# NFDG

NFDG is an AI-focused venture fund founded by Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, investing in early-stage artificial intelligence startups.

NFDG is a venture capital firm focused exclusively on artificial intelligence, founded by Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross. The fund provides early-stage investments and operational support to startups building AI infrastructure, applications, and research. NFDG has become known for its hands-on approach, often helping portfolio companies with technical and go-to-market strategy.

Founded in 2022, NFDG emerged from the partnership of Friedman, former CEO of GitHub, and Gross, who previously led Y Combinator's AI investments. The firm is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and has raised multiple funds, including a $250 million fund announced in 2023. NFDG typically invests at the seed and Series A stages, with check sizes ranging from $1 million to $10 million.

## Investment Thesis

NFDG targets companies that push the boundaries of [artificial-intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence) and [machine-learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/machine-learning), with a particular interest in [deep-learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/deep-learning) and [neural-network](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/neural-network) architectures. The fund prioritizes founders with deep technical expertise, often backing researchers and engineers from leading labs like [openai](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/openai), [anthropic](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/anthropic), and [google-deepmind](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/google-deepmind). NFDG also invests in AI infrastructure, including [large-language-model](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/large-language-model) training and inference, as well as applications in healthcare, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.

## Notable Portfolio Companies

NFDG has invested in several high-profile AI startups. These include [figure-ai](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/figure-ai), a humanoid robotics company, and [sanctuary-ai](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/sanctuary-ai), which develops general-purpose robots. The fund also backed [inflection-ai](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/inflection-ai), a conversational AI startup, and [ai21-labs](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/ai21-labs), known for its Jurassic language models. In the autonomous vehicle space, NFDG has stakes in [cruise](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/cruise) and [waymo](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/waymo). Additionally, the fund invested in [neuralink](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/neuralink), the brain-computer interface company, and [fermata](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/fermata), which applies AI to agriculture.

## Founding Partners

Nat Friedman co-founded NFDG after serving as CEO of GitHub from 2018 to 2021. He is also known for his work on the GNOME desktop environment and as a partner at Y Combinator. Daniel Gross previously led Y Combinator's AI investments and founded Cue, a personal assistant startup acquired by Apple in 2013. Both partners bring extensive networks in Silicon Valley and deep technical backgrounds.

## Fundraising and Growth

NFDG raised its first fund of $100 million in 2022, followed by a $250 million fund in 2023. The firm has also made direct investments from its partners' personal capital. As of 2024, NFDG has backed over 50 startups, with a focus on early-stage rounds. The fund has attracted limited partners including institutional investors and prominent tech executives.

## Impact and Recognition

NFDG has become a prominent player in AI venture capital, often participating in oversubscribed rounds. The fund's portfolio companies have achieved significant milestones, such as Figure AI raising $675 million in 2024 at a $2.6 billion valuation. NFDG's investments have contributed to the growth of the [generative-ai](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/generative-ai) ecosystem, supporting innovations in [transformer](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/transformer) models and [deep-learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/deep-learning) frameworks. The firm is frequently cited in industry reports as a top AI-focused fund.

## References

NFDG's activities have been covered by major technology publications, including TechCrunch, The Information, and Bloomberg. The firm's website and public filings provide additional details on its investments and team.

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Source: https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/nfdg
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
Last updated: 2026-09-05T13:23:48.388732+00:00