Suggestions
James Murphy
Managing Director at Acceleprise
James Murphy is a General Partner at Forum Ventures (formerly known as Acceleprise), a leading early-stage fund and community for B2B SaaS startups.14 He has been in this role since March 2019.1 Prior to joining Forum Ventures, Murphy was a two-time SaaS founder with a successful exit.14 His experience includes:
- Co-founder of Robly Email Marketing (April 2012 - March 2019)1
- Derivatives Trader at Barclays Capital (January 2005 - April 2012)1
Murphy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Villanova University, which he attended from 2000 to 2004.1 His background in finance and entrepreneurship has positioned him well for his current role in venture capital, where he focuses on supporting early-stage B2B SaaS founders.24
At Forum Ventures, Murphy is part of a team that provides pre-seed and seed funding, along with a program that offers mentorship, networking opportunities, and resources to help B2B SaaS startups scale and succeed.23
Highlights
I am increasingly looking for opportunities at the intersection of robotics, Ai and industrial inspection and manufacturing. Advancements in Ai capabilities will usher in a new wave of robotic capabilities within modern manufacturing processes, and Forum Ventures has been actively investing in the space over the last few years.
Historically, robotics have struggled to gain wide adoption within certain manufacturing workflows given their inability to proactively predict and react accurately to changes in the real world. We see opportunities for Ai solutions leveraging existing tooling, or new hardware implementations, for uses cases such as object manipulation, assembly and quality control across a myriad of industries. Forum portfolio company ThoughtForge AI(Matthew Brown) is a great example of an Ai robotics platform targeting dynamic environments like warehouses and factories.
We also see massive opportunities within industrial inspection, where Ai can automate historically hazardous and human labor intensive tasks with intelligent robots. Our portfolio company Asteroid Mining Corporation Ltd (Mitch Hunter-Scullion, Andrey Lopantsev) is doing just this, focusing on industrial inspection across shipyard manufacturing, offshore energy and nuclear power, with an eye toward space faring missions.
The acceleration of adoption of intelligent robotics and connected equipment within modern manufacturing flows presents unique infrastructure challenges, and is another area we are focused on for investment opportunities. Our portfolio company Kamet AI (Nivedita O.) is building the orchestration layer that allows the integration of a diverse set of machines across various cloud platforms and systems of record to form a cohesive management platform for complex environments.
If any of the above sounds like something you are building, let’s connect.
What do VCs actually look for in pre seed deals, particularly given the recent wave of AI startups?
As a B2B SaaS focused investor, I have the opportunity to evaluate thousands of software businesses, and invest in 100+ each year. One of my favorite parts of my job is meeting exceptional founders and learning about problem spaces that are completely new to me, but the investment team at Forum Ventures spends a lot of time discussing focus areas and opportunities where we see the most promise and are actively looking to invest.
In the coming weeks, I'll be sharing a series of market opportunities where I am looking to back exceptional founders solving challenging problems.
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Automation of complex, legacy workflows within enterprise, particularly across regulatory and compliance use cases.
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Application of AI across the defense and broader government sectors, specifically related to operational efficiencies, the infrastructure stack required to leverage cutting edge AI advancements, and the development and adoption of autonomous systems.
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Manufacturing/hardware design and production, spotlighting modern manufacturing - robotics, aerospace, alternative energy, medical devices, etc.
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Complex manufacturing supply chains- from extraction to processing and refining, and ultimately through manufacturing and distribution.
If any of the above sounds like something you are building, let’s connect.
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