The Verticalization of AI: Transforming Legacy Industries
Horizontal AI tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot are now nearly ubiquitous, but the next wave of outsized venture returns is forming in Vertical AI: LLM-driven solutions built for a single industry’s deepest pain points. From medtech & life sciences to healthcare & frontier tech, these companies are reimagining how legacy industries operate.
Join fellow investors for a peer-driven discussion on the future of Vertical AI and the cross-industry opportunities it unlocks. Together, we’ll explore defensibility, early traction, regulated industry dynamics, and more.
A panel of experienced VCs will share perspectives and lessons from across sectors, inviting an open dialogue on where this rapidly evolving space is headed.
🔑 Event Details
📍 Boston
🕠 5:30 – 7:30 PM
🎤 Panel discussion followed by networking
Meet Our Panelists
Brent Willess, Innospark Ventures
Brent is a Principal at Innospark Ventures, where he invests in founders building AI-native companies across enterprise and the physical world. Prior to joining Innospark, Brent was an investor at Founder Collective, where he helped close investments in Suno, Regal, Clair, Weavy, and Ranger. Before venture, Brent was an early employee at Uber, where he helped scale operations across the US & Canada, supported product strategy for the Rider team, and served as Head of Strategy for Uber Transit.
Cvic Innocent, Frankenbuild Ventures
Dr Cvic Innocent is ex-NASA and brings extensive expertise in prototype development for technologies deemed nationally critical, spanning over 16 years. As the General Partner of Frankenbuild Ventures, or F(v) for short, Cvic invests in the hard tech (& hardware-enabled AI), focussing on deep tech sectors with high barriers of entry, including space dual-use, blue-economy, infrastructure,... all in support of climate tech. She is an EiR at Blue Innovation Labs, a member of Syndicate 708, and prior to establishing F(v), she worked in both Boston's Erez Capital, and 1435 Capital. Notably, Dr Innocent recently gave a technical opinion at the United Nations (Feb2025) for 23 countries, helped pen New Hampshire Senate Bill 477, addressed the Dept of Labor in Benin (Jan2025), is listed as 1 of 25 national, women-led firms by Recast Capital & Pivotal Ventures, was runner-up for the 2024 Boston Investor-of-the-Year (StartupBoston), was a 2022 Woman of Optics (SPIE), and is a 2019 Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative Awardee.
Jacob Oppenheim, RA Ventures (RAVen)
Jacob Oppenheim is a Venture Partner at RA Ventures (RAVen), leading efforts to build newco's around and equip RAVen companies with best in class data systems, computational biology, and ml/ai approaches to therapeutics design. He additionally serves as an advisor to RA portfolio companies on digital infrastructure, genomics, and ML/AI. Prior to joining RAVen, Jacob was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Digitalis Ventures and co-founded Fresnel, a "Bloomberg for Biology" platform. He previously served as Vice President of Data Science and Engineering at EQRx, where he led the development of data strategy, innovative ML approaches, and implementation of scalable data infrastructure for every step of drug development and commercialization. Jacob also held leadership roles at Indigo, where he developed machine learning systems for agricultural applications. Jacob holds extensive experience in building and scaling high-performing cross-functional teams in data science, engineering, and product development, with a focus on applying AI/ML to biological problems. He holds a PhD in Biological Physics from Rockefeller University and an AB in Physics from Princeton University.
Mike Droesch, Bessemer Venture Partners
Mike Droesch is a partner in the Cambridge office primarily focusing on AI applications, cybersecurity, supply chain software, and B2B marketplaces. He currently serves on the board of directors for Tackle, Curri, Raft, Cypress, Netography, Optimal Dynamics, and VendorPM.
Previously, Mike worked with a few venture-backed startups in Boston, including two Bessemer portfolio companies, Fuze and InsightSquared, where he supported sales operations and analytics efforts. He started his career as a systems engineer and then spent nearly three years in management consulting at Navigant, where he helped companies build new businesses around emerging energy and infrastructure technologies in the U.S. and Middle East.
Stay tuned for more!
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