ENTERPRISE 5.0 | Q1 2025
The BGV Beat
KEY TRENDS
The Rise of Specialized AI
A Game Changer for enterprises
Specialized AI models present a compelling opportunity for enterprises aiming to enhance accuracy, efficiency and domain-specific utility.
AI's pursuit of Deep Personalization
We see AI shifting toward a more nuanced and distributed intelligence model; one that transcends the strict boundaries of centralized control and instead flourishes through interconnected, adaptive ecosystems.
DEEPER INSIGHTS
AI on your Team
Leveraging AI in the Workforce
The rise of Agentic AI is not about replacing people – it’s about scaling execution and unlocking human potential. Companies like MadKudu are proving that AI can serve as an extension of the workforce, amplifying productivity while keeping people at the center of decision-making.
Gen AI in Professional Services
Generative AI is transforming professional services by boosting productivity and streamlining work once reliant on human expertise. Early adopters are proving its value, prompting wider industry adoption.
Financing Events
JumpCloud Inc. is continuing its identity-first momentum by acquiring Stack Identity. Stack Identity is a next-generation identity security and access visibility platform. This acquisition strengthens JumpCloud’s identity-first access management solution.
Stack Identity offers cutting-edge data analytics technology. It helps reduce key risks in securing workforce access, especially in remote or hybrid work. Customers will be able to detect unmonitored and unauthorized access pathways that most IAM tools miss.
Affineon Health, a leader in AI-powered solutions to streamline the inbox for healthcare physicians and providers, announced successfully closing a $5 million oversubscribed funding round.
New investors in this round include Deepwater, Benhamou Global Ventures (BGV), Headwater Ventures, and Signal Peak Ventures. Together with GPG Ventures and AI Fund, their support reflects solid investor confidence in Affineon’s market leadership and momentum. This round brings Affineon’s total capital raised to $6 million.
Nirmata, a leader in cloud-native security policy automation and governance solutions, announced a $9.6 million funding round.
Following unprecedented customer growth, Nirmata plans to expand its presence, scale its go-to-market and accelerate product development to serve as the de-facto hub of security automation, governance, and compliance for all applications and the underlying IT infrastructure from code to cloud.
COVU, the AI-native leader in insurance customer management and risk advisory, today announced that it has increased its Series A to $22 million after successfully hitting key milestones, bringing its total funding to date to $32 million.
Originally structured as a milestone-based financing, due to strong investor demand, it was expanded to $10 million and became oversubscribed. The round was led by Benhamou Global Ventures (BGV), the lead investor from COVU’s initial Series A, with participation from True Global Ventures (TGV) as a new investor.
Workhelix has successfully raised $15M in Series A funding. This round was lead by AIX Ventures with support from Andrew Ng’s AI Fund, Accenture Technology Ventures BV, BGV, Bloomberg Beta, Future of Work Partners, Telesoft, Zetta Venture Partners, Paul Daugherty, Jeff Dean, Reid Hoffman, Yann LeCun, Mira Murati, Sebastian Thrun, and Jeff Wilke.
The company launched its product in April 2024 and has seen strong demand from enterprise customers including Accenture, Wayfair and Coursera, among others. Workhelix’s first dozen enterprise customers came through the door with zero paid advertising.
Perspectives - AI on the World Stage
Anik Bose,
BGV
“While technology has been moving rapidly, there has been a lag in human centric guardrails”
BGV General Partner, Anik Bose, moderated a panel discussion on Trustworthy AI at the Paris AI Summit focusing on the delicate balance between innovation, responsibility, and democratization.
Natasha Crampton, Microsoft
“Trust in AI is earned, NOT given”
At the AI Action Summit in Paris, Microsoft’s Chief Responsibility Officer, Natasha Crampton, emphasized that trust is one of the three essential elements we must stay focused on as AI continues to scale.
Sean Perryman, Uber
“This technology is going to change the world…is it going to be a positive or negative change, and how can we shape that?”
At the AI Action Summit, Uber’s Global Head of AI Fairness & Policy, Sean Perryman, discusses one of the biggest challenges of our time: How do we ensure AI drives progress instead of amplifying risks?
Leon Derczynski, NVIDIA
“We develop open source because its the best way to ensure accelerated innovation and also to increase trust.”
During the AI Action Summit, NVIDIA’s Leon Derczynski shared powerful insights on the role of open-source AI in driving innovation, trust, and security in the industry.
Spotlight
The AI Native Startup Playbook
AI is ushering in a new era of category-defining companies.
The AI Native Startup Playbook is the trusted guide of leading founders, operators, and investors who are shaping the future of enterprise. Curated from the collective intelligence of top-tier venture funds and 50+ pioneering AI-native startups, this playbook is designed to give you an unfair advantage in an increasingly competitive landscape.