Investing in AI: Identifying the Next Generation of Winners
Join us for a discussion on how investors can spot the next generation of AI winners — hosted by Microsoft for Startups and unlock VC.
The session will centre on a practical panel conversation on identifying the signals that matter most in today’s market, including:
Evaluation frameworks
What true defensibility looks like
Common red flags
Real-world examples of successful applied AI and infrastructure plays
Featuring insights from:
👉 Heena Purohit, director of AI startups at Microsoft for Startups
👉 Rebecka Löthman Rydå, general partner at Norrsken Evolve
👉 Marty Collins, head of portfolio development at M12, Microsoft's Venture Fund
All women in VC welcome!
Heena Purohit, Director of AI Startups at Microsoft for Startups
Heena Purohit is the Director of AI startups at Microsoft for Startups, where she accelerates the world’s most promising AI startups to enterprise scale. She partners directly with Fortune 500 executives to unblock innovation and scale transformative AI initiatives across their organizations.
With 15+ years building and scaling AI products, including leadership roles at IBM Watson and as Head of Product at IBM’s Corporate Incubator, Heena has led dozens of AI products from concept to MVP and market impact.
A passionate advocate for responsible AI, Heena champions gender diversity in AI and has created accessible AI education that has reached millions of learners globally.
Rebecka Löthman Rydå, General partner at Norrsken Evolve
General partner with Norrsken Evolve. A nerd at heart and passionate about supporting pre-seed founders shaping a sustainable and resilient Europe
As investor over the past 10 years she's backed over 30 companies and gotten the opportunity to invest and work with many exceptional companies, two that have become unicorns.
Operational background as CFO and as CEO before ending up on the investment side. Outside of work Rebecka really enjoys long distance running and reading sci-fi books.
Marty Collins, head of portfolio development at M12, Microsoft's Venture Fund
Marty is Head of Portfolio Development for M12 where she leads the portfolio management of M12 start-ups.
Marty started her career at Microsoft working on global consumer launch programs for Windows and Windows Phone as well as leading the emerging media team in Microsoft Advertising. In the early days of Web 2.0 she worked with digital media companies like Facebook and Google to land first to market media opportunities for Microsoft’s biggest brands.
After leaving Microsoft, Marty was co-founder and CEO of her own startup that combined ecommerce with machine learning recommendations to bring a contextual shopping experience to interior design. Her experience as an entrepreneur was so rewarding, she went on to teach entrepreneur classes at the University of Washington in the Fosters School of Business. She has been an advisor in the UW Jones + Foster Accelerator for years and continues to be involved in multiple advisor programs at UW.
Marty has held several senior leadership positions on digital transformation teams at Zillow and a global wine distributor where she architected an end-to-end ecommerce and marketing automation stack.
About unlock VC
unlock VC is an award-winning global platform and community for women in VC. Culminating in a 400+ person annual summit in Paris, unlock VC seeks to develop highly productive networks to increase the success of diverse investors, partly through frequent local and virtual events, supported by a continuous stream of content, resources, and training.
The 1k+ member unlock VC community includes GPs, LPs, VC, and angel investors. 🚀
Join us at the unlock VC Summit, taking place 7–9 October 2025, where 400+ women in VC will come together to shape the future of venture capital. This year, the summit will be hosted at our new home, Norrsken House, Barcelona. Get your tickets here.