How One New Solo GP Is Using AI to Identify Promising Founders

When former Bain Capital Ventures partner Sarah Smith raised a $16 million fund to back early-stage startups earlier this year, she decided to use artificial intelligence to answer a question that venture capitalists say usually comes down to human instinct: Which founders are worth meeting?

The Menlo Park, Calif.–based investor developed a screening system using Anthropic’s Claude, which she says she trusts with sensitive information over other models. The system helps her decide whether she should take a first meeting with a founding team, as well as analyze those she’s invested in.