Felicis

The Forbes AI 50 list spotlights the most promising privately held companies applying artificial intelligence to solve real-world challenges. Congrats to the six Felicis companies that made this list because of their compelling impact: Crusoe for constructing a purpose-built AI data center and cloud Mercor for helping candidates land their dream job Notion for keeping everyone more organized and productive Skild AI for creating a system that powers robots Runway for inspiring creators with generative content tools Vannevar Labs for building critical defensive AI View the full list here: https://lnkd.in/eF5_ZwTJ

The future of delivery has arrived

Exciting news from Felicis: James Detweiler has been promoted to Partner!   James helps all of us expand our imagination of what's possible. He’s thesis-driven, unafraid to challenge convention, and constantly brings fresh perspectives that push us to see around corners. Founders ~love~ working with James. His conviction, optimism, and energy are magnetic. Whether it's traveling across the country to meet with technical founders or going all-in to help a company scale, James shows up 100%. Just ask Brendan Foody at Mercor, where he’s earned trust (and a badge to the Mercor office!) by showing up early with conviction, and bonding over a mutual love of F1, and growing up in San Jose. Or Deepak Pathak at Skild AI, where he showed up in person and jammed with the founders over a shared love of robots. On top of that, his boundless enthusiasm lifts up everyone around him. He always looks for ways to share insights, give credit, and celebrate the collective win. And one of James' most important accolades is being the best table tennis player in venture/startups – with a trophy to prove it! 🏓 At Felicis, James focuses on backing founders who are solving “root node” problems in AI, like foundational robotics infrastructure or AI-enabled labor markets. If that sounds like you, talk to James. (james@felicis.com) Congrats, James! We’re lucky to build with you.

I’m excited to join Felicis as the firm’s first ever Chief Marketing Officer.  Felicis means “fortunate” – and I am definitely one of the lucky ones.  ✨ Felicis approaches venture how I believe it should be done: with a founder-first mindset and a deep respect for what makes each company unique.  We know the drive founders feel to control their own destiny because we feel it, too—it’s how Felicis has been built.  We always vote our shares alongside founders, and we commit 1% ~on top~ of every first check for founders to invest in their personal performance.  Our structure means quick decision-making; we move fast and with conviction, a nimbleness that founders notice. Our unique approach has led to big outcomes: We are one of the leading VC firms in Silicon Valley, with a portfolio full of standout AI companies like Mercor, Browser Use, Supabase, Weights & Biases, poolside, Runway, and Skild AI. We also have a history of backing some of the biggest names in tech like Adyen, Shopify, Canva and Notion.  Since our founding in 2006, we've backed 50 companies valued at $1B+, more than 100 cos have been acquired or gone public, and our portfolio has captured $220B+ in market value. In fact, Felicis is one of the elite few—among the top 8 VC firms—with a track record of backing 8 mega-unicorns with $5B+ exits at Seed, A, or B in the last decade. As CMO,  I’ll help portfolio founders tell their stories and turn their big ideas into iconic brands, and that alone is incredibly rewarding.  But what really sealed the deal for me were the core values at Felicis. We believe that being a good partner is always valuable, but not always easy. That trust isn’t given; it’s earned. And that true partnership means being honest about present threats, and having the mutual care to navigate those waters together by showing up, listening, and digging in on the stuff that actually moves the needle.  Success in venture is about conviction, agility, speed, and…a little bit of luck. That’s why I feel so lucky to be at Felicis. Felicis blog: https://lnkd.in/gPaH9B5r

Founders face a hard truth: Without a bold, clear story, even the most groundbreaking startup will get lost in the noise. Iconic companies are built through brands people believe in from day one. That’s why we’re beyond excited to welcome Elisa Schreiber as our first-ever Chief Marketing Officer at Felicis. Elisa is one of the most respected leaders in venture marketing. She’s equal parts creative powerhouse and strategic operator. She helped launch and scale many of the most era-defining tech startups – from stealth launches to IPOs, and everything in between. And beyond her impressive track record, Elisa embodies the core values that drive Felicis: collaboration, trust, integrity, and the relentless pursuit of helping founders win. Elisa joins us at a pivotal moment in our journey. We've steadily built one of the strongest early-stage AI portfolios in venture, with investments in standout companies including Mercor, Browser Use, Supabase, Weights & Biases, poolside, Runway, Skild AI, and Elisa is one of the few brand leaders with her exceptional depth and expertise in the fast-moving world of AI. With Elisa joining the team, we’re doubling down on helping brave founders build generational brands. Welcome, Elisa! https://lnkd.in/gH9eNjDj

Congrats to the Runway team on raising your Series D to continue building next-generation AI models for media generation and world consistency. We look forward to the stories that will be told with Runway.

Q1 2025 was an active quarter for VC investments! We made nearly twice as many investments compared to Q1 2024. Our founder and managing partner, Aydin Senkut, spoke to Marc Vartabedian at The Wall Street Journal about the trends driving this activity. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gmhS-bQ2

Felicis' James Detweiler was named one of Venture Capital's Rising Leaders by The Information. James invests in the boldest AI companies — Mercor, Skild AI, Flower Labs, and more — that aren't afraid to challenge the status quo or invent new markets entirely. Congrats James!

AI is going to expand markets in unexpected ways. Our Founder & Managing Partner Aydin Senkut talked with Jason Warner, CEO and co-founder of poolside and Kevin Zhang at the Upfront Summit by Upfront Ventures about how AI is impacting software development and startups. Full video: https://lnkd.in/gM8-DmpR

This is a great analysis by Professor Ilya Strebulaev Proud to see Felicis to make it to top 30 (out of top 50) among 11,000 investors of all time highest number of unicorns, albeit in less than 20 years, with a team barely touching double digits and an AUM that is a fraction of most of the top firms… Now it’s time to keep moving up 🤩🚀🔥 Most importantly huge gratitude to our founders who let us join their awesome journeys and let us be a tiny part of their success - we will always work 110% to have a net positive impact.