Meritocracy is the essence of the American Dream, but in reality, it’s much easier for employers to spot prestige than proficiency. That’s why we’re building MeritFirst with Sam Lessin and Zack Ganieany, and helping a fast-growing community of top companies systematically assess real-world ability.
If reading this, you’re likely able to recall the first moment you marvelled at some act of physical autonomy - the sort our progenitors might have pronounced spellwork. The memory is for some more recent than for others; it may have been a Waymo or a mobile manipulator, a humanoid or a quadruped. In any case, the experience seems to have surpassed that threshold of ubiquity which affords us all the right to say: robotic intelligence has captured our mainstream public imagination.
Earlier this year, we led Augment’s $25 million seed round, our second time backing Harish Abbott (CEO) and Art Rivilis (CTO). The momentum around Augment is unmistakable, as they demonstrate how AI will reshape the logistics industry—and announce their Series A funding round.
We are fortunate to live in an age where the cost of medical expertise is rapidly approaching zero. In just the past few months, OpenAI models were shown...
The concept of building holds mythic status in the world of new venture creation, and the mythos often obscures the difficulty. In construction, there are no such illusions. Construction is a $2 trillion U.S./$13 trillion global industry where automation has barely scratched the surface of possibility. Beneath that surface is dirt—unfathomable amounts. For new housing subdivisions, commercial real estate developments, data centers to power the AI boom, highway expansions, and countless other projects, American abundance begins with dirt.
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