Jim Gao
Jim Gao is CEO and Co-founder at Phaidra, a startup he helped found and where he currently leads the company. Previously, he was Team Lead for DeepMind Energy at DeepMind and Technical Lead at Google, with expertise in AI commercialization and operational leadership.
Seattle VC Flying Fish Partners Joins $1.1B Seed Round for DeepMind’s David Silver’s Startup Ineffable Intelligence
Seattle-based VC firm Flying Fish Partners secured a spot in the $1.1 billion seed round for DeepMind legend David Silver's startup Ineffable Intelligence through years of relationship-building and strategic early investments. Despite managing less than $250 million, their networking and persistence led to participation alongside major investors like Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Seattle AI Startup Phaidra, Backed by Nvidia, Raises $120M to Combat Data Center Overheating with Partners CoreWeave and Applied Digital
Seattle startup Phaidra, backed by Nvidia, has developed AI technology to predict and prevent data center overheating, partnering with CoreWeave and Applied Digital to deploy its cooling solution. The company has raised $120 million and employs around 90 people.
Seattle AI Startup Phaidra Raises $50M to Enhance Data Center Energy Efficiency with Advanced AI
Seattle startup Phaidra raised $50 million to advance its AI technology that improves energy efficiency in data centers by optimizing electricity, cooling, and workloads. The funding, led by Collaborative Fund, will support further development, strengthen ties with Nvidia, and expand its global reach.
Phaidra raises $4M led by Flying Fish with Mark Cuban among investors to scale AI for industrial automation
Phaidra, a 15-person startup founded in 2019 that builds AI agents to analyze sensor data and optimize industrial facilities, raised $4 million led by Flying Fish with participation from Section 32, Character, Starshot Capital and Mark Cuban. The company — led by ex-DeepMind engineers Jim Gao and Vedavyas Panneershelvam and industry veteran Katherine Hoffman — will use the funding to expand in process heating/cooling, chemical manufacturing and paper and pulp.
Ex-DeepMind Engineers’ Startup Phaidra Raises $1.5M to Build In-House AI for Industrial Customers, Launches in Seattle
Stealth startup Phaidra, founded by ex-DeepMind engineers Jim Gao and Vedavyas Panneershelvam with industry veteran Katherine Hoffman, raised $1.5 million to build AI tools that let industrial companies develop in-house models while retaining data and IP. The four-person company chose Seattle for its mix of tech ecosystem and industrial roots and is currently building a beta product.
Organizations
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Phaidra CEO & Co-founder 2019–present, Co-founder · current
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Google DeepMind Team Lead, DeepMind Energy 2017–2019 · past
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Google Technical Lead 2011–2017 · past
Education
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University of California, Berkeley Mechanical Engineering & Environmental Science · 2007–2011
