Sarah Smith Closes $16M AI-Native Venture Fund Focused on Stanford-Backed Startups

Sarah Smith, founder and solo general partner of the Sarah Smith Fund, has announced the final close of her $16 million Fund I. Launched in 2022 after her tenure at Bain Capital Ventures, Smith is leveraging artificial intelligence to scale early-stage venture investing as a solo operator.

Fund I, which follows a $3 million rolling fund, has already invested in 17 startups with plans to back up to 50, averaging $250,000 per company. The fund is anchored by Pear VC, Ulu Ventures, and Verdis Investment Management, and concentrates on startups within the Stanford ecosystem, where Smith is an alumna.

Smith describes her firm as AI-native, using generative tools to streamline workflows, accelerate founder support, and operate with the efficiency of a much larger team.

Featured image: Credit: Sarah Smith

James Dargan

James Dargan is a writer and researcher at The AI Insider. His focus is on the AI startup ecosystem and he writes articles on the space that have a tone accessible to the average reader.

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