OpenAI Veterans Launch $100 Million Fund, Betting on Practical AI Deployment

A new venture fund, Zero Shot, has secured its first commitments toward a $100 million target. Its founding team brings a distinct perspective: deep operational experience from inside OpenAI during its most transformative years.

The fund's partners include Evan Morikawa, who led applied engineering for DALL·E and ChatGPT; Andrew Mayne, OpenAI's first prompt engineer; and Shawn Jain, a former OpenAI engineer and researcher. They are joined by venture capitalist Kelly Kovacs and Brett Rounsaville, CEO of Mayne's consultancy, Interdimensional.

According to Mayne, the group's move into investing was organic. After leaving OpenAI, they were consistently approached for advice by both venture firms and founders. This revealed a disconnect between funded AI projects and market-ready applications. "Maybe we should do our own fund," Mayne recalled thinking, "because we think we have a pretty good sense of where things are headed."

Zero Shot has already begun deploying capital. Its initial investments include Worktrace AI, founded by former OpenAI product manager Angela Jiang, and Foundry Robotics, a company developing AI for factory automation. A third, undisclosed startup is also in the portfolio.

The partners are applying their insider knowledge to avoid trends they consider fragile. Mayne expressed doubt about many 'vibe coding' and 'digital twin' startups, suggesting core model developers will outpace them. Morikawa is skeptical of certain robotics data companies, noting a significant 'embodiment gap' that current research cannot bridge.

"There is a real skill in knowing how to predict where these models will be going next," Morikawa said. "It's extremely not obvious." The fund has also enlisted former OpenAI executives Diane Yoon and Steve Dowling as advisors, betting that hands-on building experience will identify the next wave of viable AI businesses.

Source: TechCrunch