IASV Partner's Meeting - March 31, 2026

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IASV Partner's Meeting - March 31, 2026

2026-01-01

Source: tracks/Meetings/Notes Team - 03_31.md

IASV Partner's Meeting - March 31, 2026

Attendees: Ed Dua, Matias, Dax Craig, Mike Duggan, Gary Gitelson, Mark Thaler, Earl R, Kevin Christopher

Key Decisions

FlashPass — INVESTED ($150K)

  • Secured allocation through in-person networking at demo day
  • Validates strategy of attending events for connections, not just pitches

YC Valuation Inflation

  • Pyrrhus: $40M → $120M pre-product (YC premium)
  • Lightcelerate (Stardex): Direct competitor with taped-out product + customers raising at $40M
  • Lesson: YC value is primarily networking, not deal quality
  • Strategy: Look for better-valued deals outside top accelerators

AI-Powered Deal Screening — MAJOR INITIATIVE

  • Goal: Automate screening to process more companies, find better-valued deals
  • Solution: Shared Claude Code skill on private IASV GitHub repository
    • GitHub org must be owned by IASV email (Ed) for long-term control
    • All partners contribute to improving the shared skill
    • Version control, change tracking, collaborative development
  • Two-stage cost optimization:
    1. Batch Screen: Low-cost initial filter ($1-2 for 30 companies via Sonnet)
    2. Deep Dive: Detailed analysis only for promising ones ($0.75-$5/company depending on model)
  • Skill features (already partially built by Matias):
    • Filter out-of-scope companies (therapeutics, consumer)
    • Score founders from LinkedIn profiles
    • Competitive analysis + biographical research
    • "Devil's advocate" panel to counter AI optimism (mixture of experts)
    • True potential scoring (Ed's addition)
  • Research needed: Notion AI agents (free until May) vs. Claude Code skill — which is more effective and cost-efficient?
  • Leads: Matias & Dax (with Earl input)

"Too Early" Pass Strategy

  • For promising but early companies: pass now but track for future round
  • Don't say "we're passing" — say "too early for us, love to stay in touch for future round"
  • Get on their update email list to track progress
  • Example: Captain

Notion Enhancement Discussion

  • Notion adding significant AI features (agents, custom panels, etc.)
  • Free agent features until May 2026
  • Ed wants: tickler system for follow-up, portfolio update tracking
  • Mark's view: Don't assume all AI work should be inside Notion — some needs Claude Code framework
  • Gary: Research Notion agents capability before deciding

Portfolio Updates

  • Ed receives weekly updates from portfolio companies (both funds)
  • Wants to send these to Notion and have them tracked/historicized
  • Planning individual company + industry update newsletters to LPs

Company Reviews (S25 YCombinator)

Pass

  • Industry — AI industrial product sourcing (not exciting)
  • Saffron — AI technical assessments (crowded space)
  • Alchemy — AI image analysis for life sciences (small market, inexperienced founders)
  • Keyframe Labs — AI video calls (commoditization risk)
  • Benchspam — Agent benchmarking (unclear customer/market)
  • GojiBerry.ai — GTM brand for sales teams (another lead finder)
  • Stage — Code review platform (crowded, leapfrog risk)
  • Sadara AI — Sourcing agency connecting US brands with Indonesian suppliers (too niche)
  • Stable Browse — Browser for AI agents (low moat, easy to replicate)
  • Totalus — Derivative layer for prediction markets (acquisition risk, student founders)

Review (Assigned)

| Company | Description | Owners | |---------|-------------|--------| | Captain | Pass now ("too early") but track | Earl (send note) | | Matt Forge | AI Scientist for new materials | Dax, Ed, Mike, Mark | | OpenWork | Open-source Claude Co-Work alternative | Matias, Earl | | Amboris | AI sales autopilot | Matias | | BioStack Platforms | Real-world training for healthcare AI | Mark (send to Marlan) | | Prototyping IO | AI manufacturing platform | Earl, Mark (send to Yi) | | Kempton AI | IDE for investors | Ed, Earl (research only; not scalable) | | Sazabi | AI observability platform | Gary, Kevin, Earl, Ed | | Interphase | AI model for developer workflows | Mark | | Refortive AI | DRM for AI models | Kevin | | In-loop Robotics | Robots requesting human help | Kevin (likely kill) |

Action Items

  • [ ] Earl: Send "too early" note to Captain
  • [ ] Ed: Send Fathom transcript to Dax, Matias, Earl
  • [ ] Matias & Dax: Lead AI deal screening project
    • [ ] Research Notion AI agents vs Claude Code skill
    • [ ] Prepare summary outline for next meeting
  • [ ] Mark: Create new Notion sheet for Spring/Summer companies
  • [ ] Dax: Follow up with Marlan on Ditto Bio
  • [ ] All: Complete assigned company reviews before Friday meeting
  • [ ] Create IASV GitHub org (owned by IASV email)
  • [ ] Matias: Push existing skills to IASV GitHub
  • [ ] Earl: Schedule GitHub/Claude Code tutorial session

Upcoming Events

  • Thursday: Skydeck Demo Day at Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley (in-person)
  • Monday (next week): Stardex (Stanford) virtual demo day — Gary attending