inception program for startups and the Google for Startups Cloud Program to widen access to cloud credits, go-to-market support and technical expertise to help startups deliver value to customers faster. Qualified members of NVIDIA Inception, a global program supporting more than 18,000 startups, will have an accelerated path to using Google Cloud infrastructure with access to Google Cloud credits — up to $350,000 for those focused on AI. Google for Startups Cloud Program members can join NVIDIA Inception and gain access to technological expertise, NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute course credits, NVIDIA hardware and software, and more. Eligible members of the Google for Startups Cloud Program also can participate in NVIDIA Inception Capital Connect, a platform that gives startups exposure to venture capital firms interested in the space. #StartupInsider #SNews #StartupNews #SInvestments #Investments #Google #NVIDIA #GoogleCloud #GoogleForStartups #NVIDIAInception #AI #Development

Nvidia Shopping in Israel This past week, Nvidia completed an acquisition of Israeli company Run:ai and is rumoured to be on the verge of announcing a second one of Deci. This underscores the remarkable technologies that are being developed in Israel and highlights Nvidia’s strategic and opportunistic investment approach. The ongoing war with Hamas has unfortunately led to a decrease in the valuations of Israeli companies. However, this presents a significant opportunity for global investors. It’s a chance to invest in undervalued assets and contribute to the growth of the most vibrant venture capital ecosystem outside the US. Whether it’s early-stage startups, pre-IPO, or public companies, Israeli firms are currently “on-sale”. However, given that this war will end and the resilience and innovative capacity of the Israeli people and the companies will continue, I bet this situation won’t last long. Now is the time to invest. #InvestIsrael #TechInvestment #GlobalOpportunity #ResilientInnovation

Nvidia's investment arm, Nventures, is fueling the growth of AI startups with strategic investments and support beyond just funding. This move underscores Nvidia's commitment to shaping the future of AI technology. Learn more in this Forbes article: Nvidia's Investment Arm Is Supercharging A New Class Of AI Startups. #AI #Nvidia #TechInvestments