THE BARTENDER POURING FREE DRINKS glances around with nothing to do as the raucous room full of startup founders and software developers gravitates toward its preferred drug: networking.
Chardonnay and charcuterie are no competition in a world upended by generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Midjourney. We're about eight months into the AI revolution, and this invite-only happy hour hosted by venture firm NFX in its offices in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco may well be its epicenter. The firm is arguably the most prominent investor in generative AI, and it's looking to find fresh talent worthy of some of its $150 million seed fund.
General partner James Currier observes the frenzy from a quiet adjoining room with a jaded eye. He estimates that he's already met with 200 AI startups, the majority of which still don't seem to get it. The technology is ready. It's been ready. What's missing is the point of view to transform it into the earth-rocking endgame of software as we know it.
“So you're investing in the design layer of AI,” I suggest.
“Exactly,” says Currier.
What Currier, a fast talker wearing a ‘90s-dad-approved open buttondown over a T-shirt, is searching for is a company that figures out the interface of the future that will allow users to tap into these burgeoning AI models not simply to write a poem or paint a picture, but to change day-to-day
