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Front-page news, podcasts and videos about Vivek
How — and What — to Build in the Age of OpenAI
Where is OpenAI going, and what does it mean for the broader AI and tech ecosystem? Madrona Partner Vivek Ramaswami sits down with Jason Kwon, Chief Strategy Officer at OpenAI, for a rare behind-the-scenes look at the decisions shaping one of the most influential AI companies in the world. In this live conversation from the 2025 IA Summit, Jason shares what OpenAI will build, what it won't, and how founders can use that as a roadmap to go big without going head-to-head. They unpack OpenAI's ecosystem-first mindset, what "full-stack AI" really means, and how the rise of agentic AI is…
Dropzone's Edward Wu on Solving Security's Biggest Bottleneck
The security industry has a math problem: 12 million job postings, only 7 million qualified professionals. The solution? AI. Edward Wu spent nearly a decade at ExtraHop, pioneering AI-driven security detection. But instead of just alerting security teams about potential threats, he saw a bigger opportunity — what if AI could act as an actual security analyst? That question led to Dropzone, a company that's not just throwing AI at security but strategically using it to solve one of the most overwhelming problems in the industry — alert fatigue. In this episode of Founded & Funded, Edward and Partner Vivek…
Chroma's Jeff Huber on Vector Databases and Getting AI into Production
This week, Vivek Ramaswami talks with Chroma Co-founder and CEO Jeff Huber. Chroma is an open-source vector database, and vector databases have taken the AI world by storm recently, with Chroma quickly emerging as one of the leading offerings in the space. Jeff's background is in machine learning, and for him and his co-founder, starting Chroma was a classic "there has to be a better way moment when it comes to going from demo to production". Vivek and Jeff talk about why on earth we need another database, the new wave of software engineering happening right now, community-led growth, the…
By Vivek
See all 4AI Disrupts Fundraising Metrics: Investors Shift from ARR Targets to Momentum and Durability
AI has upended traditional fundraising benchmarks by enabling rapid, volatile growth that can mask weak fundamentals, so investors now focus on momentum, durability, and whether growth will compound or decay rather than just headline ARR numbers.
Madrona Leads $37M Series B in Dropzone AI to Fund Agentic AI That Aims to Redefine SOCs
Madrona is investing in Dropzone AI’s $37 million Series B, backing founder Edward and the company’s agentic AI approach to transform overloaded security operations centers by delivering adaptive, transparent automation that goes beyond past SOAR and static AI tools.
Madrona Leads Investment in Recraft’s $30M Series B to Back AI Platform for Professional Designers
Madrona invested in Recraft’s $30M Series B, backing its AI-powered design platform that helps professional designers generate and refine raster and vector graphics, including logos, icons, illustrations, and 3D visuals while preserving brand controls and workflow integration.
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Madrona Investor · current
