Good morning ☀️, leader of the next generation.

Sometimes we give technology too much credit or too much blame.

The truth is, it’s a tool. How we use it is what matters.

Used with purpose, it helps us see more clearly, build faster, and express ourselves in new ways.

It’s not about chasing trends. It’s about creating something real.

WHAT'S AT STAKE TODAY ⚡

1. 📸🤖 Google Photos' 2025 Recap turns to Gemini to find your highlights
2. ☁️🤖 AWS doubles down on custom LLMs with features meant to simplify model creation
3. 🏛️💼 Anthropic hires lawyers as it preps for IPO
4. 🎨🤖 87% of Creators Now Use AI — How the Technology Is Reshaping Creative Workflows
5. 💰👑 VCs deploy 'kingmaking' strategy to crown AI winners in their infancy
6. 💻🔧 WordPress's vibe-coding experiment, Telex, has already been put to real-world use

Nexus balances AI investments with India-focused startup opportunities

Nexus isn't going all-in on AI, keeping half of its new $700M fund for India startups

While most venture capital firms chase AI investments with singular focus, Nexus Venture Partners is taking a deliberately balanced approach with its new $700 million fund. The 20-year-old firm plans to split its investments evenly between AI startups and India-focused companies in consumer technology, fintech, and digital infrastructure.

Despite acknowledging AI as a defining technological shift that has absorbed most global venture capital, Nexus argues that crowding into a single overheated category carries significant risks. Instead, the firm sees India's expanding digital economy as a strategic counterbalance, offering diverse opportunities where AI adoption is simultaneously rising.

This balanced strategy reflects Nexus's origins as a cross-border venture firm. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Delaware with offices in Menlo Park, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, the company has always operated as an integrated U.S.-India team backing early-stage software and India-focused startups from the same capital pool.

"AI is a huge inflection point, and we are anchoring on that," said Jishnu Bhattacharjee, managing partner at Nexus Venture Partners. "But we are also seeing that many of these AI innovations are actually getting used to serve the masses better."

The firm's U.S. portfolio spans infrastructure and developer tools to AI agent startups, including widely adopted companies like Postman, Apollo, MinIO, Giga, and Firecrawl. Meanwhile, its India investments have expanded across consumer services, fintech, logistics, and digital infrastructure, featuring successful bets on Zepto, Delhivery, Rapido, Turtlemint, and Infra.Market.

Nexus currently manages $3.2 billion across all funds and has invested in over 130 companies throughout its history. With more than 30 exits including several IPOs, the firm demonstrates the effectiveness of its early-stage, long-horizon investment approach.

Managing partner Abhishek Sharma explains that Nexus's sweet spot remains inception to seed and Series A rounds, typically beginning with checks ranging from hundreds of thousands to around $1 million. The eight-member investment team has maintained the fund size at $700 million since launching Fund VII in 2023, raising new funds every 2.5 to 3 years.

"We don't want to raise money for the sake of raising," Bhattacharjee noted, explaining that $700 million represents the optimal amount for their early-stage strategy.

While India's AI development trails behind the U.S. in many areas, Nexus believes the country could leapfrog in several parts of the AI ecosystem. Bhattacharjee highlighted India's large talent pool, improving digital infrastructure, and demand for localized models supporting the country's numerous languages and specific service needs.

These dynamics are driving Indian startups to build AI applications and agents more rapidly, often utilizing open-source tools and emerging domestic AI infrastructure companies. The partners cite portfolio companies like Zepto and Neysa as examples of AI's evolution in India.

Zepto, the quick-commerce platform, integrates AI extensively across operations from customer support to routing and fulfillment, exemplifying how consumer businesses are becoming AI-native. Infrastructure players like Neysa address India-specific requirements including sovereign AI workloads, localized data handling, and multi-language support.

Though Nexus didn't share specific fund metrics, the partners indicated their funds have generated sufficient returns over the years to largely fill this latest fund from returning limited partners. The firm's investor base spans the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan, reflecting its global reach and cross-border investment philosophy.

Apple's UI design chief joins Meta's Reality Labs studio

Meta poaches Apple design exec Alan Dye to lead new creative studio in Reality Labs

Alan Dye, Apple's longtime user interface design leader, has joined Meta to head a new creative studio within Reality Labs. The significant hire strengthens Meta's push into consumer devices like smart glasses and VR headsets, with Dye focusing on AI features while reporting to CTO Andrew Bosworth.

Mark Zuckerberg announced the studio will combine design, fashion, and technology, treating "intelligence as a new design material." Dye joins other former Apple designers and Meta's existing teams to "define the next generation" of products bridging hardware and software experiences.

🎙️ NEW EPISODE DROP:

Inventing the Future with Pablos Holman

I sat down with Pablos Holman — hacker, inventor, futurist, and founder of Deep Future — for one of the most mind-expanding conversations I’ve ever had.

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AI platform creates digital twins for personalized fan-artist connections.

⚡ You’re Smart. Strategic. Intentional. So Let’s Be Real:
Where Are You Holding Back— On Purpose?

Every smart operator has something they’re intentionally avoiding.

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So what’s that thing for you?
That one decision, move, or experiment you know would push you forward — but you’ve been choosing not to do it.

Tell us — and we’ll share a tactical POV or tool to help you rethink it.
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