Llama Ventures

Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Llama Ventures is an early-stage firm built by operators: co-founder Jack Feng previously built WandouLabs into a SoftBank-backed company acquired by Alibaba and later ran iHealth Labs as CEO, and co-founder Herman Zhou founded Yidao Yongche, one of China's first ride-hailing platforms, and built two listed companies. The firm runs a roughly US$300M direct-investing fund alongside a US$600M+ fund-of-funds book, writing US$500K to US$5M pre-seed through Series A+ checks. It invests across the full intelligence stack — model and research layers, AI infrastructure, enterprise and consumer applications, healthcare, education, and robotics and hardware — and has disclosed a portfolio of more than 60 AI-native companies, from foundation-model-adjacent research labs to vertical agents for construction, clinics, law firms and retailers.

Llama Ventures logo
Founded
2024
Headquarters
Sunnyvale, California
Founders
Jack Feng; Herman Zhou
Type
Founder-built early-stage VC + fund of funds
Direct fund
US$300M+
Fund of funds
US$600M+
Typical check
US$500K–US$5M
Stage
Pre-seed to Series A+
Disclosed portfolio
60+ companies

How Llama Ventures invests in AI

Independent conviction

The firm forms its views before checking the consensus, arguing that insight lives where most investors are not looking. It would rather be non-consensus and right than safely average.

Human judgment, AI-amplified

AI handles the noise so the partners can focus on founders, markets and timing. Technology sharpens the process, but every conviction remains a human one.

Depth over breadth

Llama goes deep in the domains it knows and stays honest about what it does not, betting on concentrated expertise and better pattern recognition rather than spreading thin.

Founder-first partnership

Built by people who have raised capital, shipped products and scaled teams themselves, the firm offers capital, context and candor — hands-on with product, hiring and go-to-market when it matters, invisible when it does not.

Models & Research

Frontier-adjacent research: world models, video generation, forecasting foundation models and deepfake detection.

  • Visko AI logo
    Visko AIModels & Research

    Visko develops in-house video-generation models and a physics-grounded world model that translate creative intent into temporally coherent, cinematic video.

  • Scam AI logo
    Scam AIModels & Research

    Scam AI develops multimodal detection models and an API for identifying deepfakes, voice clones, synthetic media, and AI-driven identity fraud in real time.

  • The Forecasting Company logo
    The Forecasting CompanyModels & Research

    The Forecasting Company develops a foundation model and platform for forecasting business time-series data with contextual variables, backtesting, and API access.

  • Pinch logo
    PinchModels & Research

    Pinch develops real-time speech-translation models and products that preserve a speaker’s voice, timing, and expression across languages.

AI Infrastructure

The compute, data and agent-native plumbing layer — inference hardware, MCP servers, agent routers and speech datasets.

  • Telem AI logo
    Telem AIAI Infrastructure

    Telem AI is building infrastructure for AI agents.

  • Upriver logo
    UpriverAI Infrastructure

    Upriver gives AI systems structured creator, audience, trend, brand, and sponsorship context for search, targeting, and campaign planning.

  • Mage AI logo
    Mage AIAI Infrastructure

    Mage is a data workflow platform that turns user intent into production workflows, monitors execution, and automatically recovers failed data and AI pipelines.

  • InsForge logo
    InsForgeAI Infrastructure

    InsForge is an agent-native cloud infrastructure platform with model gateway, compute, deployment, database, auth, storage, and related backend services built for AI coding agents to operate end to end.

  • Monid logo
    MonidAI Infrastructure

    Monid is an agent-native router for tool calls, helping AI agents discover, inspect, and run external data and API tools on demand through one balance instead of separate subscriptions or API keys.

  • Photon logo
    PhotonAI Infrastructure

    Photon is an open-source framework that connects your agents to iMessage, Telegram, WhatsApp, X, Discord, Instagram, and other interfaces people use every day.

  • Klavis AI logo
    Klavis AIAI Infrastructure

    Klavis AI provides open source MCP integrations for AI applications, with hosted, secure MCP servers eliminating auth management and client-side code.

  • BrowserOS logo
    BrowserOSAI Infrastructure

    BrowserOS is an open-source, privacy-first agentic browser that runs natural-language web automation locally on a user’s device.

  • Abundant AI logo
    Abundant AIAI Infrastructure

    Abundant AI provides an on-demand human workforce and reinforcement-learning environments for AI agents that need expert handling of difficult tasks and edge cases.

  • Besimple AI logo
    Besimple AIAI Infrastructure

    Besimple AI collects, licenses, annotates, and evaluates conversational audio datasets for training and testing speech models.

  • smol machines logo
    smol machinesAI Infrastructure

    smol machines provides fast, hardware-isolated Linux VMs through smolvm, letting teams run the same workload locally, in the cloud, or self-hosted with portable .smolmachine artifacts.

Enterprise Applications

Vertical agents and GTM software for construction, law, retail, sales, capital and public-sector workflows.

  • Quotr logo
    QuotrEnterprise Applications

    Quotr is a cloud-based construction estimating and takeoff platform that uses AI and computer vision to help contractors and developers generate fast, highly accurate budgets from plans.

  • LiveX logo
    LiveXEnterprise Applications

    LiveX builds AI agents for customer discovery, sales, support, and retention across digital and physical channels.

  • BIM Engine logo
    BIM EngineEnterprise Applications

    BIM Engine builds collaborative AI agents for architecture, engineering, and construction teams across site inspection, building reconstruction, material sourcing, and project coordination.

  • Expertise AI logo
    Expertise AIEnterprise Applications

    Expertise AI lets revenue teams install and run reusable GTM skills for prospecting, pipeline management, account research, and marketing workflows.

  • AI Law logo
    AI LawEnterprise Applications

    AILaw provides immigration law firms with AI-powered paralegal services and case-management software for preparing and managing applications.

  • Palona AI Labs logo
    Palona AI LabsEnterprise Applications

    Palona builds personalized AI sales agents for consumer businesses, beginning with restaurants, that answer calls, take orders, and adapt to individual customers.

  • Sprouts AI logo
    Sprouts AIEnterprise Applications

    Sprouts builds AI revenue agents and a GTM data layer for B2B teams, combining account discovery, enrichment, intent signals, and outreach.

  • Make The Dot logo
    Make The DotEnterprise Applications

    Make the Dot is an AI-native product-development platform that connects fashion design, prototyping, merchandising, collaboration, and production workflows.

  • Capitol AI logo
    Capitol AIEnterprise Applications

    Capitol provides regulated enterprises with sovereign agentic search and synthesis that turns proprietary data and expert judgment into auditable, decision-ready outputs.

  • WorkTrial AI logo
    WorkTrial AIEnterprise Applications

    WorkTrial helps hiring teams evaluate candidates through real work trials, capturing work traces and generating evidence-based AI assessment reports.

  • Novix logo
    NovixEnterprise Applications

    Novix builds a multi-agent AI co-scientist that runs research workflows from literature review and hypothesis generation through experiment design, analysis, and manuscript drafting.

  • Surfaice logo
    SurfaiceEnterprise Applications

    Surfaice automates the retail store lifecycle, including site selection, lease administration, real-estate intelligence, and lease renewal.

  • Seals AI logo
    Seals AIEnterprise Applications

    Seals builds AI employees for wholesalers and distributors that handle quoting, orders, customer support, ERP entry, collections, and outbound sales.

  • AdsGency logo
    AdsGencyEnterprise Applications

    AdsGency provides an agentic advertising platform that plans, creates, launches, optimizes, and reports paid campaigns for brands and agencies.

  • TaxGPT logo
    TaxGPTEnterprise Applications

    TaxGPT provides citation-backed tax research, preparation, and planning tools for tax professionals, accounting firms, businesses, and individuals.

  • Clarum logo
    ClarumEnterprise Applications

    Clarum is an intelligence platform for private-capital firms that makes proprietary deal data searchable and automates diligence, monitoring, and reporting workflows.

  • Wildcard AI logo
    Wildcard AIEnterprise Applications

    Wildcard helps retail and ecommerce brands monitor and improve how their products appear in AI search and shopping results, including ChatGPT and Gemini.

  • Lightscreen logo
    LightscreenEnterprise Applications

    Lightscreen provides an AI recruiting platform that automates candidate intake, screening, background checks, interviews, scheduling, and hiring decisions.

  • Code Four logo
    Code FourEnterprise Applications

    Code Four builds AI software for law-enforcement report drafting, body-camera and video analysis, field capture, and investigations.

Consumer & Media

AI-native consumer products across social discovery, creation, podcasting, gaming and commerce.

  • Wanderboat AI logo
    Wanderboat AIConsumer & Media

    Wanderboat uses community-powered AI to help you find local gems from great food to photo spots—via chat, maps, and docs.

  • Hirey AI logo
    Hirey AIConsumer & Media

    Hirey is an agent-mediated introduction network where AI agents discover relevant people, coordinate mutual consent, and arrange conversations for founders, operators, and builders.

  • Group Ultra / Moobius logo
    Group Ultra / MoobiusConsumer & Media

    GroupUltra builds AI-powered communication and productivity apps that help people understand, translate, search, and act on information effortlessly across languages and platforms.

  • Ditto AI logo
    Ditto AIConsumer & Media

    Ditto AI provides a campus-focused dating service that uses AI to skip the swiping and messaging phase: you tell it what you’re looking for, it simulates many potential dates, chooses the best match, sets the time and place for you, and even suggests conversation topics.

  • Kaze AI / DreamFlow logo
    Kaze AI / DreamFlowConsumer & Media

    Kaze AI is a creative engine for fast visual creation and iteration, helping users generate images, edit with chat, and create videos in one place.

  • Tomo logo
    TomoConsumer & Media

    Tomo Labs builds Mable, an AI game maker and discovery app for creating, sharing, and playing fast, replayable mobile mini-games.

  • KusArt logo
    KusArtConsumer & Media

    KusArt is an AI art generator for creating anime-style images and original characters from text prompts.

  • Jellypod logo
    JellypodConsumer & Media

    Jellypod is an AI podcast studio for creating, editing, automating, and publishing audio and video podcasts with synthetic hosts and cloned voices.

  • Bitz Films logo
    Bitz FilmsConsumer & Media

    Bitz Films produces and finances films, television, and animation, focusing on character-driven stories that engage audiences around the globe.

  • Aesthetic AI logo
    Aesthetic AIConsumer & Media

    Aesthetic automatically turns creators’ social content into shoppable storefronts, identifies featured products, and lets creators earn from resulting sales.

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Agentic front-desk, revenue-cycle, voice-AI and value-based-care systems for clinics, dental and pharma.

  • Taxo logo
    TaxoHealthcare & Life Sciences

    Taxo builds agentic front-desk software for clinics that automates referrals, scheduling, eligibility checks, patient reminders, and other administrative workflows.

  • Dodo logo
    DodoHealthcare & Life Sciences

    Dodo builds AI receptionists for veterinary, dental, and specialty clinics, automating calls, scheduling, and front-desk administration.

  • Pelica Health logo
    Pelica HealthHealthcare & Life Sciences

    Pelica Health is building an AI operating system for value-based care, helping teams unify patient data, close quality gaps, improve adherence, and coordinate care operations.

  • SynthioLabs logo
    SynthioLabsHealthcare & Life Sciences

    SynthioLabs builds voice AI agents and research tools for pharmaceutical teams engaging physicians, patients, and field organizations.

  • Toothy AI logo
    Toothy AIHealthcare & Life Sciences

    Toothy AI automates dental insurance verification, billing, claims follow-up, denial correction, and payment posting with AI and revenue-cycle specialists.

Education

Adaptive tutors, test-prep and teacher-controlled AI learning tools spanning K-12 to professional prep.

  • Miss Dora logo
    Miss DoraEducation

    Miss Dora is an AI-powered, interactive storytelling app for kids aged 3-8. It offers personalized, evolving adventures and an AI tutor that asks custom comprehension questions.

  • Final Round AI logo

    Final Round AI helps candidates prepare for interviews and improve their performance by offering an AI copilot that provides personalized, real-time assistance.

  • SigiQ logo
    SigiQEducation

    SigIQ builds personalized AI tutoring and test-preparation products that adapt learning to each student’s needs.

  • Revision Dojo logo
    Revision DojoEducation

    Revision Dojo provides an AI-powered personalized learning platform designed to deliver curriculum-specific practice questions, flashcards, and mini-lessons with step-by-step AI feedback.

  • Aibrary logo
    AibraryEducation

    Aibrary transforms books and expert knowledge into personalized podcasts, guided learning paths, and 24/7 AI coaching.

  • Excellence Learning logo

    Excellence provides teacher-controlled AI learning tools and personalized math and science support for middle- and high-school students.

Robotics & Hardware

Embodied systems from dexterous research robots and industrial grinding automation to edge AI computers and hardware for local inference.

  • Fasikl logo
    FasiklRobotics & Hardware

    Fasikl develops the FDA-cleared Felix NeuroAI wristband, a noninvasive bioelectronic therapy that uses neurotechnology and AI to reduce hand tremors.

  • Aboard logo
    AboardRobotics & Hardware

    Aboard builds a hybrid-electric travel trailer that integrates energy, mobility, software, and living space for comfortable off-grid travel.

  • Pamir AI logo
    Pamir AIRobotics & Hardware

    Pamir AI builds compact Linux computers for running AI agents and inference locally, without depending on cloud connectivity.

  • Instinct Robotics logo
    Instinct RoboticsRobotics & Hardware

    Instinct Robotics builds AI-driven robotic grinding systems for foundries and manufacturers, moving hazardous repetitive work from people to automated equipment.

  • Dexmate logo
    DexmateRobotics & Hardware

    Dexmate builds Vega, a general-purpose mobile robot with dexterous manipulation, onboard AI compute, and hardware designed for research and industrial deployment.

  • Apolink logo
    ApolinkRobotics & Hardware

    Apolink Communications, a California-based satellite company, is building a 24/7 relay network in LEO.

Related rounds

No rounds led by Llama Ventures are in the tracker yet. Deals will appear here as they are recorded.