a16z Cultural Leadership Fund

Slingshot AI is an AI research company focused on enhancing global access to mental healthcare. Based in NYC and London, Slingshot AI develops technology aimed at improving human well-being, fostering connections, and aiding adaptation to future changes. The company leverages advanced large language models to understand the complexities of human psychology, providing tools that empower individuals to manage daily challenges and receive effective mental support. Their cross-disciplinary team includes researchers, engineers, and mental health experts dedicated to this mission.

The world's first self-organizing workspace.

Pave, Inc. is a compensation management platform that provides companies with tools to effectively plan and communicate employee wages. Founded in 2012 and based in New York, Pave offers an integrated solution that connects with existing payroll systems to verify critical details such as past performance, equity vesting status, and compensation benchmarks. This functionality streamlines the salary planning process, allowing businesses to enhance their total rewards programs and address employee uncertainties regarding compensation. Pave's platform is utilized by a variety of notable companies to ensure that their compensation decisions are informed and equitable.

Orbit operates a platform that leverages community engagement as the primary driver for business growth. Its core offering is a community experience platform designed to build, grow, and measure communities across diverse tools and channels. The platform tracks and measures community activity, facilitates searches for individuals or groups across integrated channels, and provides an open-source alternative to traditional sales and marketing strategies. This enables clients to enhance their return on investment by fostering stronger community connections.

Rasa Technologies GmbH, founded in 2016 and based in Berlin, Germany, specializes in developing machine learning tools for creating conversational software, including chatbots and virtual assistants. The company offers a suite of products, notably Rasa Open Source, a widely adopted framework for building text- and voice-based AI assistants, and Rasa X, a toolset designed to enhance and share these assistants. Rasa Enterprise provides an enterprise-grade solution for developing contextual assistants at scale. Rasa's platform is utilized across various industries, including healthcare, insurance, banking, telecommunications, and travel, focusing on applications such as lead generation, internal process automation, and customer service. The company is known for its commitment to data privacy and security, catering to both startups and large enterprises.

Balsa is a software company founded in 2020 and based in San Francisco, California. It specializes in developing tools that enhance the productivity of builders by integrating existing platforms such as Jira, GitHub, and Figma into a single interface. By creating innovative second screens tailored for builders, Balsa enables users to streamline their workflows and focus on their projects more effectively. The company aims to amplify the impact of builders by providing them with the necessary tools to move their work forward efficiently.

Odyssey Interactive Inc., established in 2020 and headquartered in Grand Valley, Canada, is a game development studio focused on creating emotionally engaging mobile games. Led by four former senior leads from Riot Games, Odyssey aims to build games that evoke lasting memories and foster a sense of community, much like the classic games of yesteryears. Their unique approach prioritizes a 'mobile first' mindset, targeting the next generation of gamers who are more connected and diverse. The company's mission is to develop games with emotional depth and longevity, enabling players to form deep connections with their gaming experiences.