OpenAI’s Former Sales Leader Joins Acrew Capital to Support Startups

San Francisco: OpenAI’s first sales leader, Aliisa Rosenthal, is joining Acrew Capital as a general partner. This is a move into venture capital. Her work at OpenAI lasted three years, where she helped launch products like ChatGPT and DALL·E. While she wasn’t seeking a VC role, a conversation with Kolodny showed her how she could help more startups at once.

At OpenAI, Rosenthal learned about what buyers want and how AI can fit into businesses. She believes AI startups need to focus on building a “moat” to avoid competition from big players. “Specialization” is one way to do this.

Rosenthal also thinks that “context” is important for AI. Context is how AI remembers information while working. She expects that new ideas around context will lead to real innovation this year.

She plans to invest in startups that focus on applications rather than just the top technologies. Rosenthal will use her network of ex-OpenAI employees to find fresh ideas. Many have started their own companies since leaving.

She believes there’s a big chance for new applications that businesses can use. Many businesses don’t yet realize how helpful AI can be, which leaves room for many startups and ideas to grow.