At nvp capital, we don’t just invest in pre-seed and seed stage start-ups – we invest in the people building them. Our mission is to back founders modernizing industries with GenAI. Around that mission, we’re building a community defined by deep thinking, real partnership, and a shared instinct to push boundaries.

This spring was a reminder of what makes this work meaningful: great people, honest conversations, and a community that’s actually excited to build together.

In late May, we co-hosted the Vertical AI Summit with our friends at Armory Square Ventures, H/L Ventures, and Lynx Collective. The goal was simple: bring together people building in healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and other vertical markets — and talk about what’s actually working in GenAI. Dan had the chance to moderate a panel on the classic “build vs. buy” debate in enterprise AI, alongside folks from M&T Bank, Microsoft, and Creative AI Academy. 

Some real insights came out of that session:

• Vertical AI only works when it starts with a clearly defined use case
• Competitive advantage doesn’t come from tools alone — it comes from how well you align with what AI can (and can’t) do
• And defensibility, especially in regulated spaces, comes from trust, data, and deep workflow integration

We also leaned into NY Tech Week — because it’s a great opportunity to meet a critical mass of early-stage founders where they are. First up: Bytes & Bites in Madison Square Park, a coffee meetup we co-hosted with Laconia and a bunch of great seed funds. 250+ founders came through for donuts, caffeine, and real talk about building in this market.

Then came The Vibe — a rooftop happy hour we pulled together on our Soho rooftop with BenchStrength VC and Collide Capital, with help from J.P. Morgan, Withum, and Goodwin. 120+ founders, funders, and operators came out for sushi, music, and — yes — a magician. It was the kind of night where you might walk away with a new hire, a new investor, or at least a few good stories.

We also loved seeing Vaughn on stage at Digitalundivided’s pitch event at Shopify NY, sharing honest feedback and rooting for the next wave of entrepreneurs. “AI isn’t going anywhere,” he said, “and if you’re not adapting, you’re being left behind.” Couldn’t agree more.

So what does all this say about who we are at nvp? We show up. With ideas, with people, with a point of view. We create space for real connection — the kind that helps companies move forward. It’s serious work, but it doesn’t have to be stiff. And we’re grateful to be building it alongside a community we respect.

To the founders in our orbit: thanks for letting us be in your corner.

We’re just getting started.