M12, Microsoft's Venture Fund

🤖 "I hope entrepreneurs think about the fun and delight aspect of [agentic AI]. It’s important to grow a business by making products people enjoy. Not everything is about generating code and retrieving facts." - Michael Stewart, Managing Partner at M12. As #AI advances beyond predictive analytics into true automation, we’re seeing massive potential across industries—from workflow automation to gaming. This shift is why M12 enthusiastically invests in startups that are pushing the boundaries of AI-driven experiences. The future of AI isn’t just about insights—it’s about action. 🎬 🔗 Great read from Fernando Moncada Rivera at Global Corporate Venturing: https://lnkd.in/eyDA-KdX

🎉Congrats to SGNL on their Series A funding announcement today!🎉 SGNL aims to redefine enterprise access management with an identity-first approach to security. With $30M in funding this round, SGNL is tackling one of the biggest challenges in #cybersecurity — moving beyond static permissions to real-time, context-aware access control. We're excited to support SGNL alongside Brightmind Partners, Costanoa Ventures, and Cisco Investments. You can read the full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/g3RrD88m

From anomaly detection to predictive analytics, AI-driven observability is reshaping how teams monitor and optimize their systems. 🔎 That's why M12 knows it's critical to support startups at the forefront of this shift, building the next generation of AI-powered observability solutions. The future of monitoring isn’t just about seeing data—it’s about understanding it faster than ever. 🔗 Read more about this shift on the M12 blog from Andrew Smyth: https://lnkd.in/eFREu7bD

We're very excited to hear what M12 Managing Partner Michelle Gonzalez has to share during her panel at the Women's Venture Capital Summit today. 👂 In a session titled "Keeping Women in the Venture Industry: What Is Needed?" Michelle will be joined by Cheryl Cheng, Fern Mandelbaum, and Katherine Rice and Amanda McKenna, CPA to discuss how we maintain and grow 📈 the number of women in the VC space. Thank you for inviting us to the conversation, With Intelligence! 

📢 Important M12 Portfolio Company News 📢 Today, Armada and aramco digital officially announced the deployment of a Galleon edge data center in Saudi Arabia, delivering #AI-driven automation, real-time computing, and digital transformation across Saudi Aramco’s operations. "The deployment of Galleons in Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with aramco digital and Microsoft, marks a significant milestone in advancing real-world AI through edge." - Dan Wright, Co-founder and CEO of Armada Well done to the Armada team! https://lnkd.in/ghgRHuWD

The velocity around #AI is undeniable. 🚀 Generative AI startups are accelerating at an unprecedented pace, reaching annual recurring revenue milestones 2-5 times faster than traditional SaaS companies and achieving exits in half the time of non-AI startups. This rapid growth is fueled by significant venture capital investment and the strategic integration of AI into operations, enabling lean teams to maximize efficiency and drive revenue. At M12, we're excited to support this new wave of innovation that's reshaping the startup landscape. Read more about how we're helping fuel this growth in a recent post from Michael Stewart: https://lnkd.in/ggyYgeN7 #GenAI #StartupGrowth #AIInnovation

Well done, HiddenLayer! 👏👏👏 The M12 team is proud support your growth in this space. Thanks to Gartner for monitoring the explosive growth of this space.

Microsoft has been named one of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work in 2025! 🏆 This recognition reflects the heart of our workplace — our people. 💚 Find your place with us: https://msft.it/6046UKodE #MicrosoftCareers #MicrosoftLife

In our latest edition of Founders Feature, we highlight d-Matrix, a startup reshaping the #AI landscape with their in-memory compute architecture. 🤖 Their innovative approach to AI acceleration is designed to meet the growing demand for fast, energy-efficient large language model (LLM) inference, empowering real-world applications across industries. In our discussion, d-Matrix’s Founder and CEO Sid Sheth discusses the exciting path forward for the company, his vision for the future, and how they comprise their brilliant team. 🔗 Dive into their story here: https://lnkd.in/gR3fycpa

With $90M in new funding and a $1.25B valuation, Netradyne is accelerating its mission to enhance driver safety, improve operational insights, and transform the commercial fleet industry with their #AI-powered smart dash cams. 🚙💨 🔗 Read the full news on TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/gF3xq9HW