Webinar
AI First Fund Last Call
Join Alumni Ventures Ray Wu, Sophia Zhao, and Jack Statza for a final opportunity to learn about our AI First Fund, our flagship fund dedicated to investing in startups that harness artificial intelligence as the core of their business model, infrastructure, and value proposition
In this session, the team will walk through the fund’s strategy, explain how we identify breakout winners, and share recent examples of investment activity. You’ll also gain insight into the fund’s diversification model and how it offers enhanced exposure to companies showing the strongest performance signals.
Whether you’re an experienced investor or new to venture capital, this conversation will help you understand how AI First fits into a broader investment strategy. The team will be available to answer your questions and provide guidance as you consider participating. Reserve your spot today to learn more before this investment opportunity closes.
Why Attend?
- HomeLearn how AI First amplifies exposure to Alumni Ventures’ strongest companies
- HomeUnderstand the data-driven investment process
- HomeHear directly from the team about why now is the right time to consider AI First
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenters
Ray is a seasoned venture capitalist with over 20 years of investing experience across a wide range of industries and geographies. Before joining Alumni Ventures, Ray was a partner and adviser at several global venture funds focusing on AI, Web3, FinTech and SaaS investment opportunities across the U.S. and Asia Pacific. Earlier, he spent more than 10 years in the corporate venture space: He was the managing director of HP’s new business ventures, responsible for startup technology evaluation, new business incubation, VC relationships, and minority investments, and earlier at Cisco Systems, holding several senior positions leading investment, M&A, internal incubation, and global consulting. Previously, Ray was a managing partner of a leading Internet consulting firm working with Fortune 1000 companies across North America. He earned a dual MBA degree from the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University.
Sophia brings a wealth of experience in capital advisory, corporate development, and operational optimization, establishing impactful collaborations with CXOs and Founders. With a diverse industry exposure encompassing cloud computing, mining and minerals, consumer goods, and Web3, Sophia has been at the forefront of transformative technologies. Since 2018, she has been immersed in the crypto universe, working at Galaxy Digital, Huobi US, and Crypto.com. In these roles, Sophia engaged with startups and institutional clients on capital raising and trading across the Americas, EU, and Asia regions.
Actively fostering innovation and mentorship, Sophia serves as a mentor and judge at prestigious institutions such as Yale’s Tsai City for Innovation, Berkeley’s Blockchain Xcelerator, Techstars, and Layer 1 protocols, including Ethereum, Algorand, and Solana. She maintains close ties with the blockchain communities at Stanford and Yale.
Driven by a passion for shaping the future through frontier technologies, Sophia is currently supporting AI data and applications deals within her team. She holds a BBA from Simon Fraser University, an MBA from the University of British Columbia, and an MAM from the Yale School of Management.
Jack Statza is a multi-stage, deep-tech investor who has backed more than 100 startups across AI, blockchain, fintech, and other frontier technologies. At Alumni Ventures, he writes first checks as early as Seed and supports founders through IPO, helping teams accelerate from prototype to scale.
Previously, Jack led AI, blockchain, and fintech investments at Allstate Ventures, the venture arm of Allstate Insurance. Earlier, he advised on M&A at Lazard and Livingstone, and began his career at the asset manager Northern Trust.
Jack holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BBA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and he is a CFA charterholder.