HYPER Ventures

The firm invests exclusively in early-stage startups that apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to physical-world industries — what it terms 'frontier hyper-automation.' This encompasses sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain, where software alone cannot solve operational bottlenecks. The thesis explicitly excludes companies building only digital products or conventional enterprise SaaS.

Because its thesis targets founders at the intersection of software and hard-asset industries, the firm's sourcing relies on networks within robotics labs, industrial engineering communities, and university research groups focused on applied AI. This creates a pipeline distinct from accelerators and standard venture referral channels, though specific sourcing mechanisms are not publicly detailed.

The firm explicitly avoids conventional enterprise SaaS, consumer internet, and fintech — any business where the core value proposition is purely digital. Its exclusion filters are unusually strict for an early-stage venture firm and form the basis of its differentiated positioning in the San Francisco venture ecosystem.