Madrona Venture Labs

We hosted our inaugural Leap Summer Social last night, bringing together our amazing Leap community for an evening filled with networking, lawn games, s'mores, and delightful food and drinks at Citizen Campfire. Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to this event's tremendous success. Leap fosters a community of aspiring entrepreneurs, connecting them with Seattle's vibrant startup ecosystem. Interested in joining our Leap program? Learn more and apply here: https://bit.ly/3Cc87TS #LeapSummerSocial #SeattleStartups #Community

It was a pleasure hosting students from UW Foster School of Business Master of Science in Entrepreneurship Program at our offices yesterday for a fireside chat and space tour with our managing director, Mike Fridgen. Big thanks to Yoko Okano, Samantha Ogle, and Courtney E. Omlin for organizing this event!

We're excited to welcome Meera Patel as MVL's Undergraduate Technical Marketing Intern! Meera brings a marketing and business development background through various projects and roles, focusing on industrial engineering and entrepreneurship in school. We look forward to spending the summer together!

We’re excited to welcome Claire Li (University of Washington) as MVL’s Undergraduate Software Engineering Intern! Claire brings a background in software engineering from working at Gooey.AI and developing attendqr.com. In school, her focus is on AI/ML and systems through courses and research. We look forward to spending the summer together. 

In our latest Cheat Codes post, Sean Robinson, Ph.D. (w/Keith Rosema and Jay Bartot) discusses how prompt chaining can enhance GenAI performance. Learn how breaking down complex tasks into smaller, manageable sub-tasks can maximize model efficiency. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gGyPuHAu #genai #promptchaining #aioptimization #machinelearning #datascience

Highlights and key quotes from my chat with Spencer Rascoff, a founder, builder, and mentor to so many: To aspiring founders considering a new startup now: "Prospective founders should know that going in, it's going to be even tougher sledding than normal. If you have the right idea, the right fortitude, the right team, and the right investors or studio to back you, the results can be extraordinary. But it is tough." On what his democratization thesis means to him: "I like taking things that are only accessible to the few and using technology to make them accessible to the many. This concept resonates with consumers and motivates employees." On his transition from founder to mentor, having now backed over 50 companies and incubated six: "I played at the professional level for almost 20 years. The highs and lows, the focus and energy required, are intense. Now, coaching from the sidelines, I get to oversee multiple teams and fields, offering broader leverage and intellectual satisfaction." Thanks, Spencer, for inspiring another generation of founders and your continued support of the Madrona/MVL ecosystem. #founders #startups #venturestudio #investors #VC

In our latest Investor Spotlight, Mike Fridgen, Managing Director at MVL, sits down with Spencer Rascoff, co-founder of Zillow, to discuss navigating competitive markets, democratizing industries, and Rascoff's evolving role in shaping the future of #realestate. Explore insights on innovation, AI's impact on transactions, and Rascoff's journey from startup founder to mentor. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gVyWSWJN

Have you ever faced unexpected costs or performance issues in your AI project? This post by Sean Robinson, Ph.D. (with Keith Rosema and Jay Bartot) discusses practical steps for selecting the right model and balancing cost, latency, and functionality. Discover how to benchmark effectively, experiment with open-source models, and find your ideal solution without getting lost in variables. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dc5EuSnh #AIDevelopment #ModelSelection #LLMs #AIOptimization #TechInsights

We’re excited to welcome Nina Prabhu as MVL’s Summer MBA Intern! Nina brings a background in venture capital, product management, and operations strategy from her previous roles at Harlem Capital, MasterClass, and Instagram. Welcome, Nina - we look forward to spending the summer together!

We had a fantastic time hosting the WTIA for their Seattle AI Week events today, with panels covering the intersection of AI and various fields, including #ethics, #publicpolicy, #web3, and #space. The event was a platform for insightful discussions and the sharing of innovative ideas. Keith Rosema, MVL Partner, shared his excitement for the future of space and AI: “One significant reason space endeavors are so expensive is the actual act of getting to space. It requires many intelligent people to perform many mundane tasks. If we can leverage AI to handle these tasks, it opens up a vast array of new opportunities. That’s where I get excited.” Thank you to Nick Ellingson and the WTIA team for a great collaboration. Learn how Keith went from building rockets with Jeff Bezos to pioneering AI at MVL here: https://lnkd.in/g2wyDxTE