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AI Fund

Venture studio launching AI-based startups

Founding Product Director

Full-Time
No salary listed
Senior, Expert
Mountain View, CA, USA
HybridHybrid role requiring 2-3 days on-site per week.
ProductProduct Management

About the job

Requirements
  • 8+ years in Product Management, with at least 3 years in an early-stage (Seed/Series A) leadership role; you know how to build a product team from scratch
  • Technical depth: you understand the difference between cloud-based large language models and edge-based neural processing units, and can hold your own in a room with world-class machine learning researchers
  • Agentic intuition: you have a strong point of view on the future of Agentic User Experience and believe the future of software is more integrated intelligence rather than more apps
  • Distribution mindset: you understand the power of a pre-install moat and can design products that provide immediate value to users who did not choose to download them
  • Communication: you can simplify complex hardware-forward concepts for a Series A investor or a non-technical user of an Acer laptop
Responsibilities
  • Define the Category: Work with the founders to articulate the Intent Orchestration roadmap and envision what the world looks like when 100M PCs have a Butler by default
  • Build the Ecosystem: Develop the strategy for the open-source community and the Delivery Layer to enable third-party developers to build on the hardware-forward architecture
  • OEM Stewardship: Act as the primary product partner for Acer and future OEMs to ensure the product fits into the hardware lifecycle of mass-market devices
  • Ship the Butlers: Lead end-to-end development of the first three flagship apps, write the specs, define success metrics, and optimize Time to Magic for non-technical users
  • Hardware-Software Synthesis: Collaborate with ML engineers to understand edge computing constraints (latency, privacy, power) and convert them into product advantages
  • Iterative Loop: Build feedback systems to capture how millions of Acer users interact with their AI PCs and turn raw data into actionable product refinements

About the company

AI Fund is a venture studio that creates and launches AI-based companies. It partners with innovators and tech pioneers to develop startups that apply artificial intelligence to solve problems in fields such as manufacturing, mental health, maritime shipping, and education. It acts as a minor co-founder, offering resources, strategic guidance, and investment to help entrepreneurs move ideas from concept to reality quickly. Unlike traditional funds, it builds companies around AI-enabled business models and shares equity stakes in the ventures it helps create and grow. Its goal is to advance practical AI applications and drive meaningful impact by helping early-stage startups scale and succeed.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

$437M

Headquarters

Palo Alto, California

Founded

2017

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • IrisGo raised $2.8 million in May 2026 with Acer preinstalled, proving hardware distribution.
  • LearnVector announced July 28, 2026, backed by Coursera's $100 million, expanding AI Fund reach.
  • AI Fund backed Netail's February 2026 Series A and BizTrip AI's pre-seed, keeping pipeline active.

What critics are saying

  • Andrew Ng’s July 2026 LearnVector launch splits attention from AI Fund’s portfolio oversight.
  • AI Fund’s model depends on continuous founder recruitment; weak markets stall new studio creations quickly.
  • Hyperscalers ship bundled copilots faster than studio startups, crushing narrow product wedges within months.

What makes AI Fund unique

  • Andrew Ng combines AI Fund with LearnVector and Coursera ties, closing founder-to-distribution loops.
  • AI Fund co-founds companies from zero, not just writing checks, compressing pre-seed execution.
  • IrisGo’s Acer preloads show AI Fund turns prototypes into OEM-shipped products quickly.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Wellness Program
  • Professional Development Budget
  • Paid Vacation
  • 401(k) Company Match
  • Remote Work Options

Company News

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SkyfireAI, a Huntsville, Alabama-based artificial intelligence company focused on autonomous drone operations, has raised $11 million in seed financing to... Read More

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SkyfireAI raises $11M for AI-powered autonomous drone operations in public safety and defence

SkyfireAI has raised $11 million in seed funding led by Mucker Capital to develop its AI-native platform for autonomous drone operations in public safety and defence. The round included participation from AI Fund, SaaS Ventures, Halogen, Harvard Business School Alumni Angels and New York Angels. Founded in 2022, SkyfireAI provides software for coordinated multi-drone missions, supporting the full operational lifecycle from planning to oversight. The platform enables organisations to scale drone programmes without increasing operator workload, addressing time-sensitive scenarios in emergency response and defence. The company serves federal, state and local agencies, critical infrastructure clients and defence customers. Use cases include 911 response, medical delivery, event safety and perimeter defence. The funding will accelerate platform development for mission-critical operations.