Rackhouse Venture Capital

We invest at the earliest stages to let the most competent and the least discovered AI companies win.

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

If you’re an AI/ML founder looking for a fun, community-oriented office space for your team, Rackhouse has availability!

Located across the street from the South Park Blue Bottle (a VC hub), our modern loft has been home to several high-growth startups and YC founders.

DM if interested! Our full list of amenities (+contact info) can be found here: https://t.co/2gg0ER9eGD

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

Robotics has advanced quickly in controlled environments but still struggles with real-world variability. Small shifts in conditions can interrupt entire workflows and make deployment slow expensive and unreliable. This gap between lab performance and field performance is one of the main reasons automation hasn’t scaled as widely as expected.

Founder @AshutoshSaxena_ and the @TorqueAGI team took a different approach. They started in rail yards and logistics sites where systems face constant environmental change and reliability has to be earned immediately. It is a proving ground that exposes weaknesses fast and forces the technology to meet a higher standard.

Read the full Founder Spotlight → https://t.co/NYW7elPH8K

[Blok @blokintel]

On September 4th we launch /BLOK.SIM/01 - part party, part experiment, part glimpse into the future. 150+ AI minds dropped into a simulation: neon corridors, interrogation rooms, UV poker.

Black Mirror IRL 👀

https://t.co/KQas1Z7C7O

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

Congrats to an incredible team of serial entrepreneurs @CharmanTom and @HiggsOlivia on Blok coming out of Stealth! 🥳

Blok is a simulation environment for digital products. Instead of waiting weeks to A/B test with real users or launch full Beta versions of apps, teams can test changes in hours, using AI-powered simulated users that behave like the real thing.

https://t.co/oFcf6f9cfx

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

Check out this episode of @gracegongGG's podcast featuring RVC Partner @brendanbaker for insights on what stands out in early-stage pitches and how applied AI is transforming "boring" industries!

[Grace Gong @gracegongGG]

Listen to my conversation with @brendanbaker from @RackhouseVC on

Apple: https://t.co/4lj7N9a9wC
Youtube: https://t.co/QELSo2QoMO
Spotify: https://t.co/XiIxi02tOI

#ai #vc #podcast #startup

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

@gracegongGG of Smart Venture Podcast just hosted an incredible conference on the future of AI. Thanks for having @novakkm as a panelist!

[Grace Gong @gracegongGG]

🚀 I Hosted My First AI Venture Summit — Here Are the 5 Trends Shaping the Future

Last week, I brought together nearly 40 top VCs and tech leaders with over 100 founders and executives for an intimate AI summit. The conversations were incredibly insightful, and I'm sharing the key takeaways that emerged.

5 Major AI Trends:
1. Outcome-Based AI Is Replacing Feature-Based AI
The days of selling "AI capabilities" are over. Top investors are only backing companies that sell measurable outcomes and ROI, not features. AI isn't the value — it's what the AI accomplishes that matters.

2. Economic Uncertainty = AI Opportunity
Enterprise budget freezes are actually accelerating AI adoption! Companies need solutions that reduce costs and increase efficiency NOW, creating perfect timing for AI startups with clear ROI stories.

3. Velocity Beats Polish
VCs are skipping slide decks and looking for teams that build and iterate fast. Showing rapid development and experiments will get you further than perfect presentations. The signal is in the speed.

4. Agents Are Evolving from Single-Task to Multi-Task
The progression is clear: The winning approach is mastering one high-value workflow first, then expanding. Companies trying to build multi-agent systems immediately are struggling with complexity.

5. Distribution and Brand Are the New Moats
In a market where model capabilities are increasingly commoditized, first-mover advantage in branding and distribution is becoming the strongest defensibility strategy.

What surprised me most was the consensus across consumer, enterprise, and deep tech investors. The fundamentals haven't changed: solve real problems, move fast, and focus on distribution.

Hosting this summit was eye-opening. The insights shared in one day would have taken months to gather otherwise.

Which of these trends are you seeing in your corner of the AI world?
#AITrends #VentureCapital #StartupInsights #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfAI #SmartAILeadershipSummit

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

An interview with Rackhouse Partner Brendan Baker and @VCWiretech on why he joined Rackhouse, his background, and what he's looking out for in the next 5 years. #venturecapital

[VCWire @VCWiretech]

Rackhouse Venture Capital, Interview With Partner Brendan Baker https://t.co/0jfxZxGeV7

[Clay Norris @ClayNorris10]

talked to @novakkm (GP @ @RackhouseVC) about:

- founder errors of the past vs. present
- second-order effects of intelligence becoming cheaper
- new business models created from AI-first businesses
- why infrastructure will matter more than algorithms

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

"SPVs have become an especially useful tool for emerging managers as they’re competing with megafunds not only for LP commitments, but also to invest in startups, according to Brendan Baker, a partner at Rackhouse Venture Partners."

https://t.co/VyNu9cG9xO

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

Rackhouse's @novakkm chats with @itsdanieldart on the first episode of The Dart Board podcast. Listen in as they talk about AI, where the best place is to invest in AI, and how nuclear power can play a role.

https://t.co/rbpv8B2buW

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

Brendan Baker shares more on why he joined @RackhouseVC: https://t.co/zRDPHNRMkE

[Evan McCann @evansammccann]

Great chat with Brendan Baker⁠ a Partner at ⁠Rackhouse Venture Capital⁠!

Rackhouse Ventures (@RackhouseVC) is an early-stage venture capital management firm that focuses on founders and firms that sit at the intersection of AI/ML and the real world.

We discussed...

- Brendan's journey into venture from an engineering background.
- Early days at Angellist.
- The 5 Buckets of Venture.
- Tips for founders fundraising.
- Dive into the shifts in the venture landscape, new funds being started, mega funds and more.
- Strategies behind venture funds.
- Interesting unqiue opportunities in AI.
- The future of venture capital will involve systematic approaches to sourcing and supporting startups.
- Decision to join Rackhouse.
- AI + Supply Chain.

[Kevin Novak @novakkm]

A lot of commentary on Deepseek today, I put together a few of my thoughts on the story so far.

https://t.co/ecc905kfxq

[SF Examiner @sfexaminer]

Before launching his own venture firm, Kevin Novak had basically no experience as a professional venture capitalist.
https://t.co/4pEQyxWdZR

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

We are delighted to announce Brendan Baker as the newest Partner at Rackhouse Venture Capital. Brendan joins us with over a decade of experience with early-stage venture capital firms, working with thousands of founders on fundraising, and investing in software teams tackling massive, convoluted, and elaborate industries. Read more about where we're headed: https://t.co/Zv00vAg7SR

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

Kevin Novak shares his thoughts on AI Predictions 2025: Why Infrastructure Will Matter More Than Algorithms: https://t.co/DRV1XWWex5

[Rackhouse Venture Capital @RackhouseVC]

Our founder @novakkm joined the @microsoft WorkLab podcast to discuss AI's impact on work:

AI agents enabling more meaningful work
Competition intensification
Early-stage realities
Working with AI-native founders
Future of workplace tech

Listen now: https://t.co/uHA4lNG0X2