Unleashing the power of Generative AI: an invitation to ambitious founders

We kicked off this week with the announcement of our 4th seed stage fund, one of the largest of its kind, raising $432M to seed the next generation of startups. Today we are thrilled to announce a dedicated Artificial Intelligence startup package, PearX for AI, which offers each founding team $250K in cloud credits, access to beta APIs, expanded check sizes up to $5M, 1:1 expert technical advice, customer introductions, AI talent matching and a curated community of AI practitioners who connect and learn from each other. Applications are open now through June 10th.

PearX for AI, is dedicated to the most ambitious technical founders, interested in building groundbreaking applications, tooling and infrastructure to power the Artificial Intelligence driven revolution. This program provides the resources, expertise, and customer connections you need to build the future. 

Who should apply?

PearX for AI will be a small tight-knit community with up to 10 startups selected into our inaugural summer batch. Pear specializes in working deeply with our portfolio companies to solve the most challenging problems startups face during the 0 to 1 journey from idea to product market fit. No idea is too early or too controversial. The program requires technical depth with a focus in AI, and the application process is tailored towards CS / Engineering graduates, PhDs, researchers and other technical professionals who have built AI driven applications in the past. We look for a combination of market knowledge, technical strategy and coding skills. The program will further build upon these skills and help round out your team’s capabilities in any areas that may need support. It will also connect you with Pear’s community of AI entrepreneurs.

Artificial Intelligence is a horizontal technology with the potential to impact many industries. We believe generative AI is a game-changer for consumer, social and enterprise applications. Particularly Healthcare, Legal, Financial Services, Retail, Logistics, Fashion, Design, Media, Gaming, Manufacturing, Energy, Industrial and Biotechnology to name a few verticals ripe for AI innovations. Pear’s AI team is especially skilled in enterprise AI adoption and will work with exceptional founders to craft solutions for the most pressing enterprise needs. 

We are deep technologists ourselves and value founders working on next generation Natural Language Understanding, Image generation, Computer Vision, Protein and Molecular synthesis and Robotics and Simulation technology. We have experts focused on applications of AI to developer tooling, open source software, sales, support, HR, R&D, design and education. We are bullish on infrastructure software, data services, and tools that reimagine the tech-stack for optimal AI performance.

What benefits will I receive?

Pear’s AI track comes with $250K in cloud credits, early access to new APIs and models, technical support from practitioners, mentorship from specialist AI experts, enterprise customer introductions, access to a talented and like-minded community, and an extended virtual cohort of AI founders. Pear will also extend larger check sizes for AI startups that require additional upfront investment, and provide introductions to strategic angel investors. Finally Pear will prepare all founders in the program for Series A fundraising. Our programs have an 87% success rate for series A and beyond investment by top tier funds.

Why now?

We’re living in an era of unprecedented technological advancement. AI is re-shaping our present and enabling some of the most significant breakthroughs of our lifetimes. The pace of this technological shift is breathtaking. The last time we witnessed a transformation of this nature was in 2000 with web technologies. There was a bubble then, just as there is significant hype around Generative AI now, but from it emerged breakout companies like Google, VMware, Salesforce and more. Breakout companies will be built now in this similar environment.

What does this mean for founders? Opportunity! There has never been a better time to start a company, but navigating the hype and shifting landscape that surrounds technical breakthroughs that are still in progress, requires expertise, judgment, and partners who will tell you hard truths and stand steady through difficult times, helping you secure the resources required – both financial and human.

Why Pear?

We have been investing in AI startups for several years and have a portfolio of AI powered companies that span verticals including consumer social, gaming, retail, healthcare, fintech, insurance, property technology, infrastructure, databases, deep tech, and more. 

With PearX for AI, we have pulled together the resources, community, and expertise to help founders discern signal from noise and succeed in building industry defining companies using the latest breakthroughs in Generative AI. The first track of PearX for AI is set to start in July, with a small cohort of founders who have a proven track record in applying AI to real-world problems. If you’re ready to take on this challenge and shape the future with AI, we invite you to apply now here. Let’s build the future together!