Madrona’s Post

The rise of AI agents is transforming the landscape of application development, offering new possibilities for productivity, media consumption, healthcare, and more. But — as we continue to build and innovate, the need for robust AI agent infrastructure becomes crucial. In his latest blog post, Madrona Partner Jon Turow explores the evolution of AI agents and the infrastructure needed to support them. As we bridge the gap between current capabilities and future potential, it's clear that the industry must invest in infrastructure that meets developers where they are and anticipates their future needs. Check out the full blog post to dive deeper into the rise of AI agents and the infrastructure shaping the future of GenAI: https://lnkd.in/g3Wexp3t #AI #Agents #AgenticAI #GenAI #innovation #GenerativeAI #intelligentagents #appliedAI

We dropped our latest Investor Spotlight, featuring Sabrina Wu. We're also spotlighting Runway Co-founder and CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela in our latest Founder Spotlight. Partner Jon Turow led a panel on open-source models at Cerebral Valley New York. Madrona Venture Labs shared part 4 of its "Journey From Proof of Concept to Proof of Value" series. And Delta Air Lines shared a wonderful tribute to Madrona Co-Founder Jerry Grinstein. From the portfolio, Route announced a $40M funding round, Clerk.com, Fauna Inc., Groundlight AI, unstructured.io, and Runway all announced launches, and so much more. #AI #AgenticAI #Agents #opensource #GenAI #AppliedAI #Innovation #digitalAI #investing #startups #founders #entrepreneurs

Don't miss our latest Investor Spotlight! Sabrina Wu shares insights from her journey from #PE at Vector Capital to #VC at Madrona and the traits she looks for in founders. Her emphasis on grit, authenticity, and intellectual honesty is a must-listen for all aspiring entrepreneurs! And here's a great tip for aspiring founders: Sabrina responds to cold emails! She values genuine outreach (hint - do your homework) and is always on the lookout for passionate founders with innovative ideas. Tune in now to hear more about Sabrina's journey and gain insights that could help you on yours! You can watch wherever you get your podcasts: YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gWBvCRQa Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gqfV5bk4 Apple: https://lnkd.in/gfivmZ-2

Catch this live podcast with Vivek Ramaswami and Grace Gong at 1:30 PST today!

Recruiting is THE most leveraged thing founders do. If you recruit well, you can do many other things poorly and still thrive. The good news is that who and how you hire are the most predictive and controllable inputs to your company's success. The bad news is that many founders approach recruiting as a series of transactions rather than as a strategic pillar of company building. As the company grows, founders might be tempted to hire a recruiter or outsource parts of the recruiting process to team members or agencies. Don’t succumb to this notion. Now is the time to triple down on founder-led recruiting, not hand it off or staff it out!! Read more on founder-led recruiting & subscribe to Hooked on Substack: https://lnkd.in/gsTBT7hH Thanks, Christopher Aberger (Numbers Station AI) for your insights! Shannon Anderson

Don't miss Partner Vivek Ramaswami on Venture with Grace tomorrow! He'll be diving into scaling startups!

Congratulations to Madrona's fearless and inspirational co-founder Jerry Grinstein who was celebrated for his role in building Delta Airlines as the company approaches its 100th anniversary. Delta renamed the main executive building, the Jerry Grinstein Executive Building, in honor of his “transformational impact on the airline’s core values.”   Jerry’s role at Delta went from Board Member to CEO in 2004, a period of tumult for the airline. He led the airline successfully out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy and was an inspiration for the spirit of Delta employees. These employees came together to fight off a hostile takeover, raised money for the first 737 purchased by the airline, and also started a fund to help Delta employees through hard times. Delta's tribute to Jerry rings incredibly true to all of us at Madrona. Jerry understands the deep value of building a people-first culture of support and excellence — and he does it all with an incredible sense of humor.    Read more about Jerry in the tribute here: https://lnkd.in/gxeBHZ9n