25 Investments for 2025: A Follow-Up to the 2020 Series (Part 3)
Companies
The final public post in this series (Part 1, Part 2) lists 9 of the 30 companies I believe in for 2025. The rest of the companies are available to members subscribed to this blog upon request.
1. Sugarwork – sugarwork.com
Lots of knowledge gets lost when great employees leave an organization and Sugarwork makes it possible via AI to capture that institutional knowledge. Vanessa Liu I was able to work with both when she was CEO at HostCommittee and when she ran the accelerator at SAP. She is super smart, a joy to work with and can rally a team with a positive spirit that can be lacking in the enterprise market.
2. Directo (Pierre Becerril) – getdirecto.com
Pierre is a powerhouse from Parallel18, having already exited two businesses and now leading Directo. With a mission to empower hotels by increasing direct bookings, Directo has already partnered with major hotel chains like Marriott and Radisson with 170k+ using his chrome extension.
3. Talented – gettalented.ai
Better government-funded workforce devlopment grant processes is essential for creating a skilled workforce. Talented is a standout for its innovative approach usign AI to power this. With Chinedu at the helm, I see a bright future for this company. Chinedu sold Hopstop to Apple and Tripology to Rand McNally.
4. Meeter Feeder – meeterfeeder.com
For fleets, dealing with tickets and tools is a pain, especially across jurisdictions. Meeter Feeder simplifies this process and enables large fleets (likely Amazon DSPs too) to handle this unique pain consistently before it becomes a compliance issue. I have gotten so many tickets in NYC, I am sure these companies are being hammered.
5. Conductor Quantum – conductorquantum.com
Quantum computing is not just the future—it’s the now. With a brilliant Oxford PhD leading the charge, Conductor Quantum is well-positioned to capitalize on this emerging field, a foundational cornerstone of the AI revolution truly hitting scale.
6. Pax AI – pax.ai
Pax AI helps companies claim billions in import taxes that they may not even know they’re eligible for. It’s a straightforward product with a sharp founder who understands how to unlock massive hidden value.
7. Strain – thestrainapp.com
Strain is building out an ecosystem of apps for the cannabis industry. Their CEO is involved in much of the cannabis policy taking place in North America and has some top dispensaries already hooked on their product.
8. Biocartesian – biocartesian.com
Biocartesian is producing digital molecular maps from biological tissue. The potential for this technology to revolutionize our understanding of diseases is immense.
9. Cracked – cracked.so
Cracked is an AI-driven motion graphics platform that allows creators to generate vector-based animations with ease. As someone increasingly involved in video, the idea of using AI to bring my creative ideas to life is exciting. Plus, Kelly ran hackathons—always a good signal.
These are just some of the investments I believe will make waves in 2025. The common thread here isn’t just the strength of the products or the market potential—it’s the people. These founders and leaders represent the qualities I look for in people who can lead teams.